Content Marketing for Small Business

By: Johana M. Caba, M.A. 

Content Marketing involves the process of creating and sharing online materials that are intended to stimulate the interest of the your audience in the products, services or information  you are sharing. A huge part of content marketing is having an effective content strategy. This is the unique part of the overall marketing puzzle in which you demonstrate to your audience who you are, what you do, what you stand for and how you support your community. A content strategy refers to the planning, development and management of content that you have created for your business. The key to any winning content strategy is PLANNING. You need to write down what you plan to do, define your goals, research the market and create a timeline that will ensure that you stay on track! For more information on creating a WINNING CONTENT STRATEGY visit our "Create a Winning Content Strategy for 2020" blog. 

Below are our 6 tips for your small business content marketing needs! And, if you find this helpful, share our Content Marketing for Small Business infographic with others in your Small Business Community.

1. Define Your Goals: Create content with a strategic goal in mind. Know the who, what, where, when and why of your overall story and purpose.
2. Target Audience: Research your target audience by figuring out who you want to reach and who your competitors are trying to reach. Determine what you are trying to convey to them, where they spend their time online, when they are active online and why your content is important to them.
3. Brainstorm: After you have defined your goals and know your target audience, brainstorm ideas with your colleagues. Determine what type of content works best for your audience and which posts get the most engagement. 
4. Plan Your Content: Create an editorial calendar of the days of the week that you will post and what type of content you will be posting. For example, Mondays and Wednesdays you will post original content and on the other days of the week you will share curated content or re-post your older content. 
5. Value Creation: Content creation is also about value creation. The more you stay in tune with your company culture and your overall brand, the more value you will hold in the eyes of your consumers. 
6. Communication: You need to communicate clearly with your audience. You do not want any confusion or backlash, so THINK BEFORE YOU POST. Evaluate how your content might impact your audience and if it creates any value for them before posting anything.