Where do you get most of your information when it comes to buying goods and services? Gone are the days of phone book listings and print advertisements. When looking for the menu of a new restaurant or the latest deal at your favorite clothing store, the information is found in one main place: the company’s website. But a website offers much more than just information. It’s the home and foundation for the company’s brand and identity.
Large businesses with an existing customer base can customize their marketing efforts across different buyer personas, but small businesses truly need this type of marketing to succeed. Unless they can be found online, they will not enjoy the influx of customers that other businesses do.
All industries are competitive, and custom content is a great way to set a small business apart. By putting the right marketing techniques to work, your business will be visible, bringing customers in to enjoy all you have to offer.
The following are just some of the many reasons your small business needs custom marketing content. With these benefits, incorporating great content is a no-brainer!
SEO: Finding You Fast
SEO, or search engine optimization, simply means the content on your website is written in a way that allows search engines, such as Google, to find your site when Internet users search for the product you offer. With content optimized for SEO effectiveness, your website will be at or near the top of the list when visitors search for what you have.
This happens through keywords used in the written content of the site. When a keyword is chosen, it is used throughout the site at a specified rate. When that same word is searched, the engine identifies the match in the search and your site, displaying it as a result.
Other factors on a site, such as meta descriptions and titles, also impact SEO results. With care, custom content can ensure that you appear when people search for the general goods or services you offer.
For example, if your site offers information about the area’s best Chicago deep-dish pizza, custom content could be optimized to bring your site to the forefront when visitors search for pizza in your city. Small businesses are competitive when they’re in the same area as national chains, but SEO can set them apart and get them in the game.
The best part? SEO content flies in under the radar. Your website will read in a clean, concise way, not bogged down by jargon or overt advertising come-ons. Instead, you tell your story—but with a few keywords in mind.
Brand Awareness: That’s You!
Large businesses establish themselves through image-based recognition. For example, most people would be able to identify Pepsi through only their wordless logo. The same goes for the font used to spell “Disney” and the Target bullseye.
Brand awareness refers to a customer’s ability to recognize a business from images and specific qualities. Custom content helps achieve this goal for small businesses, too. While words are a key part of this content, images such as logos and infographics are critical.
If a custom logo is designed and used effectively, customers will begin to recognize that logo without having to see the name of the business. A great logo and other imagery allows a business to connect with its customers and potential visitors on a different, artistic level, one that brings emotion, familiarity, and confidence. Even using a consistent font can help customers feel comfortable with a new company.
Your brand tells a story in itself. If developed well, it will reflect your goals and the best you have to offer through every detail on the site.
Developing a Voice All Your Own
From commercials to ads and product descriptions, you can tell when a company has a point of view and a voice used to tell their story. Custom content allows your small business to develop its own personal stance and voice. This is especially helpful in a competitive market, full of differing messages.
Customers should know, when they arrive at your website, that you are unique and have something to say that no one else does. Every bit of content should align to one voice and one brand, even a page about how to contact your business. Instead of communicating objective information, your business can take on a personality all its own, making the most impact possible with every word on the page.
Reaching More People
Beyond website content, your small business can use other platforms to reach people in many different venues. For example, social media is a big part of custom content. Once your voice is established, you can extend it into other channels.
For example, some customers may do all their searching on Twitter. If your business develops a Twitter presence with voice-aligned content, it can reach these customers that may not ever have found the website on their own.
You can ensure you’re reaching the maximum amount of potential customers by extending custom content to several social networks. From Facebook ads to Instagram posts, your audience and viewers will only grow. Furthermore, if customers can recognize your brand from a tiny profile image, you’ll be all set.
Involving Visitors and Customers
With so many ways of reaching people, custom content offers your small business a chance to engage its visitors. A website gives information, but it lacks ways for visitors to interact (beyond using the information found there to visit in person).
But social media, uniquely, is based on user interaction at the level of the post itself.
For example, a restaurant could use Instagram to start a contest. By tagging a friend or liking the post, customers would be entered to win discounts or free items. This requires an investment of resources, of course, but the payback can be worth it.
A contest on social media, as well as simply posts with information and photos, encourages visitors to engage with the business. It brings in many additional people (two at a time, using the tag-a-friend suggestion), and it helps the business achieve memorability.
Becoming Part of a Community
In any town or city, small businesses jump into a community of similar companies who offer the same product they do. For example, a store selling children’s clothes joins the whole group of children’s retailers in the area. Though this offers insight to the competitive nature of the business realm, it also encourages community.
Through custom content, small business owners can set themselves apart while respecting what others are doing. This is where the company’s brand is important—it may do something similar to others, but its brand is still unique.
When they desire to do so, owners can come together to discuss common goals and what has worked to reach customers in their particular area more effectively. All are likely hoping to impact their communities for good, and custom content helps businesses stay unique while remaining friendly to the competition.
Now that you’ve seen how custom content can help your business thrive, are you ready to get started? Revitalize your small business with custom content today from Thrive Internet Marketing. Contact us today to help build your brand and set your business apart.
