Whatever you call it, branded content, custom publishing or content marketing, the creation and distribution of targeted content direct from businesses to customers is the new marketing.
Businesses have endless opportunities to engage in a two-way conversation with prospects and clients through content marketing. You show that you care by sharing tips, solutions and news, and by responding in real-time to customer feedback. Content marketing is a great way to grow your business if you have a story, information, or products to share.
Most people know that the internet is their first choice for finding products and services. This trend is likely to continue for many years. It is because it is easy to search online that people feel so comfortable. It doesn’t require any travel time or physical effort.
Small business owners should take advantage of this opportunity by creating blogs, eBooks and articles that provide useful information about their product/service. These materials help potential customers learn more about you and your company. These materials allow potential customers to determine if your company is able provide the solution that they need.
What does Content Marketing mean for Businesses?
Content marketing is a method of marketing that includes creating and sharing relevant information for your target audience. Brands can now connect with their customers through social media, blogs and articles.
A Roper survey of 100 chief marketing officers covering 19 product categories found that almost 60% of CMOs believe custom-branded content will consume a larger percentage of marketing budgets in the coming years.
The online market is leveled by the ability to directly reach your target audience. All marketers, large and small, have the opportunity to use other media resources to reach consumers and retain their loyalty.
Are you unsure where to start? These are 3 content marketing tips that will help you get started
1. Stay Connected
Reach out to industry leaders by commenting, sharing articles, following them on social media and joining in the conversation wherever it occurs. It’s possible to create a strategic partnership. You won’t find out if your company doesn’t participate in the conversation.
2. Start a
Consider what information your customers want and compare it to the knowledge that you have. You’re likely to offer advice and guidance to customers and prospects every day. This information can be repurposed into blog posts that will position you as an expert for people who find you online.
3. Give it Away
Sometimes business owners worry about giving away their best-kept secrets. The more secrets you keep, you will create distance in this era of transparency and content marketing. People will view you as an authority by sharing your knowledge and expertise and may be more inclined to do business with them.
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How do you create content that meets these needs?
These are some tips to help you get started.
1. Develop a Strategy
It is important to gather accurate information in order to make your content marketing efforts resonate with your target audience. What are they looking for? This will help you identify the topics and themes that they might be interested in. This helps you create content that they will find interesting and useful. Better typography, graphics and videos make content more attractive. What do they need to learn about your business? What will they get from buying from you? These are important questions you need to be able answer in a way that resonates with your target market.
2. Be Consistent
A consistent publishing schedule is essential if you want to optimize your content marketing efforts. This does not necessarily mean you should publish new information every day. This is just a way to let customers know when you expect new content from you company. They can then plan ahead and follow-up with what is posted on your website or blog. Why should people be able to keep track of what is being posted on your website? Why should they buy from you? What other products or services do you offer that may be of interest to them? These are just a few of the many questions potential customers will ask. To build a relationship with potential customers, you must be prepared with the answers.
3. Keep it Relevant
Why should people keep reading the content on your blog, website, or social media accounts? Many brands fail to succeed in content marketing because the information shared doesn’t necessarily provide value for readers.
4. Your Posts are Important
What topics/themes might be of benefit to them? Why should they not share this information with their family, friends, and acquaintances? How will sharing your content increase your social media presence and reach? These are just a few of the questions you need to answer before you start a content marketing campaign.
5. Incentivize
Why is it important that people share content from your company? How will sharing your blog or website help you promote your brand online What are the benefits they can expect? Why should they follow your social media accounts? It is better for them to promote your brand within their own circles than sharing information from other brands that might not be reliable or helpful. If they are able to ask these questions, they will be more likely to take action and share your posts with others. A contest or incentive for sharing makes content marketing more efficient.
It should not suffice to create quality content that makes your target market want to read what you’ve published. What reason should they spend their time reading what is shared on your website or blog? What do you think would be helpful to them? How will it improve your company’s reputation? These questions will play a major role in determining whether people will take an interest in the content of your company and in its overall brand. You can be sure that your audience will continue to return for more if you provide useful information that meets their needs.
You are marketing if you work in business. Your audience will want to find relevant information and you should aim to be that source. Content marketing is a cost-effective and effective way to reach potential customers and keep in touch with them.
Marketing Budget Short on Funds?
To help grow your business content marketing is vitally important to your small business. If you are looking to grow your business and need marketing funding options Progressive Business Capital are here to assist you in finding the right funding option for your business. Please call us at (800) 508-4532 to learn more.
