With a digital lifestyle the norm for most consumers, a different marketing opportunity has opened up for SMBs. Content marketing gives businesses a chance to tell their story and engage customers in a unique way.

According to the Content Marketing Institution (CMI), content marketing is a strategy of "…creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content". This content comes in many forms, such as blogs, videos and newsletters. The goal is not necessarily converting sales; it's not a hard-sell. It’s about building relationships, authority and trust with your audience.  

How do you do it?

Content marketing is for any business, not just large corporations with budget to spare. One of the most common ways is creating a blog on your website. It can be updated regularly with articles relevant to your business and products. Not only does it focus on your expertise, it can improve your search results. Google’s algorithm searches for new and relevant content to help determine search rankings.

Content marketing helps you stand out from the rest and get your brand out there, but where should you start?

Focus on Engaging Storytelling

Storytelling is crucial in content marketing. Gone are the days where marketers focus solely on the features or price of a product. Instead, content marketing focuses on the story of your product or business. How does it solve a particular problem? How does it complement a consumer’s world view, e.g. is it environmentally friendly? How has it helped others, and what was their experience? Find an angle that engages and keeps consumers hooked.

Plan for Regular Posting

Consistency is vital for successful content marketing as it helps establish you as an active and reliable source of information. Customers know when to anticipate new content, like a monthly newsletter for example.

To achieve this, developing a content calendar is a must. It gives you a roadmap and outline of the type of content, when each will be posted and on which communication channel. Planning means you aren’t creating content last minute and you’ve put thought into crafting an engaging message.

Find the Right Channel to Reach Your Audience

Publishing your content means nothing if it's not seen by your audience. Finding the right channel or platform is essential. To do this effectively, you need to know your customer – e.g. how old are they, and how did they find out about your business? This enables you to identify the channels and types of content your customers prefer. There are several formats and platforms:

Formats

• Blogging is one of the most cost-effective and easiest ways to start your content marketing journey. Start by writing pieces relevant to your business. Focus on its products and services and the problems they solve. Articles can also look at changes in your industry. Keep the writing simple. If you’re passionate about the subject it will show.
• Videos are a visual medium that engage customers who don’t have time or focus to read long articles. Create videos that offer new or different pieces of information, such as customer testimonials, a behind-the-scenes portrait of your company, product explainers or even livestreaming.

Platforms

• Newsletters are a great way to keep your customers up-to-date what’s going in your business or industry. It can also link to your blogs to boost engagement.
• Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Youtube are where consumers spend their time. These are effective ways to share your content and engage with them. You can hear firsthand their experiences with your business and products. It’s a channel for businesses to share and learn.

Have a Clear Objective with a Call to Action

Every piece of marketing should have a purpose that can be measured. Measurements can include number of downloads, subscriptions, traffic to a blog post, or the number of enquiries made from the content itself. Measuring allows you to test which types of content fulfil your different objectives. A newsletter might drive direct sales while a video on your Facebook drives traffic to your website and increases brand awareness.

To achieve these objectives, you must remember a call to action. What is it you want the audience to do? State it clearly so they can follow through. ‘Buy now’, ‘Sign up today’, ‘Like our page’ are all examples of a clear call to action. Even suggesting a related article at the end of a blog post is an engagement call to action. It’s not always about selling but giving customers a reason to further explore your content and business.