How Personalized Content Connects Small Businesses with Their Audience
Updated: May 3, 2019
If you're a small business owner, you're probably constantly asking yourself how you can appeal to your local market, entice them into your location and eventually show you some love. The internet has made it easier for businesses of all sizes to reach out to their audiences, but this doesn't necessarily mean that connections are being made.
And connections are what your local business needs most.
Think about your last post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. - you get the picture. What type of engagement did you receive? We're not talking about a few passive likes, but real, genuine engagement where it felt like your followers were really connecting with you and genuinely interested in learning more about your business?
I'll let you in on a little secret. As a content creator and avid supporter of local businesses, I notice things like these, and to be honest, there are a lot of missed opportunities out there that could be regained with a more strategic approach to content marketing.
Content Marketing? I Don't Think I Have Time for That
On the surface, content marketing sounds complicated - and expensive. Once you have a foundational understanding of what content marketing is, it stops sounding so ominous.
Content marketing is nothing more than a means of attracting the audience that's most likely to invest in your business. This involves identifying your goals and some key demographics but most importantly, it's about knowing how to capture and keep their attention with the content you place in front of them.
Content can be described as any written, visual or audio form of communication. The most common forms of content marketing for small businesses include blogs, infographics, videos, and podcasts, but it's so much more than that. That meme you shared on social media? That's considered content. Product descriptions? Content. Newsletters, promotional ebooks, and email campaigns? Content, content, and yep - content.
If you have a website or are active on social media, then you've already invested time and maybe even money in content marketing. The secret to moving beyond passive engagement and into a content strategy that adds value to your business is knowing how to leverage content to create an emotional connection.
How Quality Content Connects Small Businesses with Their Audience
When you're able to connect to your audience on an emotional level, something special happens - maybe not fireworks in the sky type of special, but something pretty impressive none the less.
They start to feel invested in you, and this is key for local, small businesses because it's the first step toward customer loyalty.
Customer loyalty is something that some small businesses struggle with. You see, the demands of today's consumers are different than they were a few years ago. Today, your customers want transparency, authenticity, and a relationship with you. When the world is their oyster from a consumerism standpoint, content is the bridge that forms an emotional connection between you and your customers.
Benefits of Personalized Content for Small Businesses
For your content to be successful, it needs to set you apart. The cookie-cutter content that you see all over the place isn't going to accomplish anything for your small business. A personalized content strategy not only introduces people to your business but establishes your authority and trustworthiness.
Sounds pretty good, right? At the risk of sounding like an 80's infomercial I have to say "But wait, there's more...". Personalized content delivers additional benefits to small businesses that include:
- Broader visibility in search engine results
- Exposure to a wider audience
- Self-promotion through the delivery of value, rather than being "salesy"
- The building of trust, authority, and respect in the community
- More traffic moving toward your website or walking through your front door
- More seamless movement of customers through your sales funnel
- Solidifies your brand identity
- Keeps your website or social media up to date and relevant
Ready for a Sneak Peek at How Personalized Content Can Perform for Your Small Business?
Content marketing for your business doesn't need to be a costly or complex venture. All you need is a partner who already knows your community, understands your audience, and can create unique, high-quality content that drives results. We're here to help. Contact us at Flourish Content and let's talk about a content strategy for your business today.
Comments
Post a Comment