I like the message being presented here by Elisa Gabbert. Most of the content marketing advice small business owners get online is rehashed pat answers from stale old questions. Three examples she offers are:
- You need a content marketing strategy - Of course, it begs the question, "What IS a content marketing strategy?"
- Your content should tell a story - As in, "Once upon a time?"
- Content marketing should lead directly to leads and sales - Always?
What Should Content Marketing Do And Be?
Your business is unique. Therefore, your content marketing should be unique. It should be a reflection of your business's goals and values. Is that a strategy? Does it constitute a strategy? It could. But what does that mean exactly?
Gabbert recommends, and I echo, that your content marketing strategy be emergent. In other words, it should develop in time as you progress forward toward your goals.
In other words, there's no need to build out a content calendar months in advance because sticking to it strictly won't allow for you to address current events as they pop up in your business and industry.
Do you have a story to tell?
Big brands may get away with telling stories. Small businesses don't have enough time to concoct big stories around their brands. Besides, what kind of story will you tell? That you started your business in your garage two years ago and now you work in your living room? Sure, include some personal details about you as you conduct business, but don't get hung up on story arcs. Leave that to fiction writers. Instead, just be authentic.
7 times, people
There's the old marketing adage that people need to see your offer seven times before they respond. It's true. People don't usually buy on the first offer. They need time to digest. They don't know you. They need to trust you. Your content should work on building trust before it does anything else.
Make your content as original as your business. There's only one you.
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