We talk about content marketing a lot at Lion Spirit Media. What is it, how does it work, what kinds of content can you create for your strategy? But one of the elements we don’t explain as much is why small businesses specifically can benefit from content marketing. We get asked a lot of questions, as small business owners are typically strapped for both cash and time, so any marketing efforts they invest in need to be worthwhile. Luckily content marketing is worth its weight in gold for small businesses, and here’s why.
What Does Content Marketing Actually Mean?
If you look up the definition of content marketing, you’ll find many different sources saying the same thing – it’s a type of marketing strategy specifically built on content. That content can take on a number of forms or just one, but if the content is at the heart of it, then it comes under the umbrella of content marketing.
It’s important to know that content marketing is not the same thing as marketing with content. Marketing with content is just using a piece of content as part of a wider marketing effort, whereas content marketing is driven by creating customer-focused content that answers customer questions, understands their pain points and provides solutions. It bridges the gap between your customers and your products or services, and guides them from one side to the other. And it obviously works, as businesses who invest in content marketing generally see a 6x ROI while spending 62% less on their marketing.
Why Should Small Businesses Bother With Content Marketing?
Small business owners often have to struggle with wearing multiple hats. As well as delivering your services or making your products, you also have to be a bookkeeper, accountant, marketeer, salesman, business planner, admin officer, operations manager and quality control. It’s a lot to manage! So when creating content can sound like just another job to add to the list, why should you bother?
Simply put, it can give your business a huge boost. Over 74% of companies say that content marketing increases lead generation, and if that isn’t enough on its own, there are a number of other benefits too, including:
Improve Your Search Rankings
In a digital world, being found on Google is essential. And while Google changes its algorithms on an almost daily basis, there is one thing it’s always been consistent on – content. The aim of Google is to provide a good experience for the searcher, which means websites that are providing Google with lots of informative and educational content that answers real questions will be featured higher in the search engine results. So if you want to appear on page 1, you need to be creating content.
Position You As An Authority
Being seen as an expert in your field is an important thing, especially if you’re in a service-based business. Especially for small businesses, where trustworthiness can be the difference between winning and losing work. Producing informative content on a regular basis proves your credibility and builds audience confidence in your business, which means they are more likely to buy from you in the future.
Educate Your Audience
There are plenty of examples out there of people who need or could benefit from your services, but they have no idea their need exists. Content marketing allows you to educate your audience using blogs, videos, webinars, eBooks and more, teaching them about your industry, your offering and how they can benefit. This educational approach avoids the hard sell, and instead gently guides the audience towards your business so that when they are ready to buy, they come to you.
Increase Awareness
Getting the message out there and building brand awareness are big challenges that all small business owners face. It can be difficult to reach new audiences in new areas, and convince them to give you a shot over bigger competitors. By creating interesting and shareable content that helps customers in some way, you can reach a much wider audience and engage them in a positive way.
And many more benefits besides. Small businesses have been using content marketing strategies for years to improve customer relationships, fuel their social media platforms, close more sales and compete with bigger businesses for years, and you could too.
At Lion Spirit Media we love content, and we love content strategy. Understanding what makes your customers tick and how to get on their good side is the bread and butter of what we do, and we would love to show you how well it can work. With our help, you can craft a unique ROAR that reaches every corner of the jungle, making sure your business voice is heard. Interested? Just get in touch to book your free consultation.
