There are many different types of content marketing, and many different ways to go about them, but some of the people who need it the most are those who run or work in small businesses. It can be particularly hard, especially for small companies with limited marketing budgets, to market their products or services effectively. Therefore, we here at Pogo Digital have put together these helpful content marketing tips for small businesses.
Make a schedule and stick to it
This tip applies to running a successful business in general, but with your content marketing, it’s incredibly important to make yourself a schedule! Try and make it as long reaching as possible; work out what your typical workload might be every month, accounting for seasonal and other time specific factors. Clearly and realistically allocate time for you to complete different tasks every day, then work to adhere closely to it. While this step doesn’t help you gain any customers or business in and of itself, it’s extremely important for your overall content marketing strategy.
Do your research
In order to market your content effectively, you have to know both what other companies are doing, and what your customers and fans want. You should always check what other businesses in your sector are doing (both small businesses and large brands), so that you can see what works and what doesn’t. Check for past campaigns run both traditionally and on social media by other companies in your sector. Research current keywords and trends. All of this will help you better understand the climate in your industry, as well as give you content marketing ideas on what may be the most successful ways to market your business.
As always, be visual
Any readers who’ve read some of our previous blogs will already know the secret to this one… make sure that your content is visually pleasing: use images and video! It can’t be overstated how important images are on any platform, as they break up long bunches of text, immediately grab the attention of a potential reader and stand out massively on the page. Especially in longer pieces of content, images are a great way to keep the audience engaged and are one of the key pillars for content marketing success. Infographics are a very good example, as they’re an excellent way to convey information in a visually pleasing and easy to absorb way. People often underestimate the power of video, as well. Even if they’re just short, simple videos on Vine or Instagram; they’ll help give your business a real sense of character.
An example of a great Infographic. Sourced from www.elto.com
Manage your social media
This is an often overlooked, but absolutely critical component of any content marketing strategy. Social media is excellent for engaging with your customers and bringing more people into your proverbial fold. Depending on what your business is and does, it is probably best to choose the two social platforms best suited to your needs and really focusing on them, then posting on any others that you choose as a secondary thing. Whether you’re using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn or anything else, make sure that you’re posting good content that your followers will actually want to share. This ties into the second point about research; if you know what your followers and customers want, then you can tailor your content to those wants. Remember, you can check our various blogs for some tips on how to excel on different social media platforms, or you can contact us to discuss social media management.
