From creating snazzy info-graphics to publishing blog posts, practically every small business is involved in content marketing in one way or another. Even keeping your Facebook page active with a post every week technically counts.
However, while many small business owners utilize content marketing in some form, not all of them use it effectively. After all, you can only go so far if the majority of what you do is redirecting your visitors to other people’s content.
Successful content marketing is all about creating and using your online content to attract your target audience. Whether it’s to boost your web traffic or drive sales, here are three helpful content marketing tips.
Set a Schedule
An indispensable part of any content marketing strategy is creating, and then sticking to, a set schedule. Even if they are just browsing, most web visitors will notice fairly quickly if your business website or blog hasn’t been updated in a while.
In addition, very few consumers will risk working with a company that looks inactive or slow to respond.
Especially when it comes to social media, providing content in a consistent manner not only helps potential customers form a good first impression, but also creates a more reliable reputation for your business.
Ideally, you should be posting to your blog at least once per week; twice or three times if you are in a very competitive market. In addition, it’s a very good idea to share content on your social media channels daily.
These posts can be from other thought leaders in your market or any information that could help your ideal prospect improve themselves or their business.
Establish Goals
It should come as no surprise that quality content can do a lot for your business. In addition to helping create a positive reputation, benefits include things like attracting your ideal customers and making you stand out from the competition.
However, if you don’t create content with some sort of goal in mind, chances are it won’t appear to be doing anything. Because of this, it is important to set goals for what you want to accomplish with your content.
Whether it’s more shares on social media, more downloads of your ebook or more signups for your newsletter, make sure your goals can be tracked and measured.
Then, by regularly weighing your data against your goals, you can gauge whether your content strategy is on the right track and make informed adjustments as needed.
Listen to Your Customers
Since the whole point of content marketing is to appeal to your target audience, it makes a lot of sense to listen to what your customers want.
For example, if certain questions are constantly being asked about your product or service, it must be something that customers want to know.
As a result, it would be smart to create a Frequently Asked Questions page on your website or a blog post series that addresses those common concerns.
This not only shows that your business cares and is invested in its customers, but it also provides the answers that current (and future) customers will be looking for.
In addition, the most effective small businesses use feedback and other analysis methods to guide their content. Rather than work off of assumptions, these businesses follow current trends and ask customers to fill out surveys.
They know which of their web pages or posts have been the most popular. They know which of their social media posts garner the most engagement. And they know which social media channel brings the most responsive audience based on their analytics.
Lastly, they tend to follow the 80/20 rule of content marketing and avoid overloading customers with too many sales pitches.
In other words, 80% of your content should be informative, educational and/or entertaining while 20%, or even less, should be direct sales promotions.
Have questions or comments about content marketing? Please share them below.
If you need help with a new website, SEO, Blogging or Social Media, give us a call at 512-942-6108. We’d love to help you!
To your success!
Ken Partain
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