What does it take for a small business to succeed in 2022 and beyond?
Some would say that the crucial ingredient for breaking into any market (even competitive niches) is to nail the research process. Others would point out the importance of getting product quality or customer experience just right. And some will say that the key to seeing your business venture succeed is to utilize the right marketing strategies.
But here’s the thing. All of these statements are true. However, if you’re looking to do things right (and reap the fruits of your labor sooner than later), you must have a solid idea of the specific strategies you need to employ to reach your set goals — especially when it comes to marketing.
In this article, we’ll cover the tips and tricks that will help you optimize your content marketing. Not just so you can enjoy a higher ROI and increase your site’s organic traffic. But more importantly, so that every single piece of content you produce has the highest chance of reaching your audience, inspiring conversions, and nurturing loyal and long-lasting relationships with your customers.
- Pick the Right Distribution Channel
Perhaps the most influential thing you can do to get the highest value out of your content marketing efforts is to know where to publish.
The ideal distribution channels for your business will depend on your target audience. Maintaining a website blog, for example, is always useful. So is investing in video content to be published on YouTube, as this platform surpassed 2,240.03 million users in 2021, and it’s only going to grow further. Or, you might even decide to experiment with the podcast format and platforms such as Spotify.
But, if you’re trying to get the biggest bang for your buck, the best way to go forward may just be to keep things simple.
According to a recent report from Unbounce, the content distribution channel which was the most successful at driving conversions in 2021 was email, with a 21.8% median conversion rate. It was followed by social media, with a 7.6% median CR.
What does this data mean? It’s simple. All it shows is that the best distribution channels for your content don’t have to require you to spend large amounts of money. In fact, going with what you (presumably) already have — a list of subscribers, for example — can actually provide a higher ROI than a fancy new content marketing direction.
- Prioritize Value
The second most important thing you should pay attention to when investing in content is that it always offers value to your audience.
Whether you’re writing blog articles, creating ephemeral content to publish on social media, or are putting together in-depth whitepapers and ebooks to use as gated content, remember this one thing: prioritize quality over quantity.
The benefits you stand to gain by choosing to focus on value in your content marketing strategy are multitudinous. First and foremost, great content will help you engage your audience and result in higher conversion rates. (By the way, did you know that educational content makes consumers 131% more likely to convert?)
On top of that, it will also build trust, improve your SERP rankings, and inspire customer loyalty. These are all impactful factors when trying to achieve business success through content marketing.
- Maintain a Consistent Publishing Schedule (But Not at the Cost of Quality)
One of the best tricks you can employ to see better results from your content marketing efforts is to optimize your publishing schedule.
According to research from HubSpot, the best way to build brand awareness is to publish new blog posts 1-2x per week, while for maximizing organic traffic, 3-4 new posts per week will be necessary.
But, here’s the thing. If you’re a one-person team, then pushing out this much new content every week will be next to impossible. Especially if you’re aiming for quality. So, if you want to retain the benefits offered by a well-developed quality-oriented content marketing strategy, you might have to do one of two things.
On the one hand, you might have to slow down your publishing schedule so that you can ensure you’re delivering value to your audience. Tools like Grammarly, Hemmingway, and Quetext will help you not lose too much time on the writing process by drawing your attention to issues regarding grammar, readability, and accidental plagiarism.
On the other hand, you may have to accept that the best way to invest in content is to simply hire someone else to do it — which brings us to the last small business content marketing tip for today.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Spend Money
According to Forbes, the best way to ensure you’re getting a good ROI from your content marketing strategy is to allocate approximately 25% to 30% of your total marketing budget to producing and distributing content.
Yes, this may sound like a lot. However, remember that content marketing makes for one of the most effective ways to get value out of your spending. And, when done right, it can secure you an ROI upwards of 500%.
So what does this mean?
It’s simple. It just means that you shouldn’t be afraid of spending money on content marketing. Yes, you should keep an eye on website metrics and make improvements to (all of) your marketing strategies if you notice they’re falling short. But, as long as you’re making any necessary changes in a timely manner and prioritizing value and quality, you should expect excellent results.
Over to You
There you have it: four simple tips anyone can adopt to get more out of their content marketing efforts for small business success.
As you can see, none of these require too much work. But rest assured that they will have a positive impact, and not just on your content marketing ROI. They will also help boost your brand’s reputation, the organic traffic to your website, and your conversion rates.