You may be wondering, “What is content marketing, and why is it important for small business owners?”
In today's digital age, content marketing has become an integral part of every business, regardless of size or industry.
In fact, content marketing has become one of the most essential aspects of online marketing, and for good reason. It's a strategic approach that produces long-term results that can help you establish your business as an authority in your niche.
Content marketing adds immense value to your business by attracting, engaging and retaining customers.
For coaches and entrepreneurs who want to expand their reach and grow their businesses, content marketing can be a game-changer.
However, some might find it challenging to understand, let alone execute. In this guide, we'll give you a comprehensive breakdown of what content marketing is, its importance, and how you can use it to boost your business.
What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a marketing strategy that involves creating and distributing just the right content to help your ideal customer at critical moments in their customer journey. Being helpful at the right moments enables you to attract, engage and retain your target audience.
As your prospects trust you with their time and attention, they will become customers who trust you with the projects and budget.
The goal of content marketing is to engage and build a relationship with your audience, establish your brand, and ultimately drive profitable customer action. The content can be articles, blog posts, videos, infographics, podcasts, social media posts, and much more.
Why is Content Marketing Important?
Content marketing adds immense value to your business by attracting, engaging and retaining customers. While there can be many benefits from content marketing, its value boils down to two elements.
- Authority
- Traffic
Authority
Creating a library of helpful content allows you to establish authority in your niche, connect with your audience, and build trust. With content marketing, you are not just selling – you're providing valuable information to your customers.
You become someone they look to for answers and help. As your prospects trust you with their time and attention, they will become customers who trust you with the projects and budget.
Content marketing can establish your business as an industry authority since you're positioning your business as a thought leader by sharing valuable insights and expertise.
Traffic
Quality content, especially when the content is repurposed well, creates numerous entry points for customers to find and engage with you.
Whether you’re a small business owner, entrepreneur or coach, content marketing can help you in various ways.
- Content marketing can increase brand awareness and visibility since you're creating and sharing content your potential customers are searching for.
- Content marketing can generate leads and sales since you're providing solutions to your target audience, leading to increased customer loyalty and profitability.
- Content marketing is more cost-effective than traditional marketing tactics like advertising and can generate more leads over time.
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Types of Content Marketing
As mentioned earlier, content marketing can come in many forms. Here are some of the most popular:
- Blogging – This is one of the most common types of content marketing and involves the creation of written content that is relevant to your industry.
- Social media – This includes platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where you can share different types of content with your audience.
- Videos – Videos are highly engaging and can educate, entertain, or inspire your audience.
- Infographics – Infographics are visual representations of data that are easy to comprehend and share.
- Podcasts – Podcasts are an excellent way to deliver your message to your audience, and people can listen to them on the go.
All this may feel like a lot, but the key strategy here is to package core content for multiple channels. If you write a guide to help your ideal customer with a problem they’re facing, take that same content and film a short explainer video.
Then take the best quotes from the guide or clips from the video and turn them into social media posts. If you have a list or insightful statistics in your guide, they can be converted to an infographic.
For coaches and entrepreneurs who want to expand their reach and grow their businesses, content marketing can be a game-changer.
When it comes to content marketing, there are numerous content formats that businesses can leverage. The key is to choose the content formats that your target audience prefers and align them with your overall business objectives.
It’s easy to feel stuck or uncertain about how to move ahead and take the next step in your marketing. Maybe you feel overloaded or like you’re just spinning your wheels. What if you had someone alongside you on the journey?
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Content marketing can be an invaluable tool for coaches and entrepreneurs, offering numerous benefits to help you grow your business. By creating and distributing valuable content, you can connect with your target audience, build relationships, and establish your brand in your industry.
If done correctly, content marketing has the potential to drive leads, increase sales, and grow your business over time. Now that you understand content marketing, you can use the tips outlined in this article to develop a content marketing plan that works for you.
Remember to stay consistent and track your results to optimize your content marketing efforts.
Action Plan
Creating quality content starts with identifying your ideal customer and then drafting a brand story about how you help them.
Next, you’ll want to integrate your brand story throughout your marketing plan and content strategy. It will be a lot of work, but repurposing your content will help you get more reach and engagement.
If you're unsure where to start or want help telling your story, schedule a free story session. It’s a collaborative time to hear your story and to explore together what might be possible.
