The Tea: Tips for Great Content to Use Today
Hey, listen, we know there’s no shortage of blog posts and YouTube videos (and whitepapers and checklists and so on...) telling you how to create great content and optimize your social media presence. You could spend all day reading advice and watching how-tos, but the fact is, you probably didn’t get into your business because you wanted to be a marketer.
You opened your brewery or your vineyard because you love the fine art of creating a tasty beverage. You started your restaurant because you love food and sharing it with others. You created a clothing line or opened a pottery studio because you’re creative and love to make things. Or maybe you got into real estate because you were spending a ton of time looking at what’s available in your neck of the woods (not saying I do that, or anything) and you thought, Maybe I should turn this into a career.
Whatever line of business you’re in, we want to make marketing easy for you. So here are our must-have tips for marketing your small business!
Content marketing tips you can use
Let’s stop to define content marketing:
“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. ”
The appeal of content marketing is almost intuitive. You probably turn the station when commercials come on TV, and barely notice the ads in your favorite magazine. Have you ever bought something because of a billboard (other than, maybe, a Big Mac while on a road trip)? Probably not. But how often do you find yourself watching a video about some interest or question you have, only to find out it was created (or at least sponsored) by a company? Probably more often than you even realize.
But how does someone who never intended to be a marketer create content that people actually want to consume — on a budget and without spending a ton of time? Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Focus on the content you can create — If there is one thing I’ve learned in my years of editing, it’s that most people aren’t writers. In fact, they’re intimidated by the thought of writing almost anything. Maybe that’s you, maybe it’s not — but don’t get so focused on the type of content that you don’t create anything. Not everything has to be an in-depth blog post. Pictures are worth a thousand words — videos are even better. Create whatever you can and don’t get stuck on the format.
Stop keyword stuffing and focus on distribution — If you listen to the search engine optimization (SEO) experts, getting eyeballs on your content is all about stuffing it with keywords and writing metadata. And they aren’t wrong. If you want to rank in searches for competitive keywords, you need to think about your SEO. But when it comes to small local businesses, it’s more important to create content that speaks to your potential local customers — and have a plan for how you’re going to get it to them. (See Rebecca’s tips for social media marketing below.) The truth is, you probably can’t compete with the big boys on SEO, and if someone is searching “Yoga studios in Yourtown” you’re probably going to surface anyway. Now you have to set yourself apart from the competition with great content.
Have a strategy (and a calendar) — One of the first things we did when we started this blog was to create an editorial calendar and start filling it with ideas and post dates. It’s just too easy to get busy with client work and forget we need to feed the blog. The calendar keeps us on track. However, a calendar isn’t a strategy. Your content marketing strategy should answer the question, “Why am I creating this content?” If you can stay focused on serving this strategy, it will streamline your efforts.
It’s about building relationships — Over the years I’ve seen content marketing morph. The focus has shifted from creating great content that establishes you as a thought-leader and a trusted source of information to being just another weapon in the marketer’s arsenal. Some companies will tell you every email they send is content marketing, and that’s just not the case. Yes, you want to have a strategy, and ultimately the content needs to support your business by providing leads or sales — or keeping your current customers engaged. But you need to remember that the content comes first. If you’re putting out whitepapers that are just sales pitches, you’re not content marketing — you’re just marketing.
Want to see truly great content marketing at work? Here’s one of my favorite examples of all time:
Social media marketing tips you can use
Let’s be honest, not having a social media presence isn’t an option for small businesses. Like it or not, social media is the new town square (and that’s never been more true than in COVID-times), so it’s imperative that you’re there, participating in the conversation. And when someone asks for a recommendation for a great nail salon on Facebook, you better be damn sure that when someone wants to recommend your place, they can tag you in the post!
So here are Rebecca’s tips for getting your social media game on and making this part of your job a little easier:
Take a strategic approach to posting, but make sure the content you post is authentic.
Don’t post bad photos. Seriously, keep that poorly lit picture of your lunch to yourself and off Instagram.
Use the right hashtags to deliver posts to targeted audiences, but not too many. The most authentic content in the world can be ruined by thirsty hashtagging. Not to mention, some platforms limit the number of hashtags you can use. As a rule of thumb, I try not to exceed 15 hashtags per post, and I only use those that are relevant, high-traffic, or branded.
Looking for more traffic? You gotta play the algorithm. Social media rewards those who engage with the platform, so in addition to creating your own posts and stories, make sure you’re liking, commenting, and reposting content from other accounts.
But don’t make your interactions surface. Copying the same comment on every post will only get you so far; it’s the meaningful comments that lead to productive conversation and network connections.
Our final tip for marketing your business
Hire a professional! This isn’t what you do — don’t pretend it is.
Your time is precious, and building your marketing program can be time-consuming. If you need to concentrate on creating products or serving customers, it pays to invest in hiring professionals who can help you grow your business. Give us a shout if you need some help!
