A Small Business Guide in the World of Content Marketing

There is no reason to believe that giants cannot be defeated by any means at hand. The underdogs can overpower these so-called giants with the right skill and knowledge. This also applies in the world of content marketing. 

Small business owners often think competing with a larger rival would mean a total loss. But there are ways to parallel the competition one way or another. Here’s how. 

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a market strategy that focuses on creating content that would fit a specific target audience. This type of marketing involves producing informative and persuasive content, which makes it an effective marketing tool when used. 

Being able to pop up on search engines would sometimes require money, but using different social media platforms for your digital marketing needs will always be free—unless you pay for ads, which is also practical but not costless. 

Now that almost everything is online, it will be good to start investing time in creating content that you can market around different social media platforms. 

In that case, focusing on these will help you attain a much larger potential customer base:

1. Cross-posting
2. Digital content creation
3. Audience targeting
4. Marketability

1. What is Cross-Posting?

Illustration of Obra Digital’s curious digital cartoon surrounded by curved web browser windows, like and heart icons. It includes image text that says “what is cross posting?” [PHOTO: Enzo Austria / OBRA Digital]

Cross-posting is a marketing strategy that focuses on spreading your market reach to several platforms. Each content for your platform depends on your decision if you want it to vary or have the same content posted on all your media. Strategic cross-posting helps establish and sync your online presence on different platforms. 

The more, the merrier

Traction and visibility are vital parts of content marketing. When you upload your product on a social media platform, its reach is good, and some people will see it. So why not double it or triple it?

Practice cross-posting or using several social media platforms to market your content. By doing this, your reach would double or triple since you will be able to get in touch with other potential customers using different social media platforms. 

These platforms can help you cross-post and achieve a broader customer base:

1. Facebook
2. Instagram
3. Twitter
4. Youtube
5. TikTok

The Internet is your friend

Statistics suggest that 75.33% of people in the Philippines are online, while the forecast states that it would climb up to 77.44% by 2026. Now is an excellent time to utilize several social media platforms and strategize a marketing strategy that would help you reach a far greater audience. 

The top three social media platforms you can use are:

1. Facebook
2. Instagram
3. Youtube

Online shopping platforms are also good if your business is in line with selling items. These apps and sites are:

1. Shopee
2. Lazada
3. Carousell

2. What is Digital Content Creation?

Illustration of Obra Digital’s cheerful digital cartoon with its hands outstretched. In its background is a variety of windows of web browsing platforms. The text above reads “What is digital content creation?” [PHOTO: Enzo Austria / OBRA Digital]

Digital content is referred to as the subjects and things you post online. The goal of digital content creation is to have enough material that when your target audience is reached, they will have enough information to figure out your brand, services, and products. 

A simple photo or an explainer video is a form of digital content, so creating one is not difficult even for those who are not tech-savvy. Some tools you can use to develop straightforward digital content are:

1. Canva
2. Photoshop and;
3. CapCut

Having digital content makes your small business more flexible and reachable. To make your digital content better, try these. 

Do it with style

Digital marketing in social media is now swamped with many small businesses that sometimes offer the same products or services. Knowing this, as a small business owner, it may seem difficult to stand out in the market, but you will prevail over others with the right marketing strategy.

Improve your brand awareness by adding personality to your products since customers tend to choose unique and known brands.

Pitch Perfectly                                                                                        

Filipinos spend 4.06 hours using social media on their preferred platforms. This is also a period where you can market your content to your target audience. 4 hours is a lot of time to pitch your business and make an impact on customers why they should choose your small business over others. 

Having a good pitch that you can offer to your customers is a great way to formulate your content marketing strategy.

Make it quick and easy

Research says that an average person scrolls with an attention span of 0.8 seconds when browsing social media. With that said, keep your market content easily readable and quick to grasp. People scroll back up whenever they see something exciting when they accidentally scroll past it. Make it a goal to make people scroll back up to your marketing content. 

Over-simplicity in content creation can lead people to think that your services are not up-to-par with others or simply a scam. Over designing your content would also create the same logic. Try to balance your content’s aesthetics. 

3. What is Audience Targeting?

Illustration of six different rounded squares, four of which are filled with people, one contains the Obra Digital’s cheerful cartoon, and another shows a target with an arrow hitting the center. The squares are surrounded by social media related icons. [PHOTO: Mari Santilles / OBRA Digital]

Audience targeting means focusing on the audience that would most likely acquire your services or checking on what you are marketing. The audience becomes potential customers when they are interested in your small business. Having a broad target audience when starting out a small business is wise.  

Have a clear target audience 

Small business owners often take their business into a digital marketing business to broaden their reach since social media platforms are an excellent instrument to promote content. Knowing who should see your product is one of the best marketing strategies. 

A good way to scope out your potential customers is by using social media. Strategize according to:

1. Age
2. Interests, and;
3. Reachability

Explore more options

Having a focused target audience will help you acquire more potential customers as days go by, but it does not mean that you should only focus on them. Try to think outside the box and use your social media platforms to check on your potential customers’ other interests. 

Look for a common denominator among your potential customers’ interests and add some factors to what you are currently marketing to fit your customers’ needs. For example, if your business offers to sell cars and other automotive vehicles, try to add some customizations and spare parts for sale alongside the vehicles you are selling. 

This is a great way to increase the variety of what you are offering, plus you also widen your reach by adding more potential customers that want to buy just customizations or spare parts from you. This marketing strategy can help you increase your sales and the customer’s brand awareness of your business since yours already have the edge over others. 

Be reachable and available

Whenever your potential customers see your content and become interested, there is a high chance that they will find a way to contact you to ask some questions regarding your market. They might ask if you have available stocks or if your business is located in several locations, or maybe just inquiring and doing some canvassing. 

You can do this by providing your contact information on the content itself or in the caption of your digital content. Doing this increases the chances that your target audience, now potential customers, will reach out to you since they already have an available way to do so. Some messaging apps you can use for your business include:

1. Messenger
2. Viber, and;
3. WhatsApp 

You can also make your business phone number and business email available to your potential customers.   

4. What is Marketability? 

Image text that says “What is marketability?” Beside it are illustrations of various graphs and data. [PHOTO: Jan Marc De Leon / OBRA Digital]

Marketability means that what you are offering in your small business is something people would need—either today or in the future. A commercial enterprise is something that sells. If your business is not too marketable yet, good content and marketing strategy can make potential customers buy from you even though it is the least of their priorities. 

Market your content wisely

Content marketing is the new marketing strategy trend that involves targeting your audience with the right “bullet.” As a small business owner, you are the only person who knows your product’s ins and outs, so marketing it should be easy for you. 

Make your customers, or potential customers, trust you and your small business by making them believe that you know what you are offering them. Let them know that they need what you have. 

Your content is the soul of your business; keep it clean

Whether your small business’s focus is on food items or other fields, maintaining people-friendly content is a content marketing strategy that would assure potential customers that your company is reliable and trustworthy. 

Keep your content clean and professional but do not forget to add personality.

Remember, small businesses with a cause get more traction than those focused on money-making. Examples of companies that become successful from doing so are:

1. Human Heart Nature
2. Adda’s Confectionery, and;
3. The Bamboo Company

Conclusion

Content marketing can be a tricky business, but it can be pretty easy with a well-made marketing strategy, even for beginners. When it comes to content marketing, always keep in mind the following: cross-posting, digital content creation, audience targeting, and marketability. You have already covered enough ground to make a marketing strategy that would keep your small business up and running until your desired time. 

Have you implemented this in your business yet? Let Obra help you market your content today!