If you're like most small business owners, you don't have a huge marketing budget. And you might have already realized that traditional advertising, or working with marketing agencies will drain your bank account.
So how do you get people to fall in love with your brand, and buy from you?
If you're looking for a way to get more bang for your buck while trying bring in new leads - try content marketing.
Even if you're a small or local business, content marketing is still the most effective way to bring in business. Website articles, social media posts, email promotions, and advertorials all do a great job at bringing in more leads and sales.
Content marketing will help you build brand authority, drive organic traffic to your website, and nurture leads. You'll also be able to establish yourself as an expert, and generate customer loyalty.
There actually isn't much that content can't do.
So before we start on this journey to amplify your content, let's focus for a minute on why content should be important to you as a business owner.
The Only Way to Build Brand Authority
When people continuously consume your content, they will automatically begin to see you as the expert. Eventually, you'll be able to say whatever you want and your audience will believe you.
It's crazy. I know.
But I see this kind of thing happen everyday. Just look at Donald Trump. He's been talking to his audience for years, and they trust him completely. It doesn't matter what he says. His people will believe him, if it comes out of his mouth.
And with this kind of built up trust, you position your company as the only reasonable option for your ideal customers. They'll buy from you, because they trust you.
How do you build credibility with content marketing?
When you continuously put out content, it's almost like a digital reputation builder. Before people see your content, you're just like everybody else. People have no clue who you are.
You could be an absolute psycho for all they know.
But once you let people get to know you through your content, they can begin to trust you. Once they trust you, then they'll automatically buy from you when they need something.
What's the easiest way to show your expertise?
Each piece of content you put out should display your expertise. The easiest way to prove your expertise is to give your potential customers "quick wins". Solve their immediate problems, and then when they have more problems, they'll come to you for solutions.
That's essentially how you'll transform your content into new leads and customers. Solve some problems now for free, and then charge money the next time your audience needs a solution.
But isn't content marketing expensive?
Not really... Content marketing is 62% less expensive than traditional advertising. And if you've ever used traditional advertising before, you'll probably see 3X as many leads coming from your content.
The reason why it's a bargain for most businesses is because your content lasts forever. It's almost like an investment. If you publish a piece of content today, it can bring in new leads for years.
That's probably why 41% of marketers report exceptional ROI on their content marketing, even while they're overpaying agencies to create it. Those businesses are able to reuse the most successful pieces to bring in new leads for years.
The only way to drive organic traffic to your website.
Something that really surprises me is that some business owners don't have blogs on their websites. The first questions I always ask them is always, "How do people find you?"
Because if you're not taking advantage of organic traffic from search engines, then you're probably either paying for ads or spending way too much time on social media.
That's what I did when I first started out. I would spend hours and hours on social media everyday. But no matter what, I would have to start fresh the next day, because every social media post has a shelf life.
This is why I encourage every small business owner to create a website with a blog. At the very least, you'll get some organic traffic to your company webpage. That;s the absolute worst thing that can happen.
The best thing that can happen is that you'll never need to pay for marketing ever again.
But by continuously publishing new content on your site, you're telling the search engines that your business is worth promoting.
Google is basically a content promotion service, so the more content you give them, the more likely they are to reward you with higher rankings.
Remember - Businesses with active blogs have 434% more indexed pages than competitors without them.
And each blog post gives your potential customers more ways to find you. You could even think of your blog posts as tiny marketers, because they literally bring people into your business and convince them to buy from you.
Local SEO Content Strategies
If you're a local businesses, you might need more targeted strategies to bring in local customers. You'll probably want to focus more on:
- Service area-specific landing pages
- Local event coverage
- Geographic keyword optimization
- Community success stories
- Neighborhood involvement highlights
Most people searching online, are searching for local goods and services.  46% of Google queries target local information. This is great because it provides massive opportunities for local businesses.
Especially because most of your competitors probably aren't taking advantage of content marketing. In some small cities, you might have zero competitors with blogs. That could easily push you to the top of search when people Google whatever it is you're providing.
Content is also a great way to nurture leads.
Sometimes it's not enough just to get someone to your website, sometimes you have to nurture that relationship if you want to convert them into a paying customer.
This is especially true if you're selling high ticket items like electronics, education, or even cars. Anything that costs over $1,000 needs more than a hello and a handshake.
By nurturing your leads, you can make prospects buy more, and more often. Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases. Plus whenever you need to make more sales, you can just send an offer out to your list.
Just remember to build a relationship with your email list. Don't ask them for money every time you send out an email. Like most any relationship, you've got to give people something if you want them to stick around.
Establish yourself as the go-to expert.
The goal for most creators and business owners is to turn their expertise into thought leadership. Becoming a thought leader in your field can position you as the go-to authority when people are looking for answers.
This may not seem important to you as a small business owner, but 58% of buyers select businesses to work with based on thought leadership alone.
To become a thought leader in your industry, you'll need:
- New solutions to challenges from your industry
- Real-world implementation strategies
- Research-backed analysis
- Fresh perspectives on trending topics
And you'll have to give people these things with a large dose of authenticity. 73% of consumers gravitate toward transparent brands. So creating content around real experiences - successes and setbacks alike - can build genuine connections with your audience.
This alone can help you build the trust you need to gain your customer's loyalty.
How to generate customer trust and loyalty.
As cool as blogs are, it usually isn't enough to just create blog content. 61% of consumer purchases can come directly from social media engagement. So as a small business owner, you should also have a plan social media.
But I don't want you to worry about making perfect social media content. Business owners have a tendency to overcomplicate their social media. They hire social media managers, and spend a ton of resources on videos or graphics.
Don't do any of that - The truth is that authentic content usually outperforms polished perfection.
If I were you, I wouldn't even hire anyone to help with social media.
Because just by telling stories about you and your brand, you'll probably receive 23% higher sharing rates than if you just shared promotional content.
So think of your company's social media like your business diary, and just go for it. I'll go into more detail about this later, but just so you know, this is where we're headed.
What does all this mean?
It means you can get the word out about your brand for a lot cheaper than you thought possible. Content creation, whether through blog posts or social media engagement, can deliver leads and buyers very effectively when used correctly.
If you put enough time and effort into your content, that content can generate value in your business for years to come. Each piece you write plants a seed that can grow into a lead-generation machine over time.
And you don't need to be a marketing genius to get it done either. In fact, you'll probably do a better job than most marketers. Because you know your business inside and out, and you're probably the only person that can tell your story well.
Remember - Your content transformation journey starts now. You're about to make a huge difference in your business. I can't wait to help you, and hear your story when you're done.
If you don't have a website yet, check out my website creation course here.
Diana Pettit