Do you want to generate more traffic, more leads and more sales for your small business?

Sure you do.

What if I told you that content marketing generates 55% more traffic, 5X more leads, and is 13% more likely to generate a return on your investment … all without breaking the bank?

That’s a pretty big deal, yes?

To attract clients who are a right fit, you have to produce high quality content that they find compelling and valuable.That can be a tall order for small business owners who have too little time and too many competing priorities to add another “To Do” to their schedules.

But here’s the thing –

Content marketing isn’t a choice, it’s a “Must Do.” Today’s buyers conduct market research, evaluate their options and make a preliminary decision to buy before they contact you.

This change in buyer behavior requires a new marketing approach, one that keeps you top of mind by consistently providing value and positions you as a trusted authority over time.

You do that with content marketing.

For small business owners, the key to making content marketing an effective lead generator is having a cohesive strategy that supports your business goals.

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is an approach to marketing that involves consistently and constantly creating and promoting branded content online that is of value to a specific audience.

It offers a strategic advantage to small business owners, because they’re more likely than larger enterprises to know their customers personally. This knowledge enables them to produce content that directly addresses the challenges their prospective clients face on a regular basis.

A successful content marketing campaign contributes to business success by increasing brand awareness; promoting audience engagement; generating traffic, sales and leads; and positioning you as an authority.

A poorly executed content marketing campaign does just the opposite by damaging your reputation and alienating the very customers you’re seeking to attract.

You need a clear content marketing strategy to maximize your results and reduce your investment of time.

Content marketing is cost-effective but time-intensive. And time can be a rarer commodity than money for small business owners. However, there are ways to reduce your investment of time by planning ahead and using the right strategies to reach your goals.

To get optimal results, you need a clear strategy for producing and promoting content that supports your business goals. Otherwise, you’re going to waste a lot of time creating and distributing content that doesn’t produce the results you need.

Build a SMART Content Marketing Strategy to promote brand awareness, generate leads and convert viewers to clients.

You’re probably familiar with SMART goals (Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound), but have you used the SMART format to create your LinkedIn marketing strategy?

According to a recent article by Neil Patel, basing your strategies on your SMART Goals keeps you focused on the specific content and activities that produce the results you need.

#linkedin #keywords #Linkedin profile #long-tailkeywords #dumontowen #dumont&associates

SMART strategies are:

Specific: An effective strategy specifies the types of content you’ll produce for each goal.

Maximize your impact by:

• Choosing content formats that leverage your strengths and that you enjoy producing. Some of the most popular are: Videos, articles, guides, lists, case studies, infographics, podcasts, and slide decks.
• Aim for a mixture of formats to appeal to buyers with different learning styles and preferences for each stage of your sales funnel.

Measurable: An effective content strategy identifies the key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll use to measure whether or not you’ve successfully reached your goals.

A partial list of common KPIs includes:

• Traffic generated
• Unique page visits
• Subscribers
• Downloads
• Time spent on page
• Leads generated
• Conversion rates

Choose the KPIs that are most closely aligned with your business goals and check them often.

Achievable: It doesn’t do any good to set goals if they aren’t achievable. Setting unachievable goals is a sure-fire way to keep you feeling frustrated, guilty and demoralized. For effective goal setting, be sure to:

• Set goals that are a bit of a stretch but not impossible.
• Ask yourself if your goal is realistic given your financial or time constraints.

Relevant: The best content is aligned with the needs of your target audience. Try a few of these tactics to learn about their problems and issues:

• Interview your current and past clients about their most pressing needs and concerns.
• Go online. Check discussion boards, blogs, podcasts, and social media.
• Survey clients, prospects and competitors to identify trending issues.

Time-bound: Every goal needs a due date to keep you focused and moving forward. This includes content marketing goals.

Warning: You may be tempted to skip creating a strategic plan for your content marketing. That would be a mistake. The only way to ensure that you meet your goals is by identifying the strategies you’ll use to achieve them.

Stay on Brand With Content Mapping

When you’ve identified your SMART goals and strategies, you’re ready to focus on your core message, this is the message that communicates your brand story and the main benefit you provide to your clients.

Your core message is based on your mission statement and answers the WIIFM question. (What’s In It For Me?).

Let’s look at an example to break this process down.

Mission Statement – To help B2B small business owners grow and by building and promoting their personal brand to their ideal clients on LinkedIn.

The core message – Promoting your personal brand on Linkedin is your key to attracting more leads, more clients and more revenue, day in and day out …and still have time for a life.

3 – 5 messages that support the core message.

1. Linkedin can be overwhelming to the uninitiated, but it’s not rocket science. You just need someone to show you the ropes and help you build the right strategies and systems to succeed.
2. By mastering the social selling process, you’ll increase your visibility, establish your expertise, and build trust and relationships with your ideal clients.
3. Content marketing can be tough for a small business owner, but with the right strategies, systems, and actions you can become known as the go-to person in your industry.

Building your core and supporting messages provides a focus for your content and ensures that you’re always on brand. Your brand message is consistent, and consistency builds credibility.

Build a Content Repurposing Plan

Content Repurposing is the practice of taking your best content and repurposing in different formats. For example, I could take this article and break it into several articles, each going deeper into my main points. Or I could make it into a slide presentation, a video, an infographic, or top ten list …There are so many options.

Repurpose your content to bring new perspectives to your work, improve search engine optimization, reach more prospects, build brand awareness, and increase customer retention.

Final Thoughts:

Content marketing is a key component of social selling and essential for building credibility and staying top-of-mind with your ideal clients and customers.

It appeals to small business owners because it’s cost-efficient, but it’s also time-intensive. Make it work for you by creating a cohesive content marketing strategy that supports your business goals and produces quality content on a consistent and constant basis.

#content-marketing #linkedin-content-marketing-strategy #content-marketing-strategy #dumontowen #content-marketing-plan #content-calendar-template