One of the many things we are always preaching about at Marketing Nice Guys is the need for small and midsize businesses to develop content – and lots of it. The reason is this: It’s the most cost-efficient means to promote your products and services without spending a lot of money. All it takes is time and effort.

The question is, though, how do you go about it? What content do you produce and for what reasons?

A lot of businesses take the Nike approach – they “just do it,” whether it’s blogs, videos or other formats. That can be fine to get something out the door and just start putting yourself out there. But before you go too far, it’s actually pretty important to understand the rationale behind doing content and try to anchor it in some sort of strategy.

Why is that important?

Because when you anchor it in some sort of strategy, you are essentially using content to achieve a particular goal you have in mind. Here are a few examples of strategies you can employ. You can certainly attempt to do all of them, but many times companies only have the resources to focus on a few of them.

No. 1: Using Content as an SEO Strategy

In this strategy, your goal is really to get more of your pages to rank in search results (Google or otherwise) and, today, also get referrals from ChatGPT search or other generative AI programs. For this, there are several ways you can go about it, but perhaps the most direct is to look at developing pages of your site that have keyword relevance.[1]  

The goal is to attract more organic traffic, generate leads, and build long-term credibility.

How to Approach This Strategy

• • Keyword Research: Start by identifying 10–20 keywords that are highly relevant to your business, products, or services. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or another tool to find what your target customers are searching for, focusing on both short-tail (broad) and long-tail (specific) keywords. Prioritize keywords based on search volume, competition, and business relevance.
  • Content Planning: Develop a content plan that maps out which pages you already have and which ones you need to create to target your chosen keywords. Think of this as a blueprint for your site’s content library, ensuring you cover all important topics and subtopics. For small teams, keep your plan realistic—if you’re a solo marketer, don’t overcommit to an unsustainable publishing schedule.
  • Content Creation: Build out “pillar” pages for your main topics, each serving as a comprehensive resource on a core subject. Then, create supporting content (such as blog posts or FAQs) that targets related long-tail keywords and links back to your pillar pages. This cluster approach helps search engines understand your site’s structure and authority on the topic.
  • On-Page Optimization: For each piece, optimize titles, meta descriptions, headers, and URLs with target keywords. Ensure your content is well-structured, easy to read, and includes internal links to other relevant pages. Use images, bullet points, and tables to improve engagement and SEO performance.
  • Regular Updates: Search engines favor fresh, relevant content. Schedule regular reviews to update your most important pages with new information, statistics, or insights. This signals to Google and AI tools that your site is active and authoritative, boosting your rankings.
  • Promotion and Backlinks: Promote your content through social media, email newsletters, and outreach to industry sites for backlinks. Backlinks from reputable sources are a strong ranking factor and can significantly improve your visibility.
  • Performance Tracking: Use Google Search Console and analytics tools to monitor traffic, keyword rankings, and engagement. Adjust your strategy based on what’s working—double down on high-performing topics, and refresh or rework underperforming content.

Simple Example for a Midsize Company

A B2B software firm targets “project management tools for remote teams.” They build a comprehensive pillar page on remote project management, with related articles like “How to Onboard Remote Employees” and “Best Practices for Virtual Collaboration.” Each article links back to the main pillar page and is optimized for relevant search intents. The company regularly updates its content with new trends and case studies, promotes it through LinkedIn, and seeks guest posting opportunities on industry sites to build authority.

No. 2: Using Content as Part of a Funnel Strategy

Another way to approach content is to think about the buyer journey. For small and midsize companies, a funnel-based strategy means using content to guide potential customers toward a purchase – developing what’s needed from first learning about your business to becoming advocates post-purchase. The funnel typically has three main stages: Awareness (Top of Funnel, ToFu), Consideration (Middle of Funnel, MoFu), and Decision (Bottom of Funnel, BoFu).

How to Approach This Strategy

• • Awareness (ToFu): Attract new audiences by addressing their pain points or interests with educational, entertaining, or informative content. The goal is to make people aware of your brand and what you offer, without pushing for a sale. For small businesses, this could mean blog posts answering common industry questions, social media tips, or short explainer videos. For example, a local fitness studio might publish a blog post like “5 Signs You Need to Change Your Workout Routine” or a YouTube video demonstrating easy warm-up exercises. What you’re really trying to do here is “hook” audiences to get them to pay attention to you and your content.
  • Consideration (MoFu): Once someone knows about your business, nurture their interest by providing more in-depth content that helps them evaluate your solution. This is where you build trust and demonstrate expertise. A big aspect of this stage is seeing what you can do to acquire individuals first to your email marketing automation system. Examples here include downloadable guides, webinars, quizzes, or free courses that you put behind a registration. A midsize software company, for instance, might offer a free eBook on “How to Choose the Right CRM for Your Business” in exchange for an email address, or host a webinar comparing different CRM tools.
  • Decision (BoFu): At this stage, prospects are ready to buy but may need a final nudge. Content should focus on removing barriers to purchase and showcasing your value. Effective formats include case studies, testimonials, product demos, free trials, and even demonstration videos. For example, a landscaping business could share a video testimonial from a satisfied client or offer a free consultation booking form on their site.

