Content Marketing Is The Answer
Guide To Digital Marketing For Small Businesses 2018 – Part 1: Conversation And Content Marketing
How Do You Converse, Not Shout?
How do you start a conversation with a customer you haven’t met yet? Radio, television, billboards–they’re all brief one-way shouts. “BUY ME!” “VISIT ME!” “VOTE FOR ME!” How do I know enough about you to give you my money or my time or my vote? What options are out there for a business owner who doesn’t want to yell, but wants to communicate?
Who Am I And Why Should You Care?
Hi, I’m Tom. I’m the resident marketing guru here at DirecTech. Long before I worked here, I spent years in the trenches of small retail businesses. The way I go about digital marketing now is informed by real-life experience working at businesses like yours, not by theoretical learning from some college professor. I know the challenges and rewards of running your own business. It’s my mission to help you learn how to use the new big-time marketing tactics to grow your small business.
It All Starts With Conversation
Standing behind a cash register for years, I learned that the fundamental way of running a good business is to know your customer and have them know you. You see the same people every week or two. You strike up running conversations that stretch over the years. You get to know them; they get to know more about you; and an understood loyalty is built between you. There’s no doubt that starting a dialogue is one of the best ways to build and keep a loyal customer base.
Content Marketing Is The Answer
Content marketing is the production of news articles about your business or about areas related to your business with you weighing in as an expert. These articles help you to foster familiarity with customers because they allow you to tell your story. You’re no longer another faceless company asking for their hard-earned cash. You’re someone they know and trust.
Imagine you run Daisy’s Doggie Daycare. Here are a few types of articles you could use for content marketing: “For The Father-Daughter Owners Of Daisy’s, A Love Of Dogs Runs In the Family”; “What’s The Best Kind Of Leash For Your Pooch?”; “Is Crate Training Humane? We Ask An Expert”; “What Are The Most Popular Dog Names In Your Area?”
The Advantages
You know that only people relevant to your business will show interest in these articles. A cat owner wouldn’t care about most of this content, and why would you want them to? They won’t bring you any business. Content marketing is hyper-focused on starting a conversation with the right customers for your business. Once your news articles are out in the wild, they’ll serve as lasting testaments to your business for people searching for you on Google. Why is that so important? 85% of people research a small business on the internet before their first call or visit. If you’re not interested in making yourself available to such a broad base of customers, why do you want to be in business in the first place?
