If you want to be successful, you need to invest in your marketing strategies. This includes content marketing, and it is one of the most effective marketing strategies there is. It integrates new and old media into your gameday strategies.

But it all boils down to making sure your brand stays in front of your customers. You must know that 97% of companies now have a content marketing strategy in place. The whole idea is to create and share valuable, high-quality content for your audience.

Content marketing is a great way to grow and develop any business. It's a grass-roots approach primed to produce results. But is this the best path to take even if you’re still a small business? Let's find out in this article how you can apply content marketing to your business.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is about producing and distributing meaningful information to your target market. You can do this in different ways, such as writing blog posts or creating videos. You can also try gated content such as webinars and podcasts.

Whatever you choose, it should have a positive impact on your audience. And what better way to do this than by including quality content? 

A high-quality content marketing strategy is:

  • Original. You must produce original material if you want to attract visitors to your website. You can do it in-house or through a digital marketing agency.
  • Actionable. Show your website visitors how they can reach you. Include a call-to-action to boost client relationships and loyalty.
  • Informative. Make sure your writing is engaging. Consider brand storytelling and explain it in a simple way, avoiding too much jargon. 
  • Accurate. Linking to authentic sources improves your credibility. It also creates valuable backlinks for your website.
  • Thoughtful. Good content is intriguing and thought-provoking. You could do so by writing a review or an opinion article.

But, is content marketing effective for startups as well?

Why is Content Marketing for Small Businesses Important?

Contrary to what some people believe, content marketing is not only for big companies. You’d think that startups can’t enjoy the benefits of content marketing, but that’s far from the truth. In fact, startups should invest in this kind of marketing when they have the resources.

As a startup, having content marketing in your strategy can help level out your playing field. It gives you the advantage of being able to compete against those with larger marketing budgets. It’s the best way to reach a wider audience and increase your conversion rates.

And you can do this by providing content that meets the needs of online users. Most of the time, people are not looking to buy products online. They also use search engines and even social media platforms to look for answers. That’s where content marketing takes place.

If you give them the answers they need without getting anything in return, they will trust your brand. When they need more advice, they won’t think twice about getting your help. In a way, it helps strengthen your bond with your audience and increases their loyalty to your brand.

Even if you’re a nonprofit organization, this type of marketing can still help you out. Marketing for nonprofits involves getting the word out about your missions and activities. So your marketing strategy should include information about what you do and where the donations go to.

With content marketing, you can share stories about the people you’re helping. It serves as a window for donors to see what your organization can do. With content marketing, you can find more donors that are willing to contribute to your causes.

Aside from these, there are other reasons why your marketing content is important. This includes:

1. It Helps Cut Your Marketing Costs

PPC advertising can be costly, even when targeted. That's true, especially since every click does not result in a qualified lead. Billboards and bus signs can be less expensive, but they are less effective and harder to measure.

Content marketing can save you a lot on your budget, which is important for startups. You can expect to spend only on creating blog posts or videos, which increases your ROI.

2. It Improves Your Search Ranking

As we mentioned earlier, more people will reach out to your brand if you give them the content they need. In the digital world, this means more people will visit your website. In return, this will increase your search engine ranking. 

What does this mean for your business? When you have more website traffic, search engines like Google will see you as a trusted brand. And when that happens, Google will put your web page at the top of their results page. That's because Google prefers to display sites on their first search result page with authority in their field.

This matters because 25% of users click the webpage that appears on top of Google’s search results page.

High-quality marketing content improves your website's ranking in search results. This helps your target clients see your website first. And chances are they are quality leads. All these factors have an impact on your online presence.

3. It Improves Your Customer Service Experience

You can use shared materials to let people know more about your products and services. This means that your marketing approach will support other divisions.

Relevant content is the key to successful content marketing for small businesses. Plus, if your audience really takes an interest in your content, they may even share it on social media. The more people you can reach, the more helpful it is for your startup.

