This article looks at some of the best types of small business content marketing you can use right now to generate engagement with your target audience.
A study from Google known as “Zero Moment of Truth” (ZMOT) emphasised how critical it is to have many contact points with a potential customer across multiple channels and locations. ZMOT is the research that a prospect does before making a decision.
Google came up with a 7/11/4 formula for business success.
The crux of the research shows that modern-day prospects need to consume 7 hours of content over 11 touchpoints and 4 locations before they decide whether to purchase. This is why small businesses in 2022 should focus on content marketing.
Before panicking about how to create 7 hours of content, you might be surprised by how easy it really is. There are many digital and offline channels available for consumers to access, and the key to success is making the most of this opportunity.
Table of Contents
1. Small Business Content Marketing – Videos
Video is very popular on social media, and it’s the most common type of branded content.
In 2020, TikTok dominated the social media landscape after a record-setting first quarter that saw 315 million installs, the largest ever for an app within a single quarter. The content on the platform is relatable and easy to consume, which made it the perfect supplement for lockdown viewing.
Video is more engaging than any other type of small business content marketing. According to statistics from LinkedIn, users spend three times longer watching videos than viewing static images.
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2. Small Business Content Marketing – Live Streaming
The live streaming industry reached over £62 billion in 2021. As many as 80% of live stream viewers will watch a stream from a brand rather than read a blog. For small businesses, there are lots of consumer-friendly solutions for live streaming, meaning there isn’t a steep learning curve.
Most smartphones have built-in hardware that allows them to do almost anything, and social media platforms offer live streams.
Live content marketing is a great way to interact with your audience and build up a relationship.
Prospects get to see the face behind the business, which is essential to lots of audiences. You can read Neil Patel’s guide on the importance of live streaming here.
3. Small Business Content Marketing – Visuals and Infographics
According to Xerox, over 65% of brands use infographics in content marketing, which is expected to rise again in 2022. Infographics help tell a story effectively by condensing the details of information into visual facts that people can easily relate to and identify.
For small businesses, free-to-use sites such as Canva make infographic design accessible, even for the least technical of users.
The infographic below shows how people are better at consuming information in this format than other types of media.
4. Small Business Content Marketing – Audio
Podcasts continue to be a highly popular form of content marketing and are rapidly growing in 2022. While the video is still the preferred channel, the statistics suggest a potential shift due to the convenience of audio.
You can listen while doing other tasks such as cooking, taking a shower, or exercising, which isn’t always possible with video content.
Also, an episode of a branded podcast hosted by Acast has an average listening time of 28 minutes. What other media channel can claim to have such an engagement?
Podcasts are not just for celebrities and big brands. One example is Zendium, a natural enzyme toothpaste that boosts oral hygiene (sounds exciting right?).
The 2 Minutes of Zen podcast is focused on healthy living and provides simple techniques that are easy to do while brushing your teeth. The idea turns a dull product into something creative and useful to the consumer.
5. Small Business Content Marketing – Messengers and Chatbots
Social media messenger applications are a great way to interact and serve customers/clients. For example, you can let clients send information and images via a messaging app to start an interaction if you want to do consultations.
Customers/clients prefer messengers and chatbots over traditional calls or emails, which can take a lot longer. Channels like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp don’t cost anything and are quick to set up.
6. Small Business Content Marketing – Personalised Content
Personalising your content marketing helps reach specific audiences with relatable and targeted messages. For example, if you segment your customers/clients by their previous transactions and then email them with products that are linked to those, you are more likely to drive engagement and conversion.
Furthermore, 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that provides personalised experiences.
Personalisation is not only about putting someone’s name in an email. In a Yieldify case study, they improved the conversion rate by 16.76% for StudentUniverse by adding a personalised pop-up to the website based on how the user was browsing.
Small changes like this enhance the user experience and help small businesses to understand their customers/clients.
7. Small Business Content Marketing – Optimising for Voice Search
Consumers love searching using voice. As the smart speaker market continues to boom and the technology evolves, voice search is changing digital marketing.
When it comes to content, traditional keyword tactics will no longer suffice. Google search crawlers are looking for high-quality content that matches the intent of the voice search. You can read more about intent in this Google RankBrain article.
Optimised voice content should:
- Include natural conversational language
- Use long-tailed questions instead of single keywords and short statements
- Contain high-quality, authoritative information
We won’t go into detail about each of these but keep in mind how the way people speak and type varies and optimise the content on that basis.
Small Business Content Marketing Summary
When you consider all the different types of available marketing content, filling up seven hours doesn’t seem as difficult. After you’ve created a couple of videos, designed an infographic or two, written some blog posts and started your live streaming career, you are well on your way to success.
It is crucial to get everything into a formalised content plan. Videos, audio and visuals can all be successful, but that doesn’t mean you should throw them haphazardly at audiences. Any approach you implement should be made after research and understanding what your audience is looking for.
Remember, although these content marketing types work today, the digital ecosystem is constantly evolving. Content needs continual optimisation to keep up with trends in the market and behaviour. Marketing expert Michael Brenner puts it nicely by saying:
“The buyer journey is nothing more than a series of questions that must be answered”
If your content marketing is answering all those questions, you are doing something right.
Some Of My Other Easy Marketing Posts You Can Quickly Profit From:
How to Drive Traffic and Sales with Short-Form Video
Why Link Building Really Matters
How to Deal With Negative Comments on Social Media Like a Pro
10 Most Common Social Media Marketing Mistakes Made by Small Businesses & How to Fix Them
15 Ways to Easily Increase Conversion Rate on Your Website
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