5 Working Content Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

You may find some content marketing tips here and there. But not all of them are a fit for small businesses. At the same time, content marketing gives a 72% engagement increase. So you cannot avoid it.

What’s then? Well, in this article, we’ve gathered some tips to extend your presence.

These content marketing tactics are effective and don’t break the bank. So, even if you are on a tight budget you still can employ those methods. Isn’t it great?

Without further ado, let’s go to five proven content marketing strategies for small businesses.

Contents

• Write a blog
• Run social media
• Employ email marketing
• Use influencer marketing
• Engage video marketing
• Conclusion

Write a blog

It’s not a surprise that blogging is the main content strategy for marketers. We also leave this unchanged. Our team believes in the power of the blog.

Firstly, you can run your blog right on your site. You don’t need to pay for a separate platform to host it. But what’s more important, the blog helps with:

• Building awareness,
• Raising users’ loyalty,
• Educating customers,
• Sharing updates.

And the list goes on, to be fair. The blog gives you a variety of options you can employ.

If you run a blog, we advise concentrating on three main blog content types: articles (blog posts) themselves, infographics, and case studies. Statista shows that customers trust these content types the most.

Besides, posts with infographics, photos, and videos refer to the most shared content types. And when it comes to writing tips, ensure you compose in-depth and helpful content (the most preferred length is 1,200-1,500 words).

You may object to this strategy by saying your business doesn’t have enough capacity to write articles for blogs. No worries, as there is a way out.

Use a guest blogging service. When you register as a publisher you agree to place guest articles on your site. It’s free for you and you can accept posts from the related niches/industries.

This way, the majority of your articles will come from a third-party site. You can only spend time writing about updates, descriptions of your services, and other company-related content.

Run social media

Social media is booming in 2022. So, why not use it to promote your company? You can not only use paid ads but also grow your audience organically.

It’s great if you have an SMM specialist in your marketing team. Then they can create a content plan to prepare posts that engage your audience.

Of course, content here is not the only thing. To master an attractive social media account, prepare quality visuals, use the GEO location, and always add relative hashtags.

But what if you don’t have a design team or SMM specialist? Well, we’ve saved some tips for this case.

• Marketers distribute 94% of content via social media. So, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Share your blogs/news on social media by briefly describing the article and engaging customers to read it in full.
• Use free services like Canva or Crello to create visuals for your social networks. They have blogs with a handful of tips on how to create cool posters/pictures/etc.
• Get royalty-free visuals from free photo banks like Pexels, Unsplash, and so on. There are hundreds of images and videos on various themes.
• Employ user-generated content as your main tactic. It fits different social networks like Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. This way you spend time only searching for a fitting picture/mention/text.

As you can see, all these options are totally different but free. You can stick to one tactic or combine some of them.

Learn How to Build a Digital Content Distribution Strategy

Employ email marketing

Another highly effective strategy is email marketing. Why do we recommend it? Its ROI is $40 for every $1 you spend.

Moreover, there are lots of mail services that are free or aren’t too expensive. Perhaps, the two most popular services we can suggest are MailChimp and ActiveCampaign.

Email marketing gives you plenty of opportunities. For example, it’s one of the distribution channels alongside social media. Thus, you can send your helpful articles to your audience.

Besides, you can employ email campaigns to communicate with your current audience and with the new one. It’s a great way to attract so-called “cold” leads and show what benefits you can offer them.

Based on your business type and the industry you can use various tactics. You can send strict plain text emails or create fun and colorful letters. Imagination is your only limit. Why? Because often email services have educational blogs that help you master your skills.

Use influencer marketing

We should include this point in our Content Marketing for Small Businesses 101 guide. Do you know why?

According to the Digital Marketing Institute, 86% of ladies use social networks for shopping advice, and 70% of teenagers trust influencers more than celebs. You can say “Wait. This method is not free.” Yes, it is. Yet influencer marketing earns $6.50 for every $1 spent.

All-in-all, more and more businesses are planning to enlarge their budgets on influencer marketing. If you work in the fashion or beauty industry, consider using this strategy.

As a reminder, we’d like to say that influencer marketing is not necessarily cooperation with 1M+ bloggers. If you work in an unusual industry you’ll need a person that is related to your niche. For instance, if you sell equestrian supplies a beauty blogger won’t bring a good ROI. That’s because his/her audience has nothing to do with horses or horse riding. It’s more logical to connect with the accounts of sportspeople, riding stables, horse breeders, etc.

Also, we got used that influencer marketing being connected with placing sponsored posts on Instagram, Youtube, or highly-popular nowadays TikTok.

Yet, it’s not the only option. You can place sponsored posts on industry blogs. That’s how you can offer more detailed information about your service or brand. And the leads that refer to your site then, are more engaged and closer to the buying intent.

Engage video marketing

Studies say that video content will count for almost 90% of all content in 2022. Which is mental. Of course, it might be hard to stand out.

Video marketing may seem hard to implement. Yet don’t give up on this strategy. What may lead to success then? Well, video marketing also gives a lot of opportunities. Basically, because there are plenty of content directions you can choose from.

Are you making custom shoes? Show behind the scenes! People are curious about how things are done.

Do you do home makeovers? Interview your clients and show how you’ve changed their interiors.

Once again, you know your audience much better. Think of what content they may enjoy. And remember that you can distribute your videos not only via Youtube but also post them on your blog and social media accounts.

Conclusion

As you can see, all of these methods won’t break a bank. That’s a great benefit for small businesses. Yet affordable pricing of these content marketing tactics doesn’t mean poor quality.

Start with some free accounts/tools. When you understand what strategy works better for you, you can find more sophisticated services or allot budgets for the activities you choose.

We understand it’s hard to compete with an industry giant when you are, for instance, a family-owned business. But you still get a shot! Find your unique approach and people will love it. As a guest posting service, we are here to help you grow your presence at affordable prices.

Tell us what content marketing strategies do work for your business? Would you like to try something new or do you stick to what’s already working?