Content marketing is the ideal fit for large enterprise businesses and small mom-and-pop stores. Content marketing can fit into any budget, and if you do the work yourself, this budget can be nonexistent in many cases.
Leveraging content marketing is essential for growth, but how can you incorporate this form of marketing into the mix? Avoid the big strategies that the Fortune 500 companies are engaging in and go a different route.
Our friends at Principality Plastics shared the strategies that have helped the company in increasing revenue, lowering their marketing budget and accelerating growth, outlined below.
1. Leverage Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is huge, but don’t expect to hire Kim Kardashian or Selena Gomez – their reach is worth over $500,000 for a single post. We’re thinking smaller scale here. You can “hire” or reward influencers for mentioning your product.
These key individuals have their own following, so they can get the word out about your product rapidly.
Smaller influencers are often more effective, and these can be your local builders, fitness gurus, gamers or any influencers in your niche. Simply find an influencer that has the ear of your demographic and reach out to him or her.
Discuss partnering and how the influencer can help you get the word out.
A few key sites to leverage are:
- YouTube
Snapchat is also an option.
2. Master the Art of Storytelling
You can tell a story even on a small budget. Everything you do in content marketing needs to revolve around a story. When you tell a story as a brand, you’ll be connecting with people in the best way possible.
But it’s not easy to sit down and develop your own story.
Some businesses can’t be blunt or “real” about their struggles, but others can be. Storytelling requires you to be:
- Relaxed
- Authentic
- Open
Picture yourself trying to relay your company’s story to a friend that you’ve known for years. If you can picture this and recreate it, you’ll have a story you can tell to anyone. But if you clam up when writing or getting in front of the camera, you’ll need to:
- Hire a writer
- Hire someone to create your videos
You can choose to be the face behind your story, or you can use some of your marketing budget to make someone else the face of the story. In either case, you can get your story told. Your story needs to incorporate the 5 C’s:
- Circumstance
- Curiosity
- Character
- Conversions
- Conflict
Don’t brag when telling your story either – people hate that.
3. Write a Book – Really
Everyone seems to be writing a book, and it doesn’t even need to be a long book. We’re not talking about writing Game of Thrones level material. You can write a concise e-book that’s 30 pages that can be used for capturing email leads or attracting clients.
When you write a book, it can help your business in several ways:
- Books help build up your authority
- Books put you in the spotlight
- Sections of the book can be repurposed
You can even gift your book – digitally – to potential customers and clients. Current customers and clients will appreciate the gesture, too.
Amazon’s self-publishing makes it very easy to get published and get yourself and your business in front of tens of millions of people.
