What is Content Marketing? And How Can Small Businesses Use it?

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “content marketing”? Most small businesses owners think articles, blogs, and maybe even social media. But content marketing is much more than that. And in today’s era, when audiences are starting to avoid ads using ad blockers and VPNs, content marketing is more effective than ever. So, if you’re a small business owner, here’s everything you need to know about content marketing

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a long-term marketing strategy that uses content to build a stronger relationship and more meaningful relationship with your audience, capture their attention, improve brand recall, and capture their attention.

While you can use paid ads to get something from the audience, content marketing is the ultimate tool to provide strategy, build trust, and make conversion much easier. But how can you implement content marketing for your small business? There are more than 100 types of content you can make part of your content marketing initiative for your business, but an average B2B marketer uses only 8. So it’s up to you to use how many or which content types you want to use, but here are 4 of the most effective content types of content marketing for small businesses.

1. Blog

It’s common for consumers today to immediately hop online and search for reviews of a brand when they come across a new one. Not finding a website can repel possible customers of your brand. A blog can be your solution in such a case — creating a reliable online presence and providing information new consumers might be curious about.

If you already have a website, it’ll relatively easy to add a blog section and start putting out useful content on the regular. Just remember to write both short and long blogs. And keep it entertaining using media and graphic elements.

2. Social Media Posts

Social Media is not just for paid ads. In fact, it’s one of the easiest ways of doing content marketing for your small business. And if you already have a social media page with your website link, all you need to do is post at least once a week.

It barely takes any time and pays out in huge rewards. Additionally, you can combine social media posts with other content marketing ideas. The posts themselves do not have to be too well-made; simple content that reflects your brand works the best. Some ideas include hot-to-plays for a UK casino, nutritional benefits of vegetables for a grocery chain, and fashion tips for a clothing brand.

3. User-Generated Content

Here comes the cheapest content marketing idea of all. In fact, it’s actually free and almost effortless to make. How do you use it? The simplest way is to repost or reblog your followers’ content.

You can even encourage your followers to create content for you. You can run a contest, create a fun hashtag for people to use, or straight up tell them you want to use their content. If you do it well enough, people will automatically tag you in their social media posts and share their stories and adventures with you.

4. Client Testimonials

Another low-effort and no-cost content marketing idea that works great for small businesses, especially for B2B businesses. You can directly ask your clients to write testimonials for you. You can do this by directly asking them upfront, or encouraging every customer to review your products or brand.

However, remember that there will be bad reviews as well. No businesses are perfect and you can’t please everyone. So when you do get a negative review, try to fix the problem to the best of your ability. Doing so can not only earn you a satisfied, loyal customer but will speak volumes of your brand’s humanity.