Content marketing has become hugely important to small businesses but it can be difficult to create engaging content on a regular basis. Some find it difficult to write blog posts, others find it hard to create imagery and sometimes we don’t even know what to create content about. Not only that, but there are some businesses and industries that are more conducive to content creation than others. How can we get started with effective content marketing so that it has a tangible effect on our businesses?
Our guest on this episode of the number one small business podcast is Kate McQuillan. Kate has used effective content marketing to build and grow her business and she’s going to talk us through some of the strategies that can be used by any business to increase visibility and engagement.
One of the main problems we face is not knowing what to create content about. Kate’s advice, which can be applied to any kind of business, is to maintain a list of all of the questions that your customers ask. You can go through each question and write a blog post to offer answers and advice. This gives you a huge amount of targeted content as you know that your clients are actively seeking out these answers. They’ve probably Googled the question before asking you, which means plenty of other people will be doing the same thing. Use the question as the title of your blog post and others will find your helpful answers. You needn’t have a flashy infographic to get your start in content marketing, you can simply use your industry expertise to make a start. Soon you will start seeing the benefits in terms of traffic!
Another fantastic benefit of content marketing is that it can open channels of communication with prospective clients and existing customers. Engage with those who have read your blog and commented. Get into conversations and find out other areas that they would be interested in. By asking what people want, you can give them exactly that. Soon, you will have shown yourself to be an expert in your field and a small community will be forming around your content. These can both increase your engagement, visibility and, most importantly, then number of your clients!
Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast:
How can I create engaging content to promote my small business?
About Kate:
Kate McQuillan is the founder of Ireland’s largest pet sitting and dog walking business, Pet Sitters Ireland. Along with her husband Michael, Kate has turned her passion for animals into a very successful and scalable business. One of the main drivers of visitors to their site has been content marketing. In fact, Kate estimates that 70% of visitors arrive at her site via blog posts that she has written. Kate is now using her content marketing expertise to help others in her niche through her new business, Pawsome Media, and her podcast, Pawsome Marketing.
Actionable Tips:
* Make a list of all the questions that you’ve been asked by your customers. This lets you know the information that your clients are looking for online and the areas that they are concerned about. You can answer all of their questions with blog posts, creating a knowledge bank of great content that will draw more and more people to your business. For the most visibility, title the blog post exactly as the question has been asked.
* Create high quality images to be used in every area of your business. Anything that you put out on Twitter, Facebook or blog posts should be accompanied by nice images. Spend a little time to find something eye-catching and make sure your branding is included. This can have a fantastic effect on your levels of engagement.
* Engage! Don’t make everything that you publish be about you and your business. Make sure you are engaging with your audience and providing the content that they want.
