Content marketing for small business: Tips from a small business owner
For a lot of small business owners, content marketing can mean different things: social media, blogging, and maybe podcasting. It might look like spending a ton of money on SEO content or just posting sporadically when you finally come up with a good idea.
However it currently looks for you, I’m here to finally give you a solid definition of what content marketing for small business actually means. As a content marketer myself, my experience includes working with other small businesses as well as startups and corporations. I’ve seen content marketing strategies in almost every sense, and I’ve seen what works for each type of business.
For us small business owners, content marketing isn’t the same as what it might look like for a million-dollar company… and that’s ok! We don’t have the same resources, but we also shouldn’t have the same goals. Here’s what content marketing for small businesses actually looks like and the tips you should keep in mind.
How content marketing for small business differs from corporate marketing
From my work with small business owners, I’ve seen a lot of them try to take the same model as corporations and enterprise-level companies and apply it to themselves. Everyone wants to be the next Hubspot and dominate the SERPs with their content.
Ultimately, those businesses are playing in an entirely different ballpark. They have the advantage of multiple full-time marketers, websites with decades of authority, and entire link-building programs.
I don’t say all this to make you feel like your efforts are pointless. In fact, once you realize how to better create content marketing for small businesses, you can better compete in your space.
Here are just a few ways that content marketing for small business differs from corporate marketing:
Local SEO
Without the same resources as a large-scale company, it’s incredibly difficult to compete for the same search terms. Instead of focusing your website content on large-volume keywords, pivot to local SEO. Focusing on local keywords throughout your site as well as your Google Business profile will have a much bigger impact.
Branded content marketing
As a small business owner, you have the ability to connect more directly with your customers, so your content can be directly connected to your client experience. Instead of creating most of your content for your audience at large, think of the more niche, branded content about your business and services that your existing clients will appreciate. This content can also help you land more sales with potential customers.
Shorter sales funnel
Unlike a larger company with a ton of stakeholders, small businesses likely deal with maybe one or two people who are making purchasing decisions about products or services. That means you probably have a much shorter sales funnel and may not need to create as much content for every stage. Depending on your business, you might be able to focus directly on conversion from your content marketing.
Landing pages > blog posts
This is a broad statement that won’t apply to everyone in the SMB world, but your landing page content probably matters even more than your blog. That’s not to say that your blog isn’t important, but it may not be the priority when it comes to attracting and converting customers. Your landing pages are where customers learn about your services and decide to make a purchase.
What content marketing for small business looks like
Because the sales funnel for small businesses is typically shorter, your content marketing strategy should be focused on awareness, consideration, and conversion. Here’s what that actually looks like within your content creation at each stage.
“Because the sales funnel for small businesses is typically shorter, your content marketing strategy should be focused on awareness, consideration, and conversion.”
SEO (Awareness)
Maintain your Google Business profile with up-to-date information using localized search terms and create consistent posts
Focus your sales strategy on getting reviews to build social proof in your area
Optimize your website content with localized keywords in your headers and metadata
Blog posts (Consideration)
Create case studies that demonstrate your client experience and results
Write how-to content related to your products and services, or common challenges for your target audience that you can help solve
Demonstrate your authority with thought leadership about relevant topics in your industry
Educational content (Awareness and consideration)
Create courses or ebooks on topics related to your services and industry
Offer free tools that demonstrate a portion of the value you provide
Create top-of-funnel content, like informational guides, about the problems you solve for your customers
Email marketing (Conversion)
Tell stories that connect with your audience to make your personality a key benefit of working with you
Build your brand with a peek into what it’s like to work with you, or behind-the-scenes content that creates trust
Present special offers that encourage your leads to convert from your emails
Landing pages (Conversion)
Create a landing page for each service you provide to show up for specific search queries
Build location-based pages if you serve specific markets
Address objections and hesitations head-on with FAQs about your business
How to create a content marketing strategy for your small business
So, how does it all come together? Building a strategy will help you determine exactly which tactics I mentioned above make sense for your business. Here’s what that process looks like:
Set your goals
First, set your content marketing goals based on the sales funnel.
For awareness, that might mean generating 1,000 new page visits to your website this quarter. A consideration goal could be 15% more leads by the end of the quarter.
Your goals should be specific to your business and your current performance, so take a look at your existing content marketing KPIs.
Choose your tactics
Once you have your goals, you can choose the tactics that will help you achieve them. I recommend conducting a competitor audit to get a better understanding of which tactics you should prioritize (that’s something I’m happy to help with as part of my content strategy package).
If you don’t have the time or resources to do a competitor audit, no worries. Choose the tactics that you think make sense or just want to focus on for now. As you review the performance over time, you can adjust and pivot from there. Marketing always involves a bit of experimentation, after all.
Create your budget (money and time)
Next, it’s time to determine the resources you have to put toward each tactic, and that includes both money and time.
If you have a marketing budget set aside, that might mean hiring a designer to improve your landing page or case study designs. Or, it could be a good opportunity to put some ad spend behind your lead magnets.
Time is also a big consideration. Unless you have the budget resources, you’re probably the de facto content marketer for your business. That means determining a realistic workload you can handle, even if it’s just publishing one blog post a month and building one email nurture.
Establish a content marketing workflow
Once you know which tactics you’re going to focus on, it’s time to break it down into a content marketing workflow. That includes:
How you track your content workflow (Google Sheets, Clickup, Asana, etc.)
When the content gets created, and where (Canva, Illustrator, Google Docs, etc.)
Who is in charge of creating content for different channels
What information needs to be available for content creation (Content briefs, templates, keyword research, etc.)
Who edits or approves content
Who uploads and schedules content, and what platform is used
When do you review your content performance and report on KPIs
Track and optimize your content
Once you’ve published your content, that doesn’t mean you can forget about it! I notice a lot of small business owners prioritize brand new content, but so much so that they end up creating duplicate content down the road.
After your content is published, the workflow continues by intentionally tracking your KPIs and making the decision to optimize your content or pivot when necessary.
Take your content marketing strategy, workflow, and creation off your plate
Even though content marketing for small business is different from content marketing for corporate, that doesn’t mean it’s any easier. Your content marketing efforts still need a solid strategy, an organized workflow, and expert content that engages and persuades your audience.
I’m happy to offer all three content marketing services for business owners in the SMB space. With content marketing off your plate, you can count on a solid brand presence online while you focus on what matters the most: taking care of your business and clients!
Contact me today to schedule a consultation call. Let’s work together!