Content marketing is a powerful approach that small business owners, entrepreneurs and coaches can leverage to reach, engage, and retain their target audience. By providing valuable and informative content that meets their audience's needs, they can create a strong relationship with their customers, increase brand awareness and visibility, and generate leads and sales.
With the right content marketing strategy and best practices, you can achieve your business goals and stay competitive in your industry. So, start your content marketing journey today and see the difference it can make for your business!
Frequently Asked Questions
Content Marketing
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating, distributing, and promoting valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. The ultimate goal of content marketing is to drive profitable customer action.
Unlike traditional marketing tactics that often involve direct promotion of products or services, content marketing revolves around the creation and sharing of content that educates, entertains, or informs to build a relationship with the audience. This content can come in many forms, including blog posts, videos, ebooks, infographics, podcasts, webinars, and social media posts.
By offering high-quality, relevant content, businesses and organizations can position themselves as thought leaders in their industry, build trust with their audience, improve their search engine rankings, and ultimately drive more sales or conversions.
Learn more about content marketing and repurposing content.
How do I make my content engaging?
Creating engaging content is crucial to keep your audience interested and coming back for more. Here are some tips to make your content more engaging:
- Understand Your Audience: Know who your audience is - their interests, needs, challenges, and preferences. This will help you create content that resonates with them.
- Tell a Story: People connect with stories. Use storytelling to make your content more personal and relatable.
- Use Visuals: Images, infographics, videos, and other visual content can make your content more engaging and easier to understand.
- Make It Interactive: Quizzes, polls, surveys, and interactive infographics can encourage your audience to engage with your content.
- Keep It Simple and Clear: Avoid jargon and complex language. Make your content easy to read and understand.
- Provide Value: Make sure your content is useful and informative. It should provide a solution or answer a question that your audience has.
- Use a Conversational Tone: A friendly, conversational tone can make your content more relatable and enjoyable to read.
- Include a Call to Action (CTA): Encourage your readers to take action, whether it's to comment, share your post, subscribe to your newsletter, or buy your product.
- Update Regularly: Consistently posting new, fresh content will keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.
- Optimize for SEO: Use relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and alt tags to make your content easily discoverable by search engines.
Engagement should be a two-way street. Respond to comments, answer questions, and interact with your audience to build relationships and encourage further engagement.
Learn more about content marketing and repurposing content.
How do I start with content marketing?
The first step is to define your goals and target audience. Then, create a content strategy that includes what type of content you will produce, how often you will post it, and where it will be published. You should also decide how you will measure success.
Starting with content marketing involves several key steps:
- Define Your Goals: What do you want to achieve with your content marketing efforts? This could be increasing website traffic, generating leads, boosting sales, improving brand awareness, or something else. Having clear goals will guide your strategy.
- Understand Your Audience: You need to know who you're creating content for. Develop buyer personas to understand your audience's needs, challenges, and interests. This will help you create content that truly resonates with them.
- Conduct Keyword Research: Find out what topics and keywords your audience is searching for online. These insights can guide your content creation and help improve your SEO.
- Decide on Content Types: There are many types of content you can create, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, eBooks, podcasts, etc. Choose the ones that best suit your audience's preferences and your business capabilities.
- Create a Content Calendar: Plan your content production and distribution. A content calendar helps you organize your content marketing activities and ensures you regularly publish new content.
- Produce Quality Content: Start creating content based on your research. Remember, quality over quantity. Your content should provide value to your audience and align with your brand message.
- Promote Your Content: Creating content is just part of the process. You also need to promote it, using social media, email newsletters, SEO, and other methods to reach your target audience.
- Measure and Analyze Performance: Use tools like Google Analytics to track how your content is performing. Analyze these results to see what's working and what's not, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Content marketing is a long-term commitment. It may take some time to see significant results, but with consistency and quality, it can greatly benefit your business.
Learn more about content marketing and repurposing content.
What type of content should I create?
The content your produce depends on your business and your audience. Some types of content include blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, social media posts, ebooks, and webinars. The best types of content answer the questions that your target audience is asking.
As an entrepreneur, the type of content you create should resonate with your target audience and align with your brand's goals. Here are some types of content that can be beneficial:
- Blog Posts: Writing regular blog posts about topics relevant to your industry can help establish you as a thought leader, improve your site's SEO, and provide value to your audience.
