Before I dive into this post, a quick reminder of what content marketing is. 
Content marketing is the creation and sharing of online blogs, videos and social media posts and loads of other stuff that adds value to your customer.
But it doesn’t stop there, it is also any form of customer communication from email, a printed customer marketing letter, free offers online or offline.
In today’s hurried and harrassed world of 24/7, content marketing should not be constrained to being online only.
The mere mention makes the hardiest of us roll our eyes, ‘I can’t think of anything to write?’
As I have shared in the past printed content marketing can be as just as effective as your online efforts.
Why do you need to be doing content marketing?
As an SMB it is one of the most cost-effective ways of increasing traffic to your website and creating awareness around your brand.
It is also a great way to promote your products and services effortlessly by gaining valued customers without breaking your marketing budget.
How will it help grow your business?
Because it is a tried and tested avenue for increasing website traffic and thus generating sales revenue.
Firstly it helps establish you and your company’s credibility and authority in a particular niche.
It adds kudos to your brand and increases brand identity that ensures your audience becomes familiar with.
You buy from John Lewis because you know it is a brand you can trust.
You are confident in the knowledge that they offer value for money and quality products.
Content marketing will help give you a competitive advantage over your competitors who may not be using any form of content marketing to leverage their company.
You are adding value to your business by highlighting how other customers see you through the use of case studies and testimonials which go along way in creating trust.
It also helps visibility by getting your name and your company’s name out into the market place.
Traditional advertising works well with digital but it is slower and can take longer to see a return on your initial investment.
How do you get started?
You need to write and generate the content first. 
This sounds obvious but without the right foundations in place, a lack of enthusiasm and energy quickly mean that whatever you started doing grinds to a halt fairly quickly.
Have a look around your industry sector what is the competition doing?
You need a content plan.
And this can be as simple as a spreadsheet that has columns for your services and rows for the social media channels in which you intend to post.
There are many websites that offer authoritative templates and ideas on how to get started.
I use a physical social media diary planner which works for me but many prefer a digital option than paper.
Although within google calendar I have my social media planner/calendar which allows me to make it viewable.
Starting with a blog is perhaps the easiest way to get going.
By showcasing how you are helping your current customers with their pain points proves your authenticity to new clients.
It is also a great way to add value to your brand.
If used effectively with good SEO, keywords and regular writing of relevant information can turn readers into customers.
Posting to social media channels is another way of sharing snippets of knowledge and expertise with a link back to the show page on your website.
Asking people to comment and share simply reinforces the message.
Why should I share my industry knowledge?
Sharing your expertise may seem like you’re simply giving away the sales secrets that make your company unique.
I know I felt the same way, why should I share what I’ve learnt over the years in print and writing to people who may never even bother to contact me.
Because it highlights me as an expert advisor.
If someone needs advice on creating, writing and designing a piece of content for on or offline use, I have the skill set to help my customer achieve their objective(s).
Besides what I write and share is from my own perspective and experience and therefore unique to me and my readers.
One final thing…
Make what you write and post useful, valuable and informative to your reader.
You can, of course, hire a content writer.
Please remember that any marketing you do is an investment and should be viewed as a fundamental part of your business growth strategy.
If spending £50 on a 500-word blog gets you £5k worth of business that represents a good return on your investment?
Don’t you think?
For an informal chat about how I can help you save time, money and effort drop me a line and let’s talk.
Further reading for you
https://onewomansview.co.uk/how-to-optimise-your-content-marketing-for-your-small-business/
https://onewomansview.co.uk/creating-your-brand-values-online-seo-web-content-writer/
