If you’re running a small business in 2022, you need to invest in content marketing, like, yesterday. Not only does it help you grow your audience massively, but it is also pretty cost-effective.
Chances are that you’ve thought about doing content marketing for your small business but are still on the fence about it. Well, this article will be able to convince you to finally get on the content marketing bandwagon.
Even if you have no or very less idea about what content marketing is, that’s not an issue!
In this post, we break down what exactly content marketing is, why it is important for small businesses, and have also shared 20 amazing content ideas you can use for your brand!
What is content marketing?
According to contentmarketinginstitute,
“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
The content could be of a variety of types, ranging from blog posts to podcasts.
Whatever the content type may be, the goal remains the same- to attract and engage your audience in a way that doesn’t directly promote your brand.
This form of marketing has picked up quite a lot in recent years. According to HubSpot, 82% of marketers actively use content marketing for their brand.
If you’re running a small business, this is the best way for you to promote it online. Traditional marketing can prove to be costly and often requires a team of professionals.
But content marketing is something you can easily do on your own.
Why is content marketing important for small businesses?
If you’re a small business owner, I’m sure you’re aware of how difficult it is to establish your brand online. With 66% of small businesses facing financial challenges, carrying out traditional marketing can be an impossible feat to achieve for many.
That’s where content marketing steps in.
You save a tremendous amount of money that you can divert towards other aspects of your business. The marketing part is taken care of.
Apart from financial benefits, content marketing offers a lot more.
- Helps you build trust with your customers
As a small business, the one thing you can leverage is building strong relationships with your customers. When you create quality content that your audience can access for free, it builds trust.
Source: SMX East
Your customers know that you’re not just popping up every once in a while to tell them about a new sale or product launch of yours.
You’re actually invested in providing them with valuable information in your niche.
Whether it is a new informative blog post or a funny Instagram reel, it builds a personalized relationship with your target audience.
- Creates a larger digital footprint
One of the most challenging areas for small business owners is to bring their business in front of their target audience.
The good news is that content marketing makes this a ton easier. When you create and publish content, you massively increase your chances of being found by people online.
This applies to every type of content.
For example, if you have a blog, you’re already attracting 55% more visitors to your website as compared to companies that don’t have one.
Source: Hubspot.
Most people who come across your blog may not be looking to buy your product at that moment. But if your content leaves a lasting impact on them, you stand a great chance of converting them into customers.
With millions of people using Google every single day, imagine the volume of people you could reach.
This is how content helps you leave your digital footprint all over the internet. The more content you push out on various platforms, the more likely you are to be found by the plethora of people who are using the internet.
- Establishes you as an expert in your industry
You might not have brand authority while starting out as a small business, but that’s where content marketing comes in.
When you create high-value content regularly, you establish yourself as the go-to resource in front of your audience.
Your page becomes their hangout spot whenever they are stuck on a question related to your niche.
If they enjoy your content and find it useful, they will keep coming back to your page and will eventually trust you enough to go ahead and purchase your products.
Marketer and brand storyteller, Mark Evans shares similar views on this,
You could create infographics that show the latest industry trends or you could make a how-to guide about something related to your niche.
Whatever the content is, it should be relevant and of high quality.
That’s what makes the difference between an ordinary, run-of-the-mill brand and a thought leader that customers feel comfortable relying on.
- Significantly increases your ROI in the long run
Investing in content marketing is like planting a tree whose fruits you will reap forever.
It might sound a little dramatic, but it’s true.
Content marketing is a long-term investment. It is unlike traditional marketing, where you pump in huge amounts of funds for your marketing campaign and get a one-time boost in sales.
The content you create as a small business will continue to drive new leads even after a while.
It will form an even bigger base of people who will share your content with their network and add to your potential customers.
This is how content creation drives a high ROI for a small business.
- Helps you stand out from your competitors
If you think you can never create a distinct identity for your business because of market saturation, you’re a tad bit wrong.
Content creation is the most powerful tool available to small business owners today. As long as you’re providing value to your audience, you can easily make yourself stand out from your competitors.
Your brand’s social media pages, blog, newsletters- everything acts as a tool that showcases your unique identity and voice.
Content marketing is thus the best way to beat your competition and speed up your buyer’s purchase journey.
Now that you have a good idea about content marketing and its importance for small businesses, let’s explore a list of 20 amazing content ideas that you can leverage in 2022!
20 content marketing ideas for small businesses in 2022
- Make a long-form blog post
According to a study conducted by serpIQ, the average content length of the top ten ranked posts in the Google search engine is 2,000 words.
This is enough evidence that long-form content such as how-to guides and list posts perform extremely well.
You could create a how-to guide for your product or compile a list of best practices for your industry. The key is to write an informative post filled with statistics, graphics and videos that shows you know what you’re doing.
- Create a behind-the-scenes video
Post a short video of what goes on behind the scenes in your company.
If you have a team of people, post a video of them working on a product or brainstorming ideas in the office.
If you’re the sole owner, you can put up a video showing what happens after a customer places their order. From making the product to packaging and shipping, you can create a fun montage of the process and post it as an Instagram reel.
- Host a giveaway
Everyone likes to participate in contests! Host a fun giveaway for your followers. The best platform for hosting a giveaway is Instagram.
For the giveaway rules, instead of just asking your followers to follow and like your page, you can add a twist to it to make it a little more fun.
For instance, post a question and ask your followers to drop their answers in the comments. The 3 best answers get a chance to win the giveaway prizes!
