Running a small business with a tight budget definitely requires a lot of work and time. With those limited resources, you also need to rack up your brain to constantly find as efficient ways as possible just to make improvements without spending too much.
While content marketing strategies have now become essential for any business, then how are you going to leverage content when you can’t even afford to hire a content marketer?
Thanks to the internet. There are some tools and affordable online resources that make it possible for small businesses to create high-performing content. This way, the door is wide open for them to boost brand awareness and acquire new customers. But, of course, those content tools without proper practices won’t cut it.
To help you out, here are some actionable tips for creating engaging marketing content for a small budget business.
Content Marketing: Why Is It Crucial for Businesses?
Before anything else, let’s first discuss the importance of content marketing and how it can help your small business.
Regardless of your business industry and business size, content marketing is one of the most efficient and effective ways to reach your target market.
Content is what helps businesses educate their audience about their products and services, establishing trust and credibility along the way. It doesn’t come as a surprise that 82% of today’s businesses are actively investing in content marketing.
After all, today’s customers are savvy. They don’t believe in traditional advertising anymore. They want to be informed and educated about a product or service before they make a purchase. This is where content marketing comes in, as it provides businesses with the opportunity to share their story, connect with their audience, and build trust.
Quality content can also help businesses achieve other marketing objectives such as website traffic growth, lead generation, conversion rate optimization, and even boosting brand awareness. And because it’s one of the most cost-effective marketing channels, businesses of all sizes can benefit from it.
Remember that in this digital world that we live in, most people rely on online content for information. So, if you’re not utilizing content marketing in some way as part of your overall marketing strategy, you’re likely losing out on potential customers and revenue.
How You Create Engaging Marketing Content?
Creating marketing content for the sake of doing it is a common mistake many creators from small-budget businesses make. The thing is that today’s customers always want to see not only content that brings information, but also content that is relevant, entertaining, and problem-solving.
Not to mention that they have pretty much almost endless options when it comes to content. Poorly created, mediocre content? It only takes 0.1 seconds for them to leave.
So, how do you create ones that appeal to them?
#1. Know Your Audience
The first step in creating engaging content is understanding your target market. You need to know their demographics such as age, gender, interests, and even what type of content they consume. This way, you can create content that is relevant and interesting to them.
For example, if you’re a pet business, then you’ll want to create content that appeals to pet owners. You could share stories about pets, how-to guides on taking care of pets, or even funny videos about pets.
Another example is if you’re a business that sells landline phone service for seniors, then you’ll want to create content that appeals to senior citizens. You could share guides on how to set it up, landline tips and best practices, or even product reviews.
The key is to understand your target market and what they want to see in order to create content that engages them.
#2. Keep Up with the Latest Trends
One of the best ways to create engaging content is to keep up with the latest trends.
What are people talking about? What are they reading? What are they watching?
Pay attention to what’s happening in the world and find ways to tie it into your business. For example, if there’s a major news story that’s relevant to your industry, then create a blog post or social media post about it. You might as well create a video about it.
The key is to be timely and relevant with your content.
Remember that people love stories, so find ways to tell them through your content.
You can also use social media listening tools such as Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Mention to track who’s talking about your brand and what they’re saying. This way, you can get a better idea of what content to create that will engage your audience.
#3. Tell Stories, Don’t Sell
People aren’t on social media to be sold something every second of their user experience. When it comes to content marketing, people don’t want to be bombarded with sales pitches. They’ve seen way too many. Most of them will immediately leave if they feel like they’re being marketed to.
For example, if you create a cryptocurrency video for your next content project, instead of delivering a techy explanation, it’s always best to deliver the complex topic using a narrative-driven, more subtle approach.
It’s crucial to focus on storytelling instead of selling. Create content that tells how your business started, your day in life, or behind the scene of the production.
Stories are a great way to connect with your audience and help them understand who you are and what you stand for.
Plus, people love to share stories with their friends and family. By telling your story, you’re also increasing the chances of it being shared.
You can add a call-to-action at the end of your story, but make sure that it’s relevant to the story.
#4. Create Diverse Content
Everyone has their own preferred type of content. Some people prefer to read, while others prefer to watch videos. That’s why it’s important to create a variety of content that appeals to different types of people.
You could create blog posts, social media posts, videos, infographics, images, and even podcasts. The key is to mix it up so that people don’t get bored of seeing the same thing over and over again.
You could even create different types of content for each social media platform. For example, you could create a video for YouTube, an infographic for Pinterest, and a blog post for Facebook. You can use Facebook publishing tools for easy scheduling. Meanwhile, e-books and whitepapers are suitable for your website.
But, creating new content with a different format is backbreaking, isn’t it? That’s where repurposing content comes in. You can create a blog post out of a social media post or an infographic out of a video.
#5. Communicate Clear Message
Be straightforward. When you’re creating content, always think about what message you want to communicate. What do you want your audience to take away from it?
Be clear and concise with your messaging. Don’t try to cram too much information into a single post. People won’t read it if it’s too long or too complicated.
Break down complex topics into easy-to-understand language. Use images and videos to help explain your point.
Also, make sure that your content is actionable. Provide your audience with a way to take action after reading or watching it. This helps them to understand what you create the content for.
#6. Optimize for SEO
SEO is still an important factor to consider when creating content. By optimizing your content for SEO, you’re making it easier for people to find it online. No matter how brilliant your content is when it is just sitting there on your social media platforms or website, seen by no one– what’s the point?
SEO practices that follow the latest SEO trends don’t have to be expensive. There are a few things you can do to make your content more SEO-friendly without burning a hole in your pocket:
- Use keywords in your title and throughout the post
- Use images and videos
- Use catchy headlines
- Add a meta description and keywords
- Make it mobile-friendly
By following these tips, you’ll make it easier for people to find your content online. And, when people can easily find your content, they’re more likely to read or watch it.
#7. Make Them Snackable
Nobody wants to eat a big meal when they’re just feeling peckish. The same goes for content marketing. Nobody wants to read a long, boring post when they’re looking for a short answer.
That’s why it’s important to make your content snackable and skimmable. Break down your posts into easily-digestible chunks.
Use casual and friendly language to make your audiences more comfortable interacting and engaging with your content. It helps put a personality to the business and makes it more humanized.
Use images, videos, and infographics to break up your text. This makes it easier for people to read and understand your content. It also helps them to remember what they’ve read.
#8 Create Content Regularly
Content marketing is a long-term strategy. It needs to be consistently created and published in order to be effective. You can’t just create a couple of blog posts or social media posts, cross your fingers, and hope it can go viral overnight.
The key is to create content on a regular basis. This could mean creating one blog post per week, two social media posts per day, or even one video per month.
Wrapping Up
Creating engaging content is essential for any small-budget business looking to attract new customers and grow its revenue. With those eight tips in mind, you’re well on your way to creating content that people will love and share without having to hire a professional content marketer or content marketing agency that can cost you hundreds of bucks.
