Many small business owners are learning the hard way that all the things they used to do to market their company just aren’t working anymore. As just about any reputable marketing company will tell you, investing in online marketing is pretty much a necessity these days.
“In years past, when almost all individuals read the local newspaper or received a new phone book every year, these were solid media or marketing channels on which many business owners could rely,” Forbes contributor Dave Lavinsky says.
That was then.
When considering question Is Traditional Marketing Still Alive, Lasky pointed out that, “More and more people are choosing to get their news online rather than through the newspaper, and a large number of households no longer take telephone books.”
This is now.
“Traditional marketing is becoming less and less effective by the minute; as a forward-thinking marketer, you know there has to be a better way,” the Content Marketing Institute says.
They recommend content marketing. (No surprise there!) And they very helpfully provide a definition for those who aren’t exactly clear on what content marketing is:
“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.”
In other words, you’re providing information that your target audience might find interesting or useful, rather than focusing specifically on selling the products or services you specialize in.
As Small Business Trend magazine, points out, having a blog on your website is a great way to do just that. “A small business blog is one of the most-used and effective content marketing tools at your disposal,” they say. “Simply put, if you’re not blogging, you’re leaving money on the table.”
According to Small Business Trends:
- Marketers that use blogs get 67 percent more leads than those who don’t.
- 81 percent of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs.
- Companies that blog have 97 percent more inbound links.
- 61 percent of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.
- 60 percent of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content on its site.
If you would like more information about online marketing strategies like content marketing and blogging, James McCauley, an expert on internet marketing and the president of SEO James, would love to hear from you.
