Content Marketing - A Real Life Example of Payoff for a Small Business Owner
July 24, 2019
As a business owner, keeping on top of what is going on in the world of marketing while trying to run your day to day operations can sometimes be a challenge. Sometimes in the evenings, some of you may attend 'evening business events.' At these events or cocktail parties, you hear people discussing tactics like 'content marketing' - 'social media marketing' - 'increasing visibility through online content.' Are you familiar with these terminologies? Have you engaged in these practices or have you buried your head in the sand like an ostrich hoping this crazy talk will magically all go away and you can continue on business as usual?
Here's the reality - Content marketing isn't going away, and you need to figure it out. Content marketing is not a fluffy terminology, rather a reality as we have been mentioning since 2016. It is as real as Microsoft acquiring Linked in for $26.2 billion. Individuals who are practicing content marketing and contributing to their content marketing are coming out ahead within search engine results if the content they are providing is of high value to readers.
At 24-7PressRelease.com, we have noticed for years now our clients combing content marketing into their press release. More about this here.
What is the excuse 9 out of 10 businesses owners use when asked if they practice content marketing as a part of their strategy? "My business is too small; I don't need to bother."
Here is an example that stems back several years why a small business should engage in content marketing and how it can pay off with dividends.
I used to know an individual in the business of home inspections. Let's refer to him as Pete. Pete was incredibly passionate about his work and job (as a small business owner he should be). Pete took his work extremely seriously. He was so incredibly passionate about his work that in the evenings, he would blog about some of the experiences that he encountered during the day or week. At the time, Pete was performing approximately two to three inspections a week, which wasn't too bad, especially considering the amount of competition in the area. Some of Pete's adventures might include a roof that might need replacing, or wiring issues, other days might be something minor like a toilet not flushing properly.
When Pete would arrive home, he would head to his blog and start discussing the different experiences he came across without disclosing address / personal information, of course. He would also advise on what to look out for, how to fix and also identify an issue. Some days he would write 500 words, other days when engaged could be 2,500. The repertoire of articles that Pete accumulated after a few years was quite impressive.
Living in a region where real estate pricing is amongst some of the highest in North America, tends to bring along semi-frequent news coverages of 'how unfordable the local housing market (and rental market) are.' You can only beat the drum on this exact subject for so long before you have to change the tune a little, whether it has to do with interest rates or a different angle. One of the angles that the news decided to take was on 'home inspections.' We live in an area where some people are crazy enough to pay close to 1.5 million dollars and not get a home inspector! So before the news segment, the journalists/researchers need to attain some opinions from an actual home inspector. Part of their research team decides to Google 'Home inspectors Vancouver'. With the mass of incredibly excellent content over time, who do you think shows up at the top of their list? Small business owner Pete, of course! Because Pete invested the time into creating spectacular knowledgeable content about his industry that many people liked, he showed up the top of the list. It should go without saying that he was the first person contacted by the news channel.
Now was the beginning of a new chapter for Pete and his 'small business' because he had been picked up and aired on the news to a couple of million viewers. Being aired on such a prominent news channel created a lot of new business for Pete to the point where it exploded from just a few bookings a week to not being able to get a booking for nearly five to six weeks out! Given that many of his clients tend to have a moving cycle of 5 - 8 years, his business keeps repeating. All of this because a small business decided to try some content marketing.
There are different areas of content marketing that can include blog posts, newsletter, social media posts, and of course, a press release.
As mentioned earlier in this article, several years back, we started to see many of our clients taking a press release and adding a content marketing spin to their press release for added exposure.
Content marketing can have a multitude of mechanisms, which means that if you are operating as a one-person show, practicing these will keep you plenty busy. Online tools do exist like Hootsuite for tracking social media; however, a new tool is coming to 24-7PressRelease.com that will also assist you with your efforts. When our newsroom product becomes available, they will be socially integrated and connected directly to journalists; meaning that when you use the 24-7PressRelease.com press release service, not only do you receive a full distribution of your press release, your press release will also go right to your newsroom. Because your newsroom can also have followers, when a new update is performed, your followers will also be updated. Did we also mention your newsroom will be directly integrated with our Media Desk for journalists? This means content from your newsroom will also be found through our Media Desk, a search platform for journalists to help them with information for stories.
Content marketing is not about just writing a willy nilly article and throwing it out there; it is about creating value for your visitors. How to's, top lists, did you know are great starters. Information your audience will want to engage in and stay engaged. Your theme and or messaging through your information is best to remain constant. Part of the reason why Apply has become so successful is that all their branding messages have been consistent and clear in every communication they make.
Platform Cross Referencing
After you write a press release, ensure you refer to a similar article of a similar nature. Post information about your new press release to your social media like your Facebook page, then, create a reference from the Facebook page with a link to your press release. Don't forget to make a tweet through Twitter!
Quality is key
In the early days, many companies used to 'create' low-value content loaded with hyperlinks that would bring them high up within search engine results. Much of this was due to 'links' and didn't have as much value on the content. The pendulum has shifted, and the value for links almost does not exist, yet the value placed on the content is of utmost importance. By making certain, you regularly post content of value will eventually separate you from your competitors resulting in higher search rankings.
Further tips and information about content marketing can be found here:
And here
De-Mystifying Content Marketing: It Isn't As Complex As You Might Think