- Videos: Videos can be a highly engaging way to share information. These could be tutorials, product demonstrations, behind-the-scenes looks at your company, or interviews with industry leaders.
- Podcasts: If you're comfortable speaking, consider starting a podcast. You can discuss industry trends, interview experts, or share advice.
- Social Media Content: Regularly update your social media channels with engaging content. This could be quick tips, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or user-generated content.
- Webinars/Online Workshops: Providing free educational content like webinars or online workshops can attract and provide value to your audience.
- Case Studies: These can highlight how your product/service has helped previous customers, acting as a powerful form of social proof.
- eBooks/White Papers: In-depth resources like these can provide comprehensive information on specific topics, establishing your expertise and providing significant value to your audience.
- Newsletters: Regular email updates can keep your audience engaged, provide them with valuable content, and gently remind them of your products or services.
- Infographics: These can simplify complex information and make it more visually appealing and easy to understand.
- User-Generated Content: Encourage your customers or followers to share their own experiences with your brand. This not only provides you with free content but also builds a community around your brand.
The key is to create content that adds value and engages your audience. It's also important to vary your content types to reach your audience in different ways and keep them engaged.
Learn more about content marketing and repurposing content.
Why is content marketing important for my business?
Content marketing helps businesses create brand loyalty, provide valuable information to consumers, and create a willingness to purchase products from the company in the future. It also enables you to stand out from the competition and provides a great resource to your customers.
Content marketing is crucial for businesses in the modern digital landscape for several reasons:
- Building Trust with Your Audience: By providing valuable content that helps solve your audience's problems or improves their lives in some way, you can build a strong relationship with them. Over time, this leads to increased trust and brand loyalty.
- Improving Brand Visibility and Awareness: Regularly publishing quality content helps increase your visibility online. As more people come across your content, your brand awareness grows.
- Positioning Your Business as an Industry Expert: High-quality, informative content positions your business as an authority in your industry. This can make customers more likely to choose you over competitors.
- Boosting SEO Efforts: Search engines reward businesses that publish quality, consistent content. Content marketing can help improve your SEO, making it easier for potential customers to find you online.
- Driving Traffic and Conversions: Every piece of content you create is an opportunity to drive traffic back to your site and encourage visitors to convert. Whether it's a blog post, a social media update, or an email, content prompts users to take action.
- Nurturing Leads and Customer Relationships: Content can play a key role in nurturing leads and maintaining customer relationships. It keeps your brand top-of-mind and keeps people engaged with your business.
Remember, successful content marketing isn't just about selling products or services; it's about providing value to your audience and building a long-term relationship with them.
Learn more about content marketing and repurposing content.
Marketing Subscription
What is a marketing subscription service?
The Better Story Marketing Subscription service is a combination of a design subscription and a messaging subscription. You can make as many requests as you want. We'll deliver them one at a time according to the priority you set. You pay a set, predictable rate and get top-level talent at entry level price.
Learn more about the Better Story Marketing Subscription.
What does the marketing subscription include?
The Better Story Marketing Subscription includes both design services and developing messaging through writing short and long-form copy.
Some options include:
- Business Card Design
- Business Card Design
- Blog Graphic Set
- Signage
- Custom Icon Design
- Single Social Post
- Single Print Piece Design + Copy
- Single Email Copy
- Product Description
- Packaging Design
- Brochure
- Pitch Decks
- Infographic Design
- Expert Explainer Article
- Landing Page Copy
- Design System
- Brand Guide
- SEO Strategy
- Website Mockups
- Explainer Video (Stock-Footage)
- Video Script
- Sales Proposal
- Downloadable Lead Magnet
- Email Nurture Campaign
- Case Study Copy
But if you need something not on the list, just ask. Most likely its something we can deliver.
Learn more about the Better Story Marketing Subscription.
How can a marketing subscription service benefit my small business?
A marketing subscription service can provide you with consistent quality marketing content to help you grow your customer base and you impact.
By outsourcing your marketing to experts, you can focus more on running your business.
Learn more about the Better Story Marketing Subscription.
How much does the marketing subscription cost?
We have three tiers in the Better Story Marketing Subscription.
- Starter
- Business
- Pro
The cost ranges from $2,700-$4,700 a month depending on the volume of orders you expect to make and additional support or services.
Learn more about the Better Story Marketing Subscription.
Is there a contract for the marketing subscription?
The Better Story Marketing Subscription is super flexible! You can pay month to month so no longterm contract required.
