Content marketing (which can be social media posts, blog articles, email newsletters, brochures, magazines, etc.) can be one of the most effective marketing strategies for small businesses, due to its low cost and high return on investment, and yet it is often ignored or misused.
Many businesses decide to invest in the development of their content marketing strategy without considering the most important detail: engagement. This is a huge mistake – if you fail to engage with your target market, then you cannot influence their opinion and purchasing behaviour.
According to a recent CensusWide report, 80% of consumers forget most content after only three days, with more than 50% of them unable to remember a single detail. The main reason behind these figures is the fact that consumers get content, which is irrelevant to them.
So how do you make sure that you engage with your audience without being instantly forgotten? Let’s break it down into three simple steps:
1. Research.
Who is your audience? What are their needs? What do your competitors do? What kind of content is being utilized to a great effect in your industry? What platforms are the best in reaching your target audience? These are all questions that businesses need to answer before launching their content marketing campaigns. It might be time-consuming, but it is crucial to have an understanding of what is going on in the industry and who your audience is.
2. Setting Goals and Tracking Progress.
A lot of businesses forget about this step when designing their content marketing strategy. Is your goal increasing brand awareness? Is it more conversions? Is it SEO? What is even more important, once you decide on the course of the campaign, you need to make sure to analyse its effectiveness on a regular basis. Be flexible, adapt to the situation and make proper adjustments to get closer to your pre-defined goals.
3. Implementation.
Once the above steps have been completed, you are ready to start executing the overall strategy and focus on the content itself. Here is a classic example of Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign. By personalising thousands of bottles, they achieved in delivering a unique experience to their customers.
To conclude, it must be said, that limited resources and capital should not be an excuse to avoid content marketing. With the right approach, it is an extremely powerful tool, which can lead to healthier, longer-lasting relationships with your consumers.