7 Easy Steps to Content Marketing You Can Take Today

A small biz owners guide to be seen, heard and loved.

Are you wondering how your small biz can compete against bigger businesses in your industry? Well, content marketing is your super power to make this happen.

With little to no costs involved, except for your time and effort, you can craft a strategy that will have your small biz seen, heard and loved!

Use these 7 simple steps and get started today.

• Get to know your target audience.
• Conduct Market research.
• Find your unique selling point.
• Develop a content plan.
• Create compelling content.
• Share your amazing content.
• Include a CTA and content upgrade.

Step One: Get to know your target audience.

Every success content campaign starts with the same thing: Knowing WHO you are targeting.

Taking the time to develop your “buyer persona” means you will know:

• Their pain points
• What they need and why (problem and solution)
• Where and how they search for solutions and information

You know your small biz can provide value and a solution for your intended customer (IC), i.e Buyer Persona or target audience. Now you know everything there is about your target audience you will be able to create compelling content that is highly targeted, engaging and speaks to them.

And what does this mean? They will fall in love with your brand!

Step Two: Conduct Market Research

Market research is a way to build upon your Buyer Persona. Which you totally researched in the step above, right?!

You now take that research a step further:

• Search for gaps in the market and how you can fill them.
• Location for your business (physical, online or both).
• Suppliers and industry trends.
• Look at market reports, government statistics and trade/industry publications.
• Research products and services. Is there even a demand for what you want to offer?
• Conduct surveys/interviews and have conversations with existing customers or other businesses in your niche.
• How best to price your products or services.
• Competitor research — who are they? What do they offer? Where are they located? How do they interact with their clients/customers?

Step Three: Find Your Unique Selling Point

This step is all about what makes your small biz stand out in the sea of other businesses out there.

When ever I start working with a new client I ask them to complete this sentence:

“You should choose me because…..”

What is your point of difference? Is every product handmade? Do you offer personalisation of your products? Is there something unique about your service?

Identify what makes your product or service unique and use that as a selling point.

Step Four: Develop a content plan

If you have followed me for a while, you know that I am not just a complete word nerd. I am also a total planning geek! Planning makes my heart sing.

And honestly, if you don’t develop a content plan for your small biz then what are you doing? You are just blindly posting and hoping something sticks.

No. Don’t do that. You NEED a content plan.

It doesn’t have to be extensive or highly detailed.

It can be as simple as a paper calendar and you pencil in details. I use a combination of Asana, a spreadsheet and a huge wall calendar because that is what works for me.

But how can you create a compelling content strategy if you don’t know what you are posting and when?! So get to planning!

Step Five: Create Compelling Content

So you know how wayyyyyy back in step one we discover who our IC is? And step two we researched the market and competitors? And step three we created our unique selling point? And step four we developed an amazing content plan?

Well, now it is time to pull all those together and create compelling content that converts!

Whew, what a mouthful!

So let’s put it simply. You know WHO your IC is, WHERE they hang out, WHAT they want, and WHY they should choose you. Your content needs to cover all those aspects.

But don’t worry, it doesn’t have to cover it all in every single post.

The trick is to tap into the Buyer’s Journey.

What is the Buyer’s Journey, you say?

It is a way to map your buyer personas frame of mind through different stages of a buying journey.

Awareness: Your IC first realises they have a problem or need that is not being met. They start researching their problem/need.

Consideration: Your IC now knows what their problem is, and are looking for solutions.

Decision: Your IC decides who or what will provide the best solution for them.

A compelling content strategy will use targeted content aimed at each stage of this journey to pull your IC through and have them falling in love with your product or service so that when it comes to crunch time, they choose you!

(For more information about the 4 EASE Pillars + The Buyers Journey see here).

Your content strategy and plan should incorporate several different formats:

• Blog posts
• Social media posts
• Webinars
• Podcasts
• Webinars
• Emails
• Content Upgrades (eBooks, guides, checklists, and more)
• Videos (YouTube clips, Instagram, TikTok)
• White papers
• Slideshare Sides
• Infographics
• Photos

See how important planning is here?!

Step Six: Share Your Amazing Content

You have put all that time, effort and energy into creating compelling content, it is time to share it!

And you don’t just have to share it in one place.

For example:

An amazing Instagram Post can be shared not just on Instagram but:

• To your personal Facebook Profile (if it suits)
• To your Facebook business page
• To Instagram stories
• Create Facebook or Instagram Ads.
• In Facebook groups (where relevant and if it adheres to the group rules)
• In emails.

Or a blog post published to your website can be shared as:

• A Pin to Pinterest.
• A Facebook or LinkedIn post
• A post to Instagram
• In your email.

BUT, the most important of all….don’t dump and run!

Just like here on Medium where the best way to grow your profile is engagement and interaction, the same goes for your website or social media profiles. If you truly want your small biz to grow then keep those conversations going, reply back to comments, call out someone who has liked or shared your post. Engage. Engage. Engage!

Step Seven: Include a CTA and Content Upgrade

A CTA, or Call-To-Action, is exactly what it sounds like. It is asking your audience to take action.

For every piece of content you publish, you need to know what action you want your reader to take.

Is it to subscribe to your email list?

Is it to buy a product?

Is it to message you with a question?

Is it to share your content with someone they think needs to see it?

Make it clear, concise and compelling!

A CTA can also be a Content Upgrade.

For example, on my website I use free content such as the one mentioned in my bio at the bottom of this post. Essentially, I am asking someone for their email address in return for these free content upgrades.

I am providing them with value, and in return I am growing my email list.

Content upgrades are anything from a simple checklist or planner to a lengthy guide or eBook.

Content upgrades, or Opt-Ins, should be part of your content strategy. You own your email list. It is not reliant on social media profiles or even here on Medium. If for some reason social media crashed (ahem, Facebook) you can still access your audience.

See how important that is?

Putting the 7 steps to content marketing all together.

You can create a compelling content marketing strategy for your small biz with the right tools, resources and planning (of course).

• Get to know your target audience.
• Conduct Market research.
• Find your unique selling point.
• Develop a content plan.
• Create compelling content.
• Share your amazing content.
• Include a CTA and content upgrade.

Rachel Maree is a content specialist helping small biz owners master their content marketing strategies, content writing and more! You can read more helpful articles or hire her here.

To grab your free ultimate guide “Mastering Content Marketing. An essential guide for small biz owners” sign up here.

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