Every marketing department out there wishes for a bottomless budget but that just isn’t realistic. More often than not, marketing has too many goals and not enough funds to meet them. That said, a great marketing strategy doesn’t need an endless supply of funds to be successful. When it comes to creating content – in my opinion one of the most important marketing tasks there is – success can be accomplished on any budget. The challenging part can be choosing the right content for your audience.
Large businesses may appear as though they have it easy with big marketing budgets and access to services. Small businesses may think they can’t compete with tiny or nonexistent budgets. In reality, with a little creativity and knowledge of your customer base, you can learn to produce the right content to reach your audience.
Don’t let budget constraints limit you from marketing to your customers and driving results. Whether your marketing budget is large or small, use the following content marketing tips to increase awareness and improve sales on any budget.
1. Share Your Knowledge
People love reading productivity hacks or learning about new tools to make their life easier. Share tools you use to do your job or write “How To” articles to explain a process. These articles are popular online and often shared via social media. Start with the basics of sharing what you already know. Just be sure to try and solve real world problems; baseless content does little to add value.
2. Utilize Available Content
Infographics are a great way to share information in a colorful, engaging way. However, they’re not always affordable to produce. If you’re on a limited budget, look for infographics already completed by other organizations and write about them. Embed the image in your article and link to their research and findings. Curating existing content is a smart way to be resourceful on a budget, just be sure to give credit where credit is due.
3. Summarize Gated Information
Distill gated campaign assets into smaller blog post summaries. This allows consumers ungated access to some of your content while whetting their appetite for more information. In turn, you’re given multiple ways to use available content.
4. Present Information with SlideShare
Convert PowerPoint presentations into SlideShare posts and embed them into your blog. These offer your audience a visual way to click-through content and digest information at their pace. They’re also a great alternative to lengthy blog posts by appealing to your audience with colorful pictures and bite-sized information. Be sure to check out some of our more popular SlideShares:
- Website Migration SEO Best Practices Checklist
- Adwords Best Practices
- Content Optimization Best Practices
5. Spin Content from Popular Topics
Spin your content to relate to popular TV shows or movies. By weaving aspects of popular shows into your content, you’ll connect with your audience and peak their curiosity to keep reading. Reference current favorites such as Game of Thrones, and notice your audience engagement increase.
6. Tap into Internal Experience
Your customer service and sales reps are on the front lines answering questions and hearing customer complaints and praises. Ask them where customer pain points exist and create fresh content based on FAQ. When customers have a positive experience, share their story and highlight why your product or service helped them overcome their challenges. By sharing positive, real-life stories and addressing custom pain points you’ll engage your audience in a positive way.
You can also tap into internal resources by creating blog series such as “Ask the Expert” or “5 Questions For…” where you interview employees about real-world scenarios. We often do this for our blogging clients. We’ll set up in advance a 30-minute call with a product marketing expert or salesperson. We’ll provide 5 questions in advance so they can prepare. We’ll then record the audio of our question and answer session. Then we transcribe the conversation into a Q & A blog.
Whether your content budget is zero or you’re delivered a blank check, content marketing is possible on any budget with creativity and knowledge of your audience. Peak their interest with current topics and use great visuals to share information. By providing usable content, you’ll drive results, increase sharing, and improve your sales.