The big question when you begin working to create your marketing plan for your small business, is whether or not a specific and detailed content strategy is necessary. The short answer is, yes. From growing your brand footprint to showcasing your expertise in your respective niche a content strategy should be a key piece of your overall marketing plan. A solid content strategy complete with a brand story, brand voice, and target audience in mind can elevate your brand (and your reach), optimize your business in search engines, and increase the number of people who know (and LOVE) your brand. Don’t leave it up to fate to dictate who finds out about your business or how they do. Set a strategy early and stick to it.
What is a content strategy?
A content strategy is a living, breathing plan that sets the foundation of who, what, when, where, why, and how you will share content with your current and future customer base. Through the establishment of your strategy, you create your brand story, determine the tone and language in your brand voice, dictate the type of content you plan to create, determine the social outlets you plan to use, and establish the goals you have with the content created. Before diving headfirst into the strategy, take time to understand who your ideal client is, along with their preferred social platforms, communication methods, wants, needs, and pain points. This is key to creating a content strategy that converts at a high and successful level.
Establishing your brand identity
How can others genuinely know who you are if you don’t know that yourself? A content strategy allows you to share your established brand identity with your target audience (and the world). By creating content on a consistent basis, you slowly share different facets of your business, allowing others to learn about who you are and what you have to offer. The more you share, the larger your reach becomes. Your brand gains a bit more footing with each content share via social, a blog or content marketing strategies like e-mail marketing.
Content promotes your business
When it comes to return on investment or ROI, promotion is key to closing the deal. Branded content is a way to promote your business organically. Each piece of content should include a call-to-action, a way for the viewer to do something with what you’ve shared. Whether it’s asking them to check out your website or sign up for monthly emails or sales notifications or even share the post across their network, engage your audience by involving them. Your ROI rate will increase with the higher views to your website you receive. Be sure to use your brand voice, brand-tailored images, and a tone that is relatable to your target audience, this way, you’ll promote exactly who you are in each post.
Trust and loyalty are built through content
In order for consumers to fall in love with your business, you have to be consistent in your communication and approach. Building trust with current and potential customers takes effort and time. Share content that is relatable and informative. Be consistent with your content engagement and open with your business ideals. Tell your followers what sets you apart, why they should choose you, and how much you care about their business regularly. Plan your content ahead of time so you don’t miss a beat if you’re having an off-day. Schedule posts in advance and review them often to ensure they fit your brand ideal and the best content for the specific date and theme you are aiming to achieve. For organizational purposes, content calendars reign supreme. Use a monthly calendar to plan your content for the month ahead and stick to it. Results will ensue if you stay on top of your plan and plan in advance.
Content creates KPIs to measure results
Not only does content build brands and extend your reach in your niche, but it also plays a vital role in the health of your business. Understanding how engaged your clients are with your content is a fundamental part of your marketing strategy. If you’re creating content that flops, it’s a waste of time and money. Use your content to measure your key performance indicators, or KPIs, to get a full-range perspective on how your content is performing. Pay particular attention to metrics such as views, shares, website clicks, and saves when it comes to social media. Keep track of your metrics and review them on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis to stay on top of wins and areas of opportunity.
A content strategy is a non-negotiable aspect of your business plan. Invest in high-quality content to extend your brand reach, grow your client and prospect base, create brand loyalty, and measure your rate of success. Need help establishing a content strategy that’s right for your small business? We can help. Reach out and let’s chat about ways to improve your content and create a plan that works for you.
