Can content marketing work for your small business?

If you run a small business, this is a rocky time as you work to keep employees and customers safe while trying to stay afloat.

But hope is not lost. Businesses with fewer than 20 employees hired 45,000 people from June to July, and businesses with 20 to 49 employees added 18,000 hires, according to the ADP Small Business Report.

On an individual level, though, you may be scrambling to figure out the sales landscape. Should you spend on advertising? If so, where? And how?

Fortunately, you have a secret weapon: content marketing.

“Content marketing generates more than three times as many leads as outbound tactics and it costs 62 percent less,” Jackie Lisk writes for Media Planet. “It is even more cost-effective than search marketing, according to recent research. Creating content is one of the best ways to improve your search ranking, thus increasing organic traffic to your website.”

So, what is content marketing? The cheesiest, most basic version is that text-only blurb in the margins of your local news website that says, “Melt belly fat with this one weird trick!”

Unfortunately, this type of content doesn’t build trust in a business, more often turning off potential customers annoyed by irrelevant or unhelpful information that turns out not to help melt belly fat, after all.

Good content marketing, on the other hand, places a convincing headline in front of local readers that hooks them enough to click, has content that is useful, and positions your business in a positive light.

If you’re a plumber, for example, your headline could be “Save money — and your pipes — in the age of DIY.” If you’re a health coach, your headline might be “The importance of good nutrition during cancer treatment.”

These headlines are compelling and can lead to well-written articles that tie into a real concern: Should I fix my own sink simply because I watched a how-to video? Do I need to hire a nutritionist during my oncology treatments?

The content marketing team sets up the question and gives the answer on the same page: Yes, you need a professional.

Writers include quotes from your business, positioning you as an expert in the field — which you are. The article may include relevant research, examples, tips, and so on, all ending with a call-to-action that links readers to your website.

These clicks drive up your site’s ranking on Google and make your business easier to find. Additionally, the content shows customers you are trustworthy and want to share information that will benefit them.

Content marketing levels the playing field, Lisk writes in the Media Planet article. That doesn’t mean you need to outspend larger competitors because, frankly, you likely never will.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t earn a fair share of your target audience’s attention, and, ultimately, their spend,” Lisk writes.

Another reason content marketing is valuable is your message could go anywhere. A well-written piece will garner attention in the best possible way and “you can deliver that messaging directly into the hands of your target audience,” Lisk writes.

A content marketing team can help you figure out how to speak to that audience by crafting a message that speaks to their concerns while highlighting how your business addresses those concerns.

NativeAdWorks helps small businesses throughout the country boost audience engagement with quality articles on respected local and national websites. Find out more about our services and how you can become a partner, or contact the team about your specific needs.