Why content marketing is the best investment for your small business
There’s no denying it: content marketing isn’t as exciting as going viral on social media or opening an app to see a flurry of hearts in your notifications. But I believe it’s a much more worthwhile investment in your business growth (and not just because you can avoid being online 24/7).
If you’re feeling burnt out by needing to be on Instagram for hours on end, or if life is just too hectic, then maybe it’s time to start focusing on your content marketing efforts. Full transparency: this is where I’m at in my business. I just don’t have the energy or time to create for social media, and even the thought of it makes me want to take a nap 🥱
I promise it’s never too late to start – keep reading, and I’ll share how you can start today, no matter where you are in business.
P.S. Prefer podcasts? You can listen to the Content Etc version of this blog post in the player below or in your favourite podcast app.
What is content marketing?
One of the best descriptions of content marketing I’ve come across is from Michele Linn at the Content Marketing Institute. Linn describes it as educational “but not about the products the company sells”. The idea is that the business offers “such good information that you become loyal to the brand”.
Stop right now and think about brands you’ve interacted with. I’m willing to bet you can think of at least one example where you’ve developed brand loyalty (or interest in purchasing) through extra content around a product or service.
An example I always come back to is Grammarly. I found this online proofreading service through their blog posts on writing techniques and grammar rules. This convinced me to try their free program before upgrading to their paid service.
But, I think it’s important to note that content marketing doesn’t have to be educational. There are several ways to be valuable in our content. Instead, focus on answering questions for your audience and provide the information your audience can’t get anywhere else. (Btw this doesn’t mean you have to know everything or be the only person exploring this topic. You just want to share your unique blend of information and personality.)
Ultimately, content marketing is about showing your dream audience that you’re trustworthy, a useful source of information and someone they can recommend to others. You want to become their go-to.
Another essential thing to remember about content marketing is that it’s a long-term strategy. It takes time and consistent effort to see results from a blog, podcast or email list, but each little bit you build adds up to create a snowball effect. And, unlike social media, you can take time off and not feel like you’re immediately losing views or engagement. That’s a yes from me!
Why is it different from social media marketing?
A crucial component of content marketing is that it’s done on a platform you own or control. So, that’s generally your website domain and your email list.
Social media marketing is, obviously, posting to a social platform. But in doing that, we’re interrupting an audience and posting on a platform we don’t own.
In contrast, content marketing should direct people back to your website or email list (the two things you own). You could do that through a blog post, a podcast episode (because you own an RSS feed and control your podcast host), or a YouTube video (embedded on your website).
The main thing I want you to know is that social media does not equal content marketing. It’s the place to promote our content marketing efforts.
TL;DR: content marketing is…
Valuable to a defined audience
A long-term strategy focused on building relationships with current and future customers
Strategic. It has a purpose within your overall business and helps you achieve business goals
Doesn’t explicitly sell your product or service, but it relates to something your paid offerings can help with
Audience-focused and meets a genuine need
Posted on a platform you own and control
Why is it so powerful for small businesses?
One of the reasons I love content marketing is because it feels so much more approachable for me as a small business owner than traditional advertising. Of course, that could be because, as a journalist, I’m pretty comfortable with writing and communicating online.
But in general, content marketing can be less daunting because you can get started without explicitly selling. You can also start working on it before you have a product or service to sell and launch. It’s never too early or late to start working on your content.
Your content can be found through search
A definite bonus to content marketing over social is that people can find you through search. Yes, this looks like Google searches, but YouTube and podcast directories also have their own search capabilities.
SEO does take time to reap the rewards, but it means that people can find your content without the need for you to be posting daily or churning out dozens of Reels a week.
It’s also important to point out that search engine optimisation is also part of our distribution strategy. SEO also doesn’t equal content marketing because you can’t have SEO without content.
You don’t have to be on it 24/7
The days when I could post daily to Instagram and share Stories throughout feels sooooo far away. I’ve found myself with no energy for Instagram, so whenever I open it, it feels too overwhelming to post anything.
I also have fewer days to work on my marketing now that I work part-time as a journalist. You may be in a similar position with client work, family commitments, or simply a desire to get offline.
It takes time to create content, but there’s also much less pressure for you to post so frequently. With content marketing, quality always trumps quantity. This means you can chip away at content like blog posts when you have the time or send a small weekly email and know it’s still moving the needle in your business.
There’s no time limit to getting started
As I mentioned earlier, you can start content marketing before you have a product or service to sell. In fact, this could be a brilliant way to slowly build an audience and their trust, so they’re eager to buy when you do launch something.
If you’re putting energy into building a social media presence as a new business, then I highly encourage you to share some of that focus with long-form content.
If, on the other hand, you’ve established a strong social presence and you’re already selling products or services then I’m begging you to start a content marketing strategy too.
Think of all the time you put into creating Instagram posts or recording Reels, writing captions, finding hashtags and engaging online. I promise you could find some time to write a blog post by simply spending fewer hours on social media posts.
How to get started today
I know ‘start content marketing’ is a BIG ask. But you don’t need to have everything figured out immediately; you just need to take the first steps. Here’s what I recommend…
If you haven’t started selling anything yet:
Think about your audience and who you want to buy your products or services
Pick just one type of long-form content to get started. Choose a platform based on what you enjoy creating.
To start thinking of content ideas, brainstorm what your future customer needs to know to be ready to work with you. How can you meet them where they’re at and give them just a bit more information to help them on their journey?
If you have an established social media presence:
Make sure you have a website and sign up for an email service provider to start collecting email addresses (you can develop your email strategy at a later stage, this is just the first step)
Choose a long-form content platform based on what you enjoy creating.
Review your social media analytics and look at your top-performing posts: how could you expand on them to create a blog post/podcast/video/email?
Set aside some of the time you usually spend on social media content to work on your long-form marketing
Regardless of where you’re at in business, don’t overthink things! You can take those first steps as you learn more about your chosen content platform and develop a more nuanced strategy. What’s important is that you stop pushing it to the bottom of your to-do list (no judgement, I put off publishing podcast episodes for a year! 😉)
I hope that’s helped clarify things for you and encouraged you to look at your content efforts differently. Content marketing can be so powerful, but the beauty is that it doesn’t have to take all your time and energy.
If you’re feeling stuck, I can help you build an achievable and enjoyable plan for your marketing in a Power Hour. Find out more, check out available dates and book your session here.
