With recent statistics showing that 70% of consumers would rather find out about a company through an article as opposed to an advert, businesses can no longer ignore content marketing. The good news is that although it’s a powerful strategy, content marketing doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated to implement in order to see tangible benefits for your business. 
What is content marketing?
The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience – and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
So what does this mean for your small business in practice? In a nutshell, rather than selling your product through an advert or overt sales copy, content marketing involves regularly providing interesting and useful information for your prospects and customers in order to gain their trust and strengthen their goodwill and loyalty towards you as a brand.
What are the different types of content marketing?
The type of content marketing you choose will depend on what works best for you as a business. You may not have the large teams of in-house content creators available to the big brands, but you can learn both from them and your local competitors to figure out what will work best for you. Methods can include:
- Video, including live videos on social media channels like Snapchat and Facebook
- Blog articles
- Educational e-books
- Webinars
- Podcasts
However you choose to get your message across, the key is to position yourself as a thought-leader in your industry in order to gain your prospects’ respect. So while choosing the right format to fit your brand’s identity is important, it’s the actual content you include in that format that matters most.
What’s in it for my business?
The ultimate aim for any marketing activity is to generate more sales and while content marketing can seem like a longwinded strategy compared to a traditional advert, it can reap valuable rewards for your business. This is because these days consumers want to build relationships with brands at their own pace and on their own terms rather than being directly sold to. The benefits of content marketing include:
- Improved visibility. This is achieved by creating a long-term trust-based relationship with clients and prospects by consistently positioning yourself as an industry expert.
- Increased web traffic. You can attract more visitors to your website without allocating a significant chunk of your budget to advertising.
- Better brand awareness. Building a strong brand identity by providing relevant and useful content will establish you as a leader in your field.
- Competitive edge. You will have a clear advantage over competitors who have not yet invested in content marketing.
How to create a successful content marketing strategy
Your exact strategy will depend on your own unique brand identity but the following tips are worth taking into account:
- Think mobile. The cutting edge technology on our smartphones means that creating professional-standard video content is easier than ever before, and don’t forget that the vast majority of people will look at your content on their phone.
- Identify your audience. Customer surveys, analytics and competitor research will help you hone exactly who you are speaking to and what they want from you.
- Be authentic. Good storytelling will resonate with your client base and draw them in to your world.
- Get social media right. Again, every business is different, but generally Facebook will work better for the over 40s while Snapchat and Instagram will resonate with a younger audience.
- Get conversions. If your video or blog includes a call to action, encourage your customer to make that purchase or sign up for that newsletter by offering an incentive such as free samples or limited-time offers.
To find out how content marketing can help your business grow, email us at info@idealmarketingcompany.com or call us on 01858 374 170.
Louise is an experienced and versatile copywriter whose passion is bringing any subject to life through the written word. She thrives on using her imaginative approach to identify and implement exciting PR opportunities for clients. A career spent coming up with creative content for tight deadlines in consumer magazine journalism and PR means Louise doesn’t know the meaning of the term ‘writer’s block!’
