Marketing your small business: How to create compelling content

Small-business owners have a critical need to attract potential customers to their websites, keep them engaged and get them to commit to a call-to-action.

With so many options (from white papers to blog posts) and tactics available, business owners need some clear guidance on how to create compelling content that drives business.

Here are six questions small-business owners should answer to get more visitors to your website and compel them to act.

1. What do my customers need?

Effective marketing helps a potential customer solve a particular problem. Before you think about how to market your products or services, you need a clear understanding of your customers' and potential customers' points of pain. Then you can offer visitors information about how your business helps alleviate that pain. Offering solutions is compelling, once you know the needs.

>> See how content marketing is boosted by an effective inbound marketing strategy. Read our blog article: “If content is king, then what is inbound marketing?”

2. Are my inbound marketing tools clear and simple to read?

Of course your customers are intelligent and can understand everything you present! However, especially given the number of users reading on mobile devices, you want to keep communication short and in easy-to-swallow chunks. Content must be easy to scan and read to be most effective. Make your points quickly, clearly and concisely for them to be the most memorable.

3. Am I a partner?

Customers today expect very different relationships with the companies with which they do business. Customers want valued partners that provide information at the moment of need. Businesses must make sure that when a customer needs something, the right content is available and accessible. These in-the-moment opportunities offer the chance to build brand loyalty.

4. Do I have back-up?

Curating is an excellent way to have a reservoir of content ideas available. Keeping a supply of inspiring, similar content and ideas that could work for your business ensures you always have the supply of supply of sharable information you need.

Keeping a list of great ideas and brainstorming with others
ensures you have a deep pool of potential content. 

5. Who can I partner with?

Do you have business advisors, employees or family members with whom you can brainstorm about ideas for good content? More people means more ideas and provides a sounding board that can help fine-tune and bring clarity to the best content. Similarly, asking your customers about what content they want to see is an effective way to learn what they need and involve them. Sometimes guest writers offer an ideal chance to let other voices reaffirm your messages and provide new insights.

6. Is my content complementary?

Your content marketing plan must be integrated across all possible channels. So when there's a new blog post up on your site, have a plan to cross-promote it on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Potential customers can be found on many social platforms, which means you need to find the social media channels that are most appropriate for your brand and customer base.

Having a user-friendly website that is shaped by visitor behavior and user data is key to distributing your content. Download our Growth-Driven Design Playbook to see how making your site more adaptive and intuitive can help your business.

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