Simple Example for a Midsize Company

Let’s say you’re a B2B IT consultancy. You might produce the following content through the buyer journey:

• • Awareness: Blog post, “Top 10 Cybersecurity Threats for Small Businesses.”
  • Consideration: Free webinar, “How to Build a Secure IT Infrastructure,” promoted to blog readers.
  • Decision: Case study PDF showing how a client saved money and avoided a breach, plus a call-to-action for a free assessment.

No. 3: Using Content as Part of a Brand Narrative Strategy

Let’s face it. Content is a big part of how you project your brand. A brand narrative strategy focuses on telling your company’s story to build emotional connections, trust, and loyalty with your audience. For small and midsize businesses, this is a powerful way to differentiate from larger competitors and create a memorable identity. Of course, it has to be consistent.

How to Approach This Strategy

• • Define Your Core Story: Start by identifying what makes your business unique—your mission, values, founder’s journey, or the impact you want to make. Small businesses often have compelling origin stories or personal motivations that resonate with customers.
  • Be Authentic and Relatable: Share real experiences, challenges, and successes. Authenticity builds trust, so avoid exaggeration or over-polished messaging. For example, a local coffee shop might share the founder’s story of leaving a corporate job to pursue their passion for coffee, including the hurdles faced along the way.
  • Use Emotional Hooks: Good stories evoke emotion. Highlight moments of triumph, lessons learned, or customer transformations. For instance, a midsize eco-friendly cleaning brand could spotlight a family who switched to their products and saw health improvements, reinforcing the brand’s values.
  • Integrate Across Channels: Consistency is key. Share your narrative through blog posts, social media, videos, and your website’s “About” page. Make sure ALL your content reinforces the same brand narrative.

Simple Example for a Midsize Company

Let’s say you’re a regional craft brewery. You can:

• • Publish a video series on YouTube about their founders’ journey from homebrewing to opening a taproom.
  • Share stories about local farmers who supply their ingredients.
  • Highlight employees’ favorite brews and what working at the brewery means to them.

By weaving a consistent, authentic narrative across channels, small and midsize companies can foster loyalty and make their brand memorable, even in crowded markets. 

No. 4: Focusing on a Content Format Type or Channel as a Regular Promotion Strategy

We often see this strategy employed by one-person businesses who have a particular talent for one channel or one content format. But it can also be used by midsize companies who may only need one or two channels to execute their marketing well. Typically, they don’t have the resources to build out lots of different content types, so they instead choose the best one that can help them succeed most quickly.[2] Those who succeed here can gain distribution on different platforms by creating really engaging content.

How to Approach This Strategy

• • Choose the Right Format/Channel: Start by understanding where your audience spends time and what formats they prefer. For example, if your target market is active on Instagram, focus on visual content like videos. If you’re B2B, LinkedIn articles or webinars might be more effective.
  • Commit to Consistency: Regular posting builds trust and keeps your brand top-of-mind. Set a realistic schedule (e.g., weekly blog posts, daily Instagram stories, monthly webinars) and stick to it.
  • Optimize for the Channel: Tailor your content to fit the platform. For example, videos should be short and engaging for TikTok, while LinkedIn posts can be more in-depth and professional.
  • Measure and Adapt: Track engagement, reach, and conversions to see what works. Use insights to refine your strategy, double down on high-performing formats, and experiment with new ideas as resources allow.

Simple Example for a Midsize Company

Let’s say you’re a regional accounting firm. You can:

• • Focus on LinkedIn and monthly email newsletters.
  • Publish bi-weekly LinkedIn articles on tax tips and regulatory changes.
  • Send a monthly newsletter with curated articles, client success stories, and reminders about key tax deadlines.

Conclusion

As you can see, there’s no one single way to approach content from a strategic perspective. If you need help, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free consultation.

[1] There are certainly YouTube SEO strategies as well, but let’s focus on the website for now.

[2] This is usually a channel such as social media, and the format is typically video.