A lot of small businesses we know have misconceptions about the development of marketing content. Two familiar cases we often see:

• • Case 1: Businesses that imagine content to be this ultra-sexy tool – the primary means of going viral in the marketplace, either through blogs or videos that suddenly create mass traffic to their website or physical location. The truth is, content produced by most small businesses rarely goes viral – and, to be honest, that should neither be the goal nor the idea. Could you produce something that goes viral? It’s possible. But that isn’t something anyone can just “do.” There are a lot of factors involved, including luck and timing.
  • Case 2: Businesses that believe content is a waste of time, that it takes a long time to produce and does little to boost the number of customers right now, or help increase the immediate revenue of the overall business. The problem here, of course, is that it’s a mindset issue. By only focusing on today, the business will often shortchange itself when it comes to longer-term growth or sustainability.

In both cases above, we see a fundamental misunderstanding of what good content really does. To help provide more clarity, here are 6 hidden ways content can work for your small business.  

No. 1: It Reinforces Your Brand Narrative and Specific Topic Authority

If it’s consistent and substantive, great content can help you project authority, both in terms of your brand and topic expertise. The goal: You become known in the marketplace for X. And potential customers will eventually associate your brand with that same thing, building more trust and identity.

Moreover, by delving deep into specific topics related to your industry, you establish yourself as an authority in your niche. Whether it’s through blog posts, whitepapers, or insightful videos, providing valuable information not only educates your audience but also positions your business as a go-to resource. This expertise breeds credibility, fostering long-term relationships with customers and prospects alike.

No. 2. Keeps Your Website Current

Imagine you got to a website that hasn’t been updated since 2018. A stagnant website is akin to a storefront that has little activity in the digital realm. Regularly updating your website with fresh content not only enhances user experience but also signals to search engines that your site is active and relevant.

By integrating a blog, video section, or news feed, you create a dynamic platform where visitors can engage with your brand beyond product or service pages. You have lots of other options too: Industry insights, press releases, company updates, or customer success stories or testimonials, for example. They all count toward boosting the customer experience.

No. 3. Helps Boost Demand

We often talk about this one with the small businesses we know, some of whom are often tunnel-visioned on the immediate lower-funnel sales. What content does is that can help you boost demand by getting the attention of potential customers who may not be in-market, but could be. Content does this by addressing your audience’s needs and desires to make them stop and pay attention. If you set it up right, it can also get them to sign up for your email list where you can then nurture them further toward a sale.

In other words, why not use content to encourage audiences to sign up for a webinar, a newsletter, or request a demo? In all those cases, content acts as the bridge that connects potential customers with your product and/or service offerings.

No. 4. Boosts Your SEO (If You Do It Right)

There are two aspects of using content for search engine optimization. First, by creating high-quality, relevant content optimized with targeted keywords, you increase your chances of appearing prominently in search engine results pages (SERPs). In other words, your content helps you rank and get traffic.

Also, if you notice, in this article, we’ve linked to a number of other articles or pages on our website (bold text). This is known as cross-linking, which signals to search engines such as Google that the content is important enough to link to. (After all, if you don’t link to your own content, why should Google?) A general rule is that every page on your website should have at least five other pages pointing to it. Content allows you to do this easily because, over time, you’ll eventually link to different product and service pages and other content pages.  

No. 5. Keeps You in Front of Your Network

A lot of small businesses can become disappointed if the content they produce doesn’t suddenly drive massive amounts of traffic to their website when they promote it on different social channels. But sometimes that’s not the point. We often say that simply posting content on social media is a win because you end up staying in front of your network. That’s really the important piece, whether or not your network that sees the posts actually comes to your website or not. It works because when your network (or someone they know) needs a company that specializes in your area, they’ll think of you first.

No. 6. Provides Potential Buyers the Social Proof They Need at the Decision-Making Stage

Many small companies imagine content to be only the top-of-the-funnel – in other words, to be used for brand awareness and brand projection (with perhaps a touch of demand creation). But as you can see, content is used in every part of the buyer journey, including during the decision-making phase.

That’s why by developing customer testimonials, case studies, or showcasing user-generated content, you provide potential buyers with the validation they need to trust your brand and make a purchase. That’s the core of social proof – the idea that if someone else buys it and likes it, it will be good for me too.

As you think through your content strategy, don’t ignore this part of it, as the content you provide at that crucial decision phase can be the difference between a purchase and no purchase.

Conclusion

As always, we hope this has been helpful in providing some clarity on the ways content works for your business in reality. If you need help, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free consultation. Our mission is to help you excel in digital marketing.