Looking at the competitiveness in the business world, innovation in marketing is the only key to standing out in the eyes of a target audience. Especially when we talk about small businesses, they have limited resources and budgets. Hence, it becomes difficult to afford expensive marketing methods to reach out to the target market.
Hence, every business is now focusing on creating an effective online presence. This will assist in gaining a competitive edge over their other competitors. However, out of all the methods of building an effective online presence, content marketing seems to become a new best friend of small businesses. In fact, according to the SEMrush, 91% of small businesses use content marketing for business growth. The reason behind the same is the ability of content marketing to reach out to a wider audience in an inexpensive manner.
Furthermore, there can be many content marketing strategies for SMBs to enhance their growth. Now the question arises, what are the most effective strategies SMBs can use to gain the most attention?
Therefore, this blog features 5 Sureshot strategies for small businesses to excel in content marketing in the contemporary world.
5 Effective Strategies of Content Marketing for SMBs
- Make the most of Generated Content
It is not essential that the content always has to be generated in-house. One of the most effective types of content that can attract the attention of the target audience is the UGC. Recording and presenting the user-generated content can assist in presenting the experience of previous customers with your brand.
This will assist in presenting the content as a social proof which will assist in attracting the new customers. It is an effective strategy especially for small businesses because you do not have to spend much time and money on preparing the content.
The content can be collected in various forms of reviews, ratings, or by distributing surveys. Moreover, it can be presented also in many forms such as videos, static posts, etc. If effectively utilized. UGC can assist in generating leads that can potentially be converted into sales. This will assist in accomplishing the business goals by generating profitable revenue for the company.
- Optimize personalization
“The one size fits all” is now old news and does not hold any relevance in the contemporary business world. Now, the customers want to feel special and desire special attention from the brands. In fact, as per Hubspot, 80% of consumers say that they are more likely to make a buy when their favorite brands offer personalized experiences.
This implies that personalization is now not confined to a trend anymore, it has now become more of a necessity for every business. It will assist in enhancing the user experience and attracting new customers.
Small businesses can use the personalized approach in preparing content for different platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Using the collected data to generate the content that the audience prefers will assist in gaining the attention of the customers. This can further assist small businesses in generating leads and enhancing the revenue of the company.
- Harness the power of video marketing
Video marketing is the new king of content marketing because it has the ability to hook and engage the audience for hours. Furthermore, an effective video marketing strategy can influence a target audience to take action. To validate, as per the survey by Optinmonster, 84% of the people state that a brand video was successful in convincing them to purchase.
Videos can be created in multiple forms and lengths to deliver the message to the target audience. Multiple formats of videos can be
- Explainer videos
- Testimonials
- Direct advertisement
- Behind the scenes video
- Educational videos
Each of these videos can be effectively used to deliver high-quality content to the target audience in order to engage them effectively.
Another format of video that is gaining wide popularity among the audience is the short video. Almost every platform is launching its own feature of creating short videos lengthening from 15 to 60 secs. It can assist in hooking the audience in the most efficient and engaging manner.
- Hop on the trend of podcasts
The latest trend of podcasts is increasing and gaining popularity all around the world day by day. In fact, the global market of podcasting was valued at USD 11.46 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 31.1% from 2021 to 2028. Delivering high-quality content through podcasts can be an effective strategy for small businesses.
Small businesses can create multiple audio programs such as creating engaging interviews, narrating interesting stories, or organizing one-on-one ted talks to engage the audience.
- Bring AI into the game
Nobody can deny the fact that artificial intelligence is just like an ace card that is required to win the game of content marketing. Artificial intelligence can be effectively utilized to collect the data and determine the type of content the target audience is interested in and engaging in. This data can be further utilized to generate content that can effectively engage the audience.
To substantiate, research by Deloitte states that 73% of businesses that adopt AI believe that it is significant for businesses today. In addition, 64% of the AI business users say that technology has assisted them in gaining a competitive edge over their competitors. Hence, it is high time for your business to embrace this change management and bring artificial intelligence into the picture.
Along with this, AI can also help in recommending creative ideas that align with predictive analysis. This can save the time for small businesses on researching and finding new creatives to hook audiences to their brand.
To encapsulate, with the world drastically shifting toward the era of digital marketing, it has now become essential for small businesses to create effective strategies to achieve their business objectives. Moreover, the given above strategies will assist small businesses to master the trick of content marketing.
