When it comes to content marketing for small businesses there are many options available.
Being a small business doesn’t mean your content marketing strategy has to be subpar to businesses with more resources and bigger budgets.
What’s great about this crazy online world we live in is the opportunity there is to help create and curate content no matter your resources.
In this post, we’ll give you 9 ideas when it comes to content marketing so you have the ammo you need to start firing out some awesome content!
Does Your Small Business Need Content Marketing?
The answer is yes of course!
Why else would you be reading this blog?
Whether you run a part-time gardening business or are the CEO of a multinational corporation, your business will benefit from great content.
Posting something once and thinking you’re going to get the full benefit is the wrong attitude.
You need to be willing to show up and post content consistently.
By creating valuable and relevant content, you can engage your target audience, build trust, and showcase your expertise in your industry.
Content marketing not only helps in improving your online visibility but also allows you to connect with potential customers on a deeper level.
Whether it’s through blog posts, social media updates, videos, or other forms of content, you have the opportunity to share your brand story, address customer needs, and differentiate your business from competitors.
Content marketing is also a cost-effective way for small businesses to compete with larger ones.
Content marketing allows you to be unique and innovative without needing huge capital.
If you’ve got creative flair and can provide your audience with value then you’re onto a winner with your content!
Don’t get us wrong, if you’ve got a hefty budget this can help but the point is that it’s not a necessity.
Content Marketing Ideas for Small Business Owners
Okay now for the juicy bit.
We’re giving away 9 content marketing ideas that you can start implementing today. So get out a notepad and pen because this is going to be extremely valuable.
Or you can type your notes up.
We’re old school around these parts when it comes to note-taking!
1. Blog Posts
Blogging seems like it’s been around since the dark ages.
Well, as far as the internet goes it kinda has.
Blogging is one of the oldest forms of content marketing on the internet.
With blogs, you can share value on your website which can attract new leads and build ultimate trust with your brand and an audience.
Blogs let you address specific topics within your niche which can address the pain points of your audiences.
Doing this over a long period will show your brand as an authority in your industry because you deliver value consistently.
You’ll also build a community of loyal followers who can’t wait to see what content you’re going to post next!
Blogging may be old but it is still one of the most powerful content marketing tools on the planet.
Optimising your blogs for SEO (search engine optimisation) will also contribute to improved search engine visibility, helping drive organic traffic to your website.
2. How-to Guides and Tutorials
These can be a part of your blogging strategy but they can also be posted on other channels such as social media.
How-to guides provide practical value to your audience by offering step-by-step instructions on solving problems or achieving specific goals.
This not only positions your brand as a helpful resource but also fosters trust and credibility among your audience.
These guides can be repurposed into various formats, such as videos or infographics, expanding your reach across different platforms.
Check out our how-to guide on how to create a successful content marketing strategy.
See, we practice what we preach!
3. Infographics
While written content is an excellent way to deliver immense value to your audience it isn’t the only way.
Being more visual with your content can help you capture the attention of potential customers.
We’re talking about infographics.
Not only are infographics visually appealing but the information they present is easily digestible and shareable.
Let’s be honest, people’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter.
We can thank TikTok for that.
So if you have a long piece of written content it might put people off trying to even read it.
With infographics, you’re getting across the main points that you want without all the extra fluff.
Let’s say you want to share some key statistics and figures about your business.
Do you feel it would look more impressive by just typing them out and posting them?
Or would it look much better with a high-quality design using company logos and branding along with unique graphics that pop right out of the screen?
I think we know the answer to this one.
4. Podcasts
Podcasts are fast becoming one of the most popular forms of online content being consumed.
Funnily enough, podcasts have been around since the early 2000s.
But now in the past 5 years or so they have seen exponential growth where it seems that everyone and their dog has a podcast.
As a small business owner, you can capitalise on this growing medium.
And you don’t need high production costs either. You can just use your mobile phone to record conversations and use free editing software to polish it up before it gets published.
You don’t even need to have guests.
There’s nothing wrong with hitting record and talking directly to your audience, by yourself, about hot topics and growing trends within your industry.
Getting guests though is a great way to grow your podcast and expand your audience.
If you can get guests who have a decent online presence then it’s great exposure for not only your podcast but also your business.
