If your small business isn’t the biggest fish in your niche, content marketing can help you shrink the gap between you and the market leaders. It helps show prospects you’re credible, knowledgeable and trustworthy while at the same time shaping a distinct persona for your brand.
Sure, all companies need marketing, but content marketing’s particularly important if your business is competing against larger companies.
Let’s check out four reasons why it’s important for every small business to invest in content marketing.
#1: Content Marketing is a Great Value
Let’s be real here: we all know small businesses need to pinch pennies. And we’re all painfully aware we can’t outspend the big fish in our pond.
But what if you could implement a very cost-effective way to snag a larger share of your market?
That’s exactly what content marketing can do. It actually generates 3x more business leads than outbound sales tactics while costing 62% less. That makes it even more effective than paid search marketing!
Creating content like blog posts, YouTube how to videos or white paper downloads are some of the best ways to get your business to rank at the top of Google. A well executed content marketing strategy increases traffic to your site organically (i.e. without having to pay for Google or Facebook ads).
#2: Content Marketing Creates Buzz
Big Fortune 500 companies invest tons of money in sophisticated PR campaigns to get media exposure. And nowadays, even mid-sized companies have full-blown content marketing systems in place.
So what’s a small business to do?
Easy: simply steal a page from their playbook and use the exact same channels and techniques to get the word out about your company:
- Share news in a local or niche publication
- Write blog posts to position your company as thought leaders
- Promote your company through social media channels
And don’t hesitate to aim high: a creative, well-written story about your business might even make national headlines.
#3: Content Marketing Clarifies Your Value Proposition
Have you ever thought about why a prospective client or customer would choose your company instead of a larger, more experienced competitor?
Are you less expensive?
Are you easier to work with?
Maybe your products or services are better.
Thinking about those questions and finding your answer is the basis of your Value Proposition. Your Value Proposition’s what makes you unique in your niche.
A clearly defined Value Proposition makes it easy for prospects to understand what makes you different and why they’d want to select you. And, conveniently, content marketing is the best way for you to continually show your Value Proposition through your own custom mix of blog posts, social media tweets or videos.
#4: Content Marketing Helps Build Relationships
One distinct advantage a small business has over a large enterprise is it’s easier to build one-on-one connections; your customers feel like you “get” them and that they’re important to the success of your business.
Content marketing helps small businesses deepen relationships with prospects and existing clients by consistently sharing high-quality posts or articles, infographics or how-to videos.
Let Rushminute Help
If you’re committed to the success of your small business and are “in it for the long haul”, building a content marketing system will give you the best bang for your marketing buck. If you’re looking for help building your system from scratch or just need a “go to web guy” to manage your digital properties, Rushminute can help. Contact Rushminute or schedule a virtual cup of coffee and we’ll talk about your vision and how a great content marketing system can help you achieve your business goals.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robbie Moore is the founder of Rushminute, a digital marketing agency in Lincoln, Nebraska. With 20+ years of experience in digital marketing, Robbie has worked with dozens of companies and organizations, large and small, around the globe. He also writes extensively about design, development, and business in general.
