So what is content marketing, anyway?
Content marketing is a powerful form of marketing that focuses on producing useful and pertinent content that will reach a defined audience to engage them and attract them to your business. Ultimately, the content is designed to keep this audience interacting with your brand, helping to motivate them into becoming customers and to take action that drives revenue.
How do we do content marketing?
If done properly, content marketing is a long-term strategy that is meant to build a relationship with your audience and establish your business as an authority in your industry. This article you are reading right now is a form of content marketing, albeit one very small piece of a much larger puzzle.
There are several different categories, or types, of content marketing that businesses, agencies, and independent creators deliver to their audiences, such as:
- Blogging: Creating and publishing articles on your website or other platforms
- Video marketing: Creating and publishing videos on platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, and TikTok
- Infographics: Creating visual representations of information or data
- Podcasting: Creating and publishing audio content in the form of a podcast
- Social media marketing: Creating and publishing content on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
- Email marketing: Creating and sending emails to your subscribers
- Webinars: Hosting live or recorded educational or informative sessions
- E-books: Creating and publishing digital books
What are some examples of content marketing?
If the list above seems sort of vague, that’s because it’s a 50-thousand food view. True content marketing exists in each actual piece of content itself. So what does that actually look like? Well, examples of content marketing might include:
- A fashion brand or clothing store owner creating a YouTube series where they showcase how to style different pieces from their collection
- A financial advisor creating an e-book on budgeting strategies for millennials
- A software company hosting a webinar on the latest updates to their product
- A restaurant creating an Instagram series showcasing their menu items and behind-the-scenes of the kitchen
The approach to content marketing can vary depending on the industry and size of the business. For example, a B2B technology company may create content that focuses on educating their audience on the latest industry trends and developments, while a B2C e-commerce company may create content that focuses on building brand awareness and promoting their products.
Additionally, a small business may not have the resources to produce as much content as a large enterprise, so their content marketing strategy may focus on quality over quantity.
What are some tools to help develop our content marketing?
There’s a lot to it, but if you break it down piecemeal, the entire content marketing strategy can be more manageable. Luckily, there is no end to the brilliant tech innovations people are releasing to help. Here are some of the many tools available to help businesses with their content marketing efforts:
- Content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress or Squarespace can be used to create and manage a website or blog. We use WordPress for the vast majority of our client website projects.
- Social media management tools such as Hootsuite and Sprout Social can be used to schedule and publish content on social media platforms. We use Loomly for our agency social media management practice.
- Email marketing tools such as Constant Contact and Mailchimp can be used to create and send emails to subscribers.
- Video editing software such as Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro can be used to create and edit videos.
- Graphic design software such as Adobe Illustrator and Canva can be used to create infographics and other visual content. We love Canva!
- Analytics tools such as Google Analytics or Looker Data Studio can be used to track the performance of your content and make data-driven decisions.
Overall, content marketing is a powerful strategy for businesses of all sizes and industries to attract and engage their target audience and establish themselves as experts in their field. With the help of various tools, businesses can create and distribute high-quality content that will drive profitable customer action.
The importance of content marketing for small businesses
Content marketing is especially important for small businesses as it allows them to build trust and establish a relationship with their target audience. This can lead to increased brand awareness and sales, which are crucial for the growth and success of small businesses. By utilizing content marketing small businesses will also attract higher-quality leads which will lead to higher conversions. It also serves as a great support for other marketing efforts a small business may be using.
Not sure what to write? Check out some free writing prompts.
Increase visibility and traffic among your target audience
One of the main effects of content marketing on small businesses is increased visibility and traffic to their website. By creating high-quality, valuable content that resonates with their target audience, small businesses can attract more visitors to their websites, which can lead to increased sales and revenue.
Additionally, creating high-quality content can help small businesses improve their search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find them online. For example, a small business that specializes in handcrafted jewelry can create a blog where they share tips on how to take care of jewelry, the stories behind their designs, or the benefits of different materials used in their jewelry. By creating content that is interesting and valuable to their target audience, the small business can attract more visitors to their website and increase the chances of making a sale.
