Many Business Owners and marketing professionals want to use Content Marketing. In most cases it is because they are attracted to the organic nature of content marketing, along with the relatively low costs of planning and launching a content marketing campaign. Unfortunately, because there are so many strategies that fall under the umbrella of content marketing, it is difficult to determine which ones to select. Most small business owners do not have the funds or time to waste on content marketing strategies that might not work. They need to adopt proven strategies that they can implement quickly and easily. Then, they need those strategies to begin paying off quickly. Any one of the following five content strategies are a good place for small business and startup owners to begin.

Post a Survey

People love to give feedback on your products and services. Unfortunately, they don’t like to fill out comment cards, or to answer long form questions. This is why surveys are an excellent option. Business owners get a glimpse of what their customers believe they are doing right and wrong, and customers are given a fast and easy way to have their opinions heard. Posting a survey is easy to accomplish. Websites such as surveymonkey.com provide business owners with the ability to create customized surveys and to post those surveys on their websites or in other locations. Customers will be motivated to visit a website more frequently if they are asked to provide feedback, and business owners can use that feedback to improve their processes.

Create and Publish Content with the Target Consumer in Mind

Members of different demographics are attracted to different types of content. In addition to this, they also tend to use different venues to consume that content. When it comes to the type of content to be produced, it is always best to customize that content so that it appeals to the target audience. For example, customers of an investment firm targeting retirees are more likely to appreciate serious, well-researched articles about managing investments than they are in irreverent video about someone living the good life after profiting from a single investment. Deciding where to publish content is also extremely important. A company’s Tumblr page might be a great place to post content targeted to teens and those in their, but not a great place for older consumers who simply don’t spend time viewing Tumblr pages.

Audiences want to be Told a Story

To put it more accurately, audiences want to be told the story of the business or brand that they are interested in. Audiences want to know how the business was formed. They want to know the problem, need, or the passion that drove the founders to create them. When customers know the story of a business, they are more likely to understand and support the brand. Business owners who convert their dry and generic ‘about us’ web pages for example, to storytelling pages are going to attract more customers.

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency

In addition to informing and entertaining the target audience, the purpose of content marketing is to ensure that a business’ web page, Facebook page, Tumblr, Twitter feed, blog, etc., is regularly visited by customers and potential customers. If these people do not find fresh content that is updated and published on a regular basis, they will stop visiting. If business owners think it is difficult to gain followers and visitors in the first place, they will be stunned at how much more difficult it is to get those followers and visitors back after they have left. Content marketing requires a commitment. Once a business decides to use this content strategy, they must make sure that they update their content all the time.

Content Diversification is Important

When many business owners decide it is time that they implement a content marketing strategy, they usually focus solely on the written word. This is a great place to start, but it is important to remember that many individuals are more visually minded. Websites such as Youtube and Vimeo provide a great forum for companies to post video and graphical content. Simply posting a few presentations, or informative videos with a link back to the businesses website can have a significant impact on web traffic.

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