Tips for Creating a Content Strategy for a Growing Business
If you own a small business, by now you are completely aware of the importance of having a solid content marketing plan in place. (If you are not aware of this very important fact, we strongly urge you to get us on the phone ASAP!) Knowing the importance of content marketing and understanding exactly why it is so important is the first step in putting content to work for you. The second step is creating a unified, strategic content strategy that will take you from point A to point B, as opposed to simply existing without spurring growth.
Make Sure Everyone’s On the Same Page
A successful content strategy is one that involves multiple people who will approach your mission with their own unique strengths, thus creating solid content that people will find useful, engaging, entertaining, and, above all else, worth reading. As we’ve noted, businesses of all sizes and types have gotten the memo that content is king. It is absolutely essential for growing a business. That’s great. However, it presents a problem. Your intended audience is bombarded with content.
So, while you need multiple people (writers, designers, marketing strategists, your sales team, etc.) to have their fingerprints on your content, this can create a challenge. The more people you involve in content creation, the more likely it is that your vision will be watered down. Each person will approach their task individually. Make sure that before they do, that each person on the content team has the same understanding of the correct brand messaging and the specific results you’re hoping to achieve.
Emphasize Why Your Business Trumps Your Competitors
While it’s absolutely important to educate your audience about why they need your product or service, it’s even more important to educate them about why they should choose your business once they decide to buy that product or service. Of course, every industry is different. But to the average consumer, some industries seem very one-size-fits-all. If you’re trying to grow your landscaping business, it’s not enough to explain the convenience of hiring a service to take care of your lawn. You must provide compelling proof that your service is the one consumers need to choose. If you don’t focus on promoting your business’ value, your content strategy will be helping not your own business, but your competitors too.
Don’t Guess What Your Customers Want, Ask Them!
You could spend hours brainstorming about the type of content that will most resonate with your intended audience. Will they appreciate video? Instructional articles? Testimonials from customers who have found your business valuable? What topics do they want to read about? What current events are most on their minds? Keeping close tabs on what’s trending on social media and online searches gets you closer to the mark. Even better, though, is to ask segments of your target audience that appeals to them. Questionnaires and phone or email surveys can be incredibly enlightening. To encourage participation, you can offer a perk or discount of some kind for those who participate. There’s nothing more helpful for your content planning sessions than having feedback directly from those you’re hoping to capture as customers based on your content.