- Host an #AMA session
AMA stands for ‘Ask me anything’. This abbreviation is often used as a hashtag on Twitter when brands conduct Q&A sessions. You can also go ahead and do the same.
The session can last for an hour or two wherein your followers can use the hashtag and ask you questions.
This helps you interact with your audience and find out which aspect of your business they’re the most curious about. You can leverage this knowledge to make your content more audience-centric.
- Post instructional YouTube videos
Just like informative blog posts, instructional YouTube videos also do well.
You can create a video of about 8-10 minutes telling users about your new product, its benefits, how to use it, etc.
Most people like to watch videos from their favorite brands. A recent Hubspot study showed that 54% of consumers said that they would like to see more video content from a brand or business they support.
- Interview blog post
Interview blog posts are a great way of establishing brand authority. You can interview an industry expert and publish it in the form of a blog post.
It is a great way of providing valuable content to your consumers and reiterating the authenticity of your brand.
- Create and share memes
When it comes to breaking the ice with your consumers and building a personalized relationship, memes are the way to go.
You can jump on the latest meme trends and create a brand meme of your own. After all, who doesn’t appreciate a good joke every once in a while?
- Run a hashtag campaign
Hashtags are an excellent way of increasing your brand visibility online.
As a small business, you can create your own hashtag that best represents your brand. You can then ask your followers to post something using that hashtag and repost their content.
It will not only give your followers an incentive to participate in your campaign but will also lead to a great engagement boost.
- Post a team introduction video
It’s time to turn the camera on to your people!
Let your team members introduce themselves in a fun, team-intro video. They can talk about their role, their hobbies and what they like the most about working in your company.
You can then post the video on your Instagram and ask your followers to pick their favorite person in the video!
- Host a webinar
A webinar is a great way of providing value to your customers while at the same time promoting your brand. It helps your business connect directly with potential clients.
You can go for a pre-recorded webinar or take it up a notch and go live on Instagram! Live webinars prove to be even more interactive because people can directly ask their questions.
- Launch a podcast
If you feel that video content isn’t the most appropriate for your brand, you can go for a podcast.
Podcasts are quite popular these days and are a great way of reaching out to your consumers.
You can also ask your audience to drop their questions in the comments every week and answer some of those questions in the next episode of your podcast!
Your listeners will remain engaged and you won’t run out of content ideas.
- Collaborate with influencers
Believe it or not, the influencer marketing industry is huge. It is expected to reach a whopping $16.4 billion in 2022!
If you want your small business to pick up the pace, it’s time to collaborate with influencers. Their huge follower base is exactly what you need to increase your visibility.
The key is to collaborate with influencers that create content around your niche. For example, if you’re a makeup brand, collaborate with beauty influencers because that’s where your target audience hangs out.
- Share inspirational quotes
You can never go wrong with some wholesome Monday morning inspiration!
If you’re out of content marketing ideas, share a quote or poem that stirs something in you.
Sometimes it is best to just go ahead and share something you like without being too calculative. It helps to retain authenticity.
- Repurpose old blog posts
You know that blog post you wrote in 2015? Well, it’s time to repurpose it and make it into a YouTube video!
Update the content of the blog post and make a script for a YouTube video out of it. Add some infographics, edit the video, and there you go!
You’ve got yourself an insightful video without having to put too much effort into it.
- Create downloadable freebies
I don’t think I need to say this, but everyone loves freebies. There’s nothing that draws people in quicker than the word ‘FREE’.
You can create a digital monthly planner, a small guide, or compile a list of useful resources into a pdf. People can drop their email IDs and get the freebie in their inboxes.
Besides being an amazing content idea, it also acts as a lead magnet for you.
- Jump on a trend
Jumping on an ongoing Instagram Reel trend is an amazing way to catch people’s attention.
Tons of reel audios keep becoming popular from time to time on Instagram. Pick any popular audio that people are making reels about and make one of your own.
Remember to have fun with it and be authentic, that’s the best way to do it!
- Post video testimonials of clients
Reach out to satisfied clients who you’ve served in the past. Ask them if they can send you a video testimonial talking about their experience with you.
You can post those testimonials on your social media pages and show your audience that you truly believe in serving your consumers to the best of your abilities.
- Leverage Instagram stories
Instagram stories are one of the most popular features of the app, with 500 million people using the feature every day.
It is also a goldmine for small businesses because it provides a plethora of fun options to engage with your followers. You can post quizzes, polls, music, AMA stickers, and a lot more!
You can include all of these in your content marketing plan and make a story schedule, that way you won’t run out of content to post.
- Feature user-generated content
Posting user-generated content is a great strategy because it makes consumers feel noticed.
You can ask your followers to post their pictures with your products and use your brand hashtag. You can then repost those pictures on your social media pages.
It’s a win-win for both your business and consumers because while you get new content, they get featured on your page!
- Tease the launch of upcoming products
This is pretty self-explanatory but it works like a charm. You can do a photoshoot of your upcoming products and start creating hype for them weeks in advance.
This can include posting blurry snippets of the products and asking your audience to guess what they could be.
Not only will it create anticipation for your upcoming range but will also do wonders for your engagement.
Conclusion
Content marketing is more in trend than ever and for good reason. The benefits it provides are endless and the cost is pretty low. Small businesses couldn’t wish for anything more!
With the onset of content marketing, gaining brand recognition for small businesses does not have to be crazily expensive in 2022. You just have to use the amazing content ideas we provided to make a kickass content strategy and follow it!
Got a great content idea that your business has benefited from? Well, don’t just keep it to yourself, share it in the comments below!
