We all know that marketing is crucial to small business success. Let’s look at content marketing and how you can leverage it for your needs.

What do we mean by “content”? Blogs, articles and social media posts are a few types of content. You can also use animation, video, podcasts, events, press releases, eBooks, print material — even comics.

But don’t worry. You don’t need to create content in all these categories. Blogging is a good way to start, along with posting on social media and email campaigns.

Ads vs. Adblockers

Why content marketing instead of traditional advertisement? Due to the widespread use of ad blocking software for both desktop and mobile, paid advertising is less reliable. Content marketing allows you get around ad blocking and build a relationship with your customer at the same time.

Does Content Marketing Work for Small Business?

Big companies can afford large content marketing campaigns, providing big results. Can this work on a smaller scale? Absolutely. Most customers say they want to learn about a company through an article as opposed to a paid advertisement.

And creating content needn’t eat up all your time or your budget. Outsourcing your content marketing is still much cheaper than other forms of advertising – and more effective. Whether you outsource or hire someone to produce it for you, it’s still inexpensive and generally produces more leads than traditional advertising.

Planning Your Content: Keep it Flowing

As we’ve mentioned in other blog posts, consistency is a key element of effective marketing. This is especially true of content marketing. Regular posting is important. Set a schedule for creating content and stick to it. For some businesses this may mean every day, while others may decide once a week or once a month. Spend the time early on to figure out what works best for your business.

A Word about SEO

We could write several blogs (or a book) about SEO — Search Engine Optimization — but we’ll keep it simple. SEO is the process of using keywords in your content that will help search engines find it when those keywords and entered into a search. Each piece of content you create should target a specific keyword (or words). This will help get more eyes on your content and your business.

Pick the Right Channels

There are a host of social media platforms, and you want to pick the ones that best suit your audience and content. Images and info graphics are a great fit for Pinterest and Instagram. Links to blogs can be shared on Twitter. Facebook is a good option for blogs, videos and events.

Content marketing is a long-term strategy that will help you connect with and grow your audience. If you need help with your content marketing, please contact us at Farmhouse Creative. We’re here to help.