Are you one of the 66 per cent of companies that doesn’t have a budget dedicated to content marketing? Though this may place you in the majority, the fact is that you’re leaving a massive business leveraging opportunity untouched.
There are a lot of reasons why companies don’t “do” content marketing, but the leading response to the question, “Why not?” always relates to the cost.
It’s true that content marketing can cost a small fortune – but it doesn’t have to. If you’re interested in taking advantage of the many benefits of including this in your comprehensive marketing plan, from boosting brand recognition and getting ahead of the competition to increasing your conversions and sales, here’s how you can start:
Add a blog to your business website (or have make it stand alone)
COST: Free!
Blogging sites like WordPress are free, and they make it a cinch for anyone to publish a polished looking blog. Another option is to create a “blog” page on your existing website. I like this second option because the search engines love discovering new and relevant content on websites, and will reward them with improved rankings.
WordPress has a quick guide to setting up a blog here: How To Create A Blog In Six Steps .
Post consistently
COST: Free to expensive
You’ve may have read that you need to publish a post on your blog at least three times a week in order for you to reap the full benefits of SEO, audience retention, brand exposure, and more. But is that actually true?
How often you post depends on several factors, including:
- Your business goals
- How well you can track the success of your posts (engagement, how long visitors remain on your page, conversions, etc.)
- Your time
- You ability and desire to write!
- Posting frequently (with original and relevant content, not rubbish) may help to keep you at the top of the search engine results. But older posts, as long as they are highly relevant and loaded with quality information, can actually outperform newer posts.
A good way to start is to post once a week. Some recommend posting on the same days and at the same time so that your audience knows when to expect your new content, but others believe that the search engines don’t like to see this type of orchestrated posting. I don’t think it really matters, just do what is best for you. However if you are leveraging your posts on social media, I suggest you time these for when your target audience is most likely to be online and receptive.
Leverage (or amplify) your content
COST: Free
Make use of your social media accounts (or set them up for your business). Write a teaser about your post together with a link to it on your website, and publish this to your business Facebook Page, your LinkedIn page, Instagram and Twitter accounts. There are tools like Hootsuite and Buffer who can manage this for you.
Recruit the right help (or do it yourself)
COST: Free to $50+/hr
Writing your own content costs nothing more than an hour or two of your time. The problem is trying to find that time, as someone who is already running a company, who is a parent, and who is a person with other essential obligations.
One strategy companies with staff can use is to encourage employees to produce content for the blog. Your employees know a lot about your company, products, and services, so they could be a reliable source of material and become a part of their job descriptions.
Another option is to look into guest posting. You can invite someone from a related industry to submit a guest post (in exchange for a link to their website), or you can even interview them about something relevant to your own company or industry.
Hiring a freelance writer or a content marketing company is a reliable and often affordable option for small businesses and mega organisations alike. Ask the writer how familiar they are with your industry, obtain samples of their previous work, and ask for references so you can get a feel of how well they have worked with other clients.
My team and I have years of experience in providing high-quality writing services to both internet marketing consultants and online businesses, big and small. We provide unique premium content at affordable rates for businesses from a range of industries, including the law, health & medical, trades, fashion, and online marketing.
I invite you to contact me online or phone today at +61 412 656 208 to learn more about how we can work together to benefit your business.
I love the guest posting idea! I’m so going to use this.
Is there a good rule of thumb for blog post word length? I haven’t blogged in quite some time and haven’t kept up with the latest search engine requirements/favorable aspects.
Would you suggest adding in multiple keyword phrases within the blog post itself? Or do you think Google would catch on to this?
Kerry, do longer blog posts have a better chance of showing higher in Google? I know your long history in the content writing world, so I wanted to get your opinion.
Good quality content takes time and research usually, but it’s very much worth it. I agree that if you can’t find the time to write something great, hire someone.
This is very true. My friend who worked for me briefly tried to take shortcuts and my website suffered greatly. Now I write all of the posts, hah.
That’s great if you have the time Simon, but not all business owners have the writing gene. Rather than relying on a friend next time, maybe try a profession (not so subtle hint!).
I do a lot of freelance writing for companies and their blogs. Time is such a huge part of the reason to contract this work out!