There may also be sponsorship opportunities and brand deals available should your podcast see growth.
It’s a long-term game but if executed correctly, podcasting can be hugely beneficial to your small business.
5. Video Content
According to a 2023 social media trends report from HubSpot, short-form video content is the highest ROI format for social media marketing.
When it comes to online content, video reigns supreme.
There is a reason TikTok’s active users skyrocketed in such a short space of time.
And why all other social media platforms now have short-form video content capabilities e.g. YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
People love consuming short-form videos.
Short-form videos are highly engaging so they easily capture the attention of potential customers.
One of the main issues with short-form video is that due to the sheer amount of content out there, the market is becoming more saturated.
Don’t let this deter you though.
An oversaturated market allows you to stand out even more.
The masses will be pumping out low-quality content that will all look like a carbon copy of each other.
While you can be the maverick and do things a little differently. Allowing others to notice your brand more, therefore giving you more attention.
6. Social Media Posts
If you own a business and aren’t on social media then please stop scrolling and make some profiles before reading the rest of this post.
Social media is still one of the biggest opportunities for your business to grow and reach more customers.
Posting on social media allows you to engage and interact with your audience in new and unique ways.
It’s also a branding tool that if used correctly can completely alter the perception people have of your business.
Think about the Ryanair brand.
They have millions of followers online not because they deliver low-cost air travel.
It’s because their social media content is funny and resonates with their audience. They know who they are targeting so they tailor their content to that audience.
If they were a luxury airline they wouldn’t be posting memes like the one you see below.
Peter Barlow doesn’t give off the luxury airline kind of vibes, does he?
Sorry, Peter.
7. Email Newsletters
Email newsletters may be one of the oldest forms of content distribution on the internet but it is still one of the best.
One of the key benefits of email marketing is how personalised you can make the content.
That’s because it’s landing directly into someone’s inbox.
You can call people by their first name and address them in a friendly non-corporate tone of voice.
Doing this can be a good way to get people to turn their spam detector off.
After all, who really likes spam?
And we’re not talking about the spam that comes in a tin.
We’re talking about the constant bombardment of marketing emails that people receive on a daily basis that try to sell you everything and anything.
With the right strategy and approach you can turn your email newsletter into a revenue stream for your business.
These revenue streams include:
- Selling your products and services by highlighting the benefits and using good storytelling.
- Promoting other products and services using affiliate links.
- Having sponsors on your emails.
- Turn your newsletter into a subscription.
8. Ebooks
An underutilised content strategy is ebooks.
Long gone are the times when you have to be a key person of interest to get people interested in your book.
Businesses can create in-depth ebooks on various relevant topics that will be useful for their target audience.
This ebook can also be used as a way to entice people to give over their personal information such as email or phone number.
Then they can be marketed using other channels such as SMS or email.
Ebooks are also another way to generate passive income for your business.
Once you’ve created your ebook you can put it on your website or another publishing site and put it up for sale.
As you drive more traffic to your brand there’s an opportunity for people to buy your ebook.
Ebooks usually require a lot of upfront work but once that’s done it can sell for many years to come.
Think of books that are still being sold to this very day that were written over 100 years ago.
While you may not be the next W. B. Yates, you can still use ebooks to your advantage.
9. Case Studies
You should be shouting loud and proud about the great work you’ve done for previous customers.
Case studies help present specific challenges faced by customers and detail how your business provides effective solutions.
They are a public record of the great work that your business can produce.
Some case studies can even have direct quotes from customers which highlight how you solved their problems.
You’ll be able to offer a human element to your brand when you share case studies.
Allowing potential customers to relate to the experiences of others.
As your case studies stack up they will act as powerful storytelling tools, helping to connect emotionally with your audience.
If you need some inspiration you can always check out our case studies which show the variety of high-quality work we’ve done for clients.
Content Marketing for Small Business Owners – Blaze Media
Content marketing has proven time and time again to be a vital marketing tool for businesses of all sizes.
From the list of 9 that we have given you can see that all of these can easily be implemented by small businesses.
The good news is that if you need help and expertise with your content marketing you can reach out to us.
We’re a full-service digital marketing agency that can help your business create, manage and publish a variety of content types.
It’s time to take your content up a notch and start implementing a strategy that will get your brand in front of the right audience.