If at any point you want to pause your subscription you can. If you're halfway through a month at that point, we'll hold that remaining half month for you when you're ready to start back up. If it helps you business to have two focused marketing content runs each year, you can do that turning the subscription on an off as you need.
It's flexible because we're here to see you win!
Learn more about the Better Story Marketing Subscription.
Customer Journey Maps
What is a customer journey?
A customer journey refers to the complete sequence of experiences that customers go through when interacting with a company or brand. This journey captures all stages, starting from the initial awareness or discovery phase, moving through engagement and consideration, leading to purchasing, and finally towards post-purchase interactions which may include support or advocacy.
The aim of mapping the customer journey is to get a comprehensive insight into different customer interactions across various touchpoints. It helps businesses understand how customers are experiencing their brand, where there might be pain points or areas for improvement, and how they can streamline the process to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Understanding the customer journey is vital for delivering exceptional customer experiences, improving customer retention, and driving business growth.
Learn more about creating a customer journey map for your small business or non-profit.
What are the stages in the customer journey?
The customer journey map should include the following stages.
- Awareness. How does the customer become aware of your activities? What questions are they asking as they become aware of or try to understand the problem they’re facing? What channels do they use, and are they physical or digital?
- Consideration. What triggers the customer to consider your product or service, are they comparing it with other alternatives in the market? What questions do they now have? What understanding will they need to be comfortable making a decision?
- Decision. What concrete choices does the customer make at this point? How are they comparing the options? What factors are most important in their decision? How do they buy the product or service?
- Delivery + Use. How does the customer finally receive the product or service?
- Loyalty + Referral. Does the customer engage with your service again and become a repeat customer? How will an ongoing connection be cultivated? Do they introduce others? What channels do referrals typically come through?
Learn more about creating a customer journey map for your small business or non-profit.
Why is mapping the customer journey important?
Mapping the customer journey allows you to understand your customers' experiences, needs, and pain points at each stage of their interaction with your business. This understanding can help you improve your products, services, and marketing strategies to better meet your customers' needs.
Learn more about creating a customer journey map for your small business or non-profit.
How do I start creating a customer journey map?
Creating a customer journey map involves several key steps. Let's walk through them:
- Define Objectives: Understand why you're creating the map. Are you trying to improve the overall customer experience, solve a particular problem, or identify gaps in your service?
- Create Buyer Personas: These are fictional characters that represent your ideal customers. They should include demographic information, interests, behaviors, goals, and pain points.
- Identify Touchpoints: These are the points of interaction between your customers and your business. They could be anything from visiting your website, speaking to a salesperson, or using your product/service.
- Map the Customer Journey: Outline the steps your customers take from their initial interaction with your business to the final purchase or end goal. This could include stages like awareness, consideration, decision, and retention.
- Identify Opportunities and Pain Points: Look for areas where the customer experience can be improved. These could be places where customers are getting frustrated, or where there's an opportunity to exceed their expectations.
- Implement Changes: Use your findings to make improvements to your customer journey. This could involve changing your website layout, improving your customer service, or altering your product offering.
- Review and Update Regularly: Customer needs and behaviors change over time, so it's important to regularly review and update your customer journey map to ensure it's still accurate and useful.
Remember, a customer journey map is a tool to help you better understand and serve your customers. It should be used as a guide to improve your customer experience, not as a strict rulebook.
Learn more about creating a customer journey map for your small business or non-profit.
How often should I update my customer journey map?
It's a good practice to review and update your customer journey map periodically to ensure it remains accurate and relevant. Changes in your business, market trends, or customer behavior may require adjustments to your map.
The frequency at which you should update your customer journey map largely depends on various factors such as changes in your business model, introduction of new products or services, shifts in customer behavior, or significant changes in market conditions.
However, a good rule of thumb is to review your customer journey map at least once every six months to a year. This helps ensure that it continues to accurately reflect your customers' experiences and expectations.
If there are major changes happening more frequently in your industry, you might want to review and update your map quarterly.
Remember, the customer journey map is a dynamic tool that should evolve with your business and your understanding of your customers. Regular reviews and updates will help you keep it relevant and effective.
At Better Story Marketing, we review our map quarterly as a team to ensure it is effectively engaging our ideal customers and helping them reach their goals.
Learn more about creating a customer journey map for your small business or non-profit.