Establish authority within your industry or field
Another benefit of high-quality content is that it can help small businesses establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. By providing valuable information and insights, small businesses can position themselves as experts in their field, which can lead to increased trust and credibility. This can ultimately lead to increased sales and revenue. Content marketing can make small businesses an authority in their industry.
By providing valuable information and insights, small businesses can establish themselves as experts in their field and attract more customers. This can ultimately lead to increased sales and revenue.
Need help with your writing? Check out the writing advice in An MFA For Your MBA, by our founder Phillip Scott Mandel.
Build trust and bond with customers and prospects
Content marketing can help small businesses bond with their customers by providing them with valuable information and insights that are relevant to their interests and needs. This can include tips, tutorials, case studies, and other types of content that provide value to the customer. By providing this type of content, small businesses can establish themselves as a reliable source of information and build trust with their target audience.
Creating a connection and a sense of community with a target audience is crucial for small businesses. It leads to increased customer loyalty and retention. When customers feel a connection with a brand, they are more likely to return to the business and make repeat purchases. Additionally, satisfied customers are more likely to recommend the business to others, which can lead to increased visibility and revenue.
Generate higher quality leads and more conversions
All this stuff is very nice, but at the end of the day we all know that what really matters is cash. Cold hard cash. Sales. Conversions. Transactions.
Well, content marketing can improve conversions by generating higher-quality leads. By providing valuable information and insights, small businesses can attract potential customers who are more likely to be interested in their products or services. This is because high-quality content helps pre-qualify potential customers by providing them with the information, they need to make an informed decision. This can ultimately lead to increased conversions and sales.
Small businesses can also use varying types of content, such as webinars, e-books, or case studies, to attract potential customers. These types of content can provide a deeper level of information and insights and can help attract potential customers who are further along in the buying process. By providing these types of content, small businesses can increase conversions by attracting higher-quality leads who are more likely to make a purchase.
Content marketing supports and amplifies your other marketing efforts
We at Mandel Marketing believe that no marketing tactic lives in a vacuum. The articles you write, the social media you post, the ads you create, the packaging of your product, as well as your overall branding, logo, color scheme, and the look of your website–it all works in tandem.
Content marketing can support other avenues of marketing within a small business by providing a foundation of valuable and relevant information for other marketing efforts to build upon. By creating high-quality content, small businesses can attract more visitors to their websites, which can ultimately lead to increased sales and revenue.
Email marketing is another avenue that can benefit from content marketing. By creating a regular schedule of valuable content, small businesses can attract more subscribers to their email lists. Additionally, by providing valuable information and insights in their emails, small businesses can increase engagement and conversions from their email campaigns.
Social media marketing can also benefit from content marketing. By creating high-quality content, small businesses can attract more followers to their social media pages. Additionally, by sharing valuable information and insights on social media, small businesses can increase engagement and drive more traffic to their website.
In summary, content marketing is crucial for small businesses to increase visibility, drive traffic, generate quality leads, improve conversions, establish themselves as experts in their industry, build trust and credibility with their customer base, and support their other marketing avenues.
Writing content is just the beginning! Backlinks are also crucial for SEO!
Mandel Marketing specializes in content marketing and writing
A digital marketing agency such as Mandel Marketing provides small businesses with a comprehensive approach to content marketing. We’ve helped many small businesses develop a content marketing strategy that is tailored to their specific needs and aligns with their overall business goals. This includes conducting market research to identify target audiences, creating a content calendar, and developing a variety of content types such as blog posts, infographics, and videos.
Examples of other services Mandel Marketing provides are copywriting, website development and design, social media management, email marketing, paid search, and overall marketing automation! Hiring a digital marketing agency is great for a small business that wants to automate its marketing efforts.
Let’s face it, there’s a lot to do when it comes to content marketing. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming! Often, small business owners want to spend more time focusing on the product or the service they provide because perhaps that is why they got into the business in the first place. Or maybe they started their small business to free up more time for their family.
Whatever the reason, Mandel Marketing, an expert digital marketing agency, is a great place to start when considering your content marketing strategy as a small business owner. Contact us today for a free consultation or use the form below: