This is an excerpt in a series of blog posts dedicated to the topic of Content Marketing and small business.
Writing, blogging, recording, taping, speaking…there is a lot of noise happening right now for small business owners and marketing their business in this new age of economics and media. When talking with small business owners on this topic, the word that comes up time and again is overwhelm. Sometimes too many options bring about a sense of paralysis.
Before I take on anything new for my business I like to better understand why. Why should I do it? What’s in it for me? How will it drive more business to the bottom line? So let’s start there. Why should you as a small business owner consider content marketing as a part of your marketing plan? Let’s start by looking at three reasons content marketing is great for small business.
Years of Expertise
Whether you are in the start-up phase or have been in business for a couple of decades, you bring your own years of service, experience, and passion to your industry and business. You have more content than you can shake a stick at, but you just haven’t taken that step back to realize your vast level of expertise. Consumers are cynical. Consumers are in control. Consumers want their problems solved. By sharing the expertise only you and your business can provide through content, the consumer seeking this information will find it, consume it and begin to decide if you are a good fit for them. If the consumer is in charge, then providing them with your information, solutions, tips and resources is vital in today’s search economy.
The Know, Like and Trust Factor
Take it from Bob Burg, author of “The Go-Giver” and “Go-Givers Sell More”, we want to do business with people we know, like and trust. You already know this. Providing content, whether written, spoken or on video, is proactive marketing. It allows you to build a more personal relationship with your community that provides more insight into how you work, what you solve and if you may be a good fit for them when the time is right. Though the consumer is cynical, the consumer does also want to work with wonderful people who can help them! Content marketing allows your personality, your brand, your brand experience and your company culture to shine through.
Stories Sell
We all love a great story. As a small business owner, every single one of your clients or customers is a story. As humans, we connect to other humans when we can step into their shoes, take on their emotions, and oftentimes simply hear our own story inside of theirs. The movie industry has been doing this for decades. We laugh, cry, scream while watching a movie because the story has us connected to the characters on the screen. Content marketing in it’s simplest form is storytelling. Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, recently released his book “Tell To Win” breaking down the power of story and how business is made every day through this process. Sometimes we are held back from giving something a try because we over analyze it. Connect your community to the stories already a part of your business. They could be super satisfied customers, raving fan clients, employees going above and beyond, or even the story of why you do what you do. We all love a great story. You may have dozens, even hundreds to share!
Understanding why you may want to dive into content marketing as a small business owner is where it all begins. Creating the content, choosing the strategies, developing a consistency for implementation, putting in place various points of leverage and working towards conversion also need to be considered. But it all starts with why. Still struggling with why? I’d love to talk you through it.
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Your offer “to talk you through it” is an important one. Too many small business owners express discomfort at the prospect of “writing, blogging, recording, taping, speaking”, or otherwise expressing themselves through the multitude of internet media that are available to them.
We need to lead them to the understanding that there are many of us who are willing and able to provide assistance in overcoming the fear of stepping onto the internet stage. We must reveal that there are many in the audience who will be receptive to and appreciative of the story they will hear.
Keeping in mind the missions they have envisioned for the enterprises they lead, business owners who decide to let their voices be heard on the internet can count on guidance and support being available to help them achieve the objectives they have established for their companies.