Content Marketing Strategies for Law Firms

Content marketing is becoming more popular among law firms, and for good reasons. Law firm marketing strategies have a very high conversion rate. You can produce different legal content to boost your online presence.

Among the most well-liked varieties are:

1. Write Blogs

Everyone knows how busy startup law firms are. So you can start by writing two to four blogs a week. This will launch your website and draw more visitors to your blog. 

But be sure to keep your content within your niche. If you only offer services related to criminal law, only produce content related to that. Otherwise, your audience will get confused with your brand.

If you’re not, you can hire a digital marketing agency. They can help you plan the most effective law firm marketing strategy that caters to your needs. Some can even design your website to highlight your prowess.

2. Create a FAQs Page

Another cornerstone of a legal firm's content marketing strategy is answering FAQs. A good FAQ page is useful for a variety of reasons. Compiling a list of questions that your clients submit can help you appear in the “People Also Ask” areas of the SERP.

You can start by looking back at the questions your clients often ask you. This way, you’ll have an idea of which questions and concerns to address on your FAQs page. 

You should also check the “People Also Ask” sections on Google. You’ll see what questions people are posing about the keywords you want to target. Then produce insightful responses to get a chance of being included in that section.

3. Make Use of E-Books

Some people prefer e-books since they are portable and convenient. Because of this, brands have also used this medium to get the word out about their services. As a law firm, you can use it to explain complicated things in a simple way. 

But before you write one, make sure you have an SEO-optimized landing page for your website. This way, you can impress your audience when they finally visit the link to your website from the e-book you published.

Content Marketing Strategies for Nonprofits

If you’re a nonprofit organization, you know you have different goals than regular brands. But you can’t say the same when it comes to getting the word out about your organization. Content marketing for nonprofits also increases income, brand visibility, and engagement.

Some of the strategies you can use as a nonprofit include:

1. Ask for Their Time Instead of Donations

Have you seen a lot of websites for nonprofit organizations? They ask for their visitors’ time early on instead of financial donations. That’s because this strategy generates an emotional experience among donors.

This feeling inspires donors to give more than they would have otherwise. They call this phenomenon the time-ask effect.

So how does this help content marketing for nonprofits?

As a nonprofit, you need to consider what your goal is when sharing material. Is it only to encourage monetary donations? The majority of nonprofit organizations will say "yes" to this.

That’s true, at some point. Content marketing for nonprofits should send a message requesting financial contributions. But it should also urge people to contribute their time by volunteering, visiting websites, and going to events. Additionally, you can also ask for their knowledge and expertise. This helps them influence others as well.

This fosters a mindset of giving where donors are free to consider how they can donate. And that fulfills the promise of non-profit development that content marketing makes.

2. Create a Connection Between Donors and Purpose

Much like traditional marketing, you need to forge a bond between your brand and your target audience. The only difference is that nonprofits link their target audiences with prospective donors.

This connection is a more effective way of sparking the act of giving than any messages that emphasize the organization. This is not to say that you should abandon talking about your missions, goals, and activities. This just means that you should focus more on the situation of the families, animals, or places that you serve.

You can show your donors that they can improve the lives of those people and animals. Share some photos, videos, or testimonies about how previous donors have helped these families.

3. Tell Stories That Have an Emotional Impact

According to studies, making a connection with your donor increases the emotional impact. Always be detailed and, when possible, talk about specific people and situations when you’re telling stories. Making use of media content, such as pictures and videos, can help you a lot.

Keep Content Marketing for Small Businesses Fresh and Fun

Content marketing is the first step to getting customers and starting your business. But it is not a “spray and pray” tactic or a way to get attention. If you do it right, it will pay off with grateful customers and repeat business.

The best part? It can be as dispersed and accessible as you want it to be. So long as an audience exists for what you have to say.

There are many ways to ensure that content marketing works. But as you can see, they all need a true and solid foundation. If you provide them with genuine help and valuable ideas, they will come back to you again and again.