If you’re in the marketing world or just trying to market your small business, chances are the term “content marketing” has popped up. Content marketing is a valuable technique for attracting your target market through the creation and distribution of content that is of interest to customers via various platforms and mediums. Content marketing is exciting, relatively new and sells your product or service without actually selling. This can get confusing and sometimes hard to understand so be sure to learn more about content marketing in-depth by reading What is Content Marketing? Now that you’re all caught up, let’s start talking about taking the concept and putting it into action! There are tons of different ways you can use content marketing: webinars, events, custom publications, video productions…the list goes on and on. As fun as content marketing seems, at some point you have to take a step back and realize that this can be costly, both with money and time. That’s why the team at SocialNicole has come up with some ways for your business to practice and put content marketing into action while still stay within your monetary and time budgets.
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Here are 3 ways to participate in content marketing without breaking the bank:
1. Blogging: A Core Component For Any Content Marketing Plan
At SocialNicole, we LOVE blogging! Blogging is huge in the content marketing world. According to the Roper Public Affairs, “80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement.” This is what content marketing is all about: providing relevant and strategic information to consumers without necessarily pushing your product. Don’t pitch your offering, instead provide content that will make them a well-informed consumer. Blogging is a great way to get the entire company involved. Do guest blogs, bring in different departments to talk about what’s going on and share a behind-the-scenes look at your company. Not only is a blog huge for marketing, but it humanizes your organization. Not sure where to start? We have a Beginners Blogging for Dummies guide to help get your creative juices flowing! Look into an Creating a Content Calendar for Your Blog which can be effective in helping with the management of a blog!
2. Social Media: Growing Your Audience With Content Marketing
This is huge and practically always free! It has been reported that 74% of B2B content marketing is done through social media, which is quite the number! So what are you waiting for? Find platforms that your business can utilize effectivley like Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn and build your brand and customer base! Share a fun picture from an event, create a Facebook poll and ask your followers what they think about x or y, even share a blog post from your blog or relevant to the industry you’re in. Mind you, a tweet-a-day from one of your marketers will not bring the customers in, so be smart. Put a human face behind your social media, this may mean outsourcing it or putting someone specifically in charge of it depending on the size of your business. Use scheduling tools like Hootsuite or BufferApp to appropriately schedule posts throughout the day. Not sure what to share? Twitter Lessons for a Lake Creature can help you understand the process of creating great social media content!
3. E-mail Blasts: Content Marketing Boost
Weekly, monthly or bi-monthly e-mail updates are another great way to update your current and potential customers on industry and company updates or share-worthy news less frequently than blogging or social media. This is another way for customers to opt-in on their own. They are the ones signing up to receive your e-mail updates and they are the ones choosing to read them. Put a widget for an e-mail signup on your website or social media platforms that is visible to visitors and gives them the option to sign up. You can create a great visual and informative piece to share with consumers through e-mail blasts! Most platforms are easy to use and many services, like MailChimp, are free or cheap to use so take advantage of this! We recognize that money is an issue and agree that content marketing can be expensive, but we still feel that content marketing is essential in any business or marketing plan. Hopefully these tips can get you started in your quest for content marketing greatness! What ideas do you have for inexpensive content marketing? How have you worked it into your budget? Share below! Photo Credit
