AI content creation tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Bard took the spotlight in 2023. Content creators oohed and aahed about the benefits of using them to streamline your content marketing process. Since most entrepreneurs and small business owners value tools that save them time and resources, they quickly began harnessing the power of AI to generate content quickly and affordably. However, like any powerful tool, AI content creation requires careful consideration and commitment to following best practices for its use. The problem is the technology exploded before industry professionals could weigh in on and establish accepted approaches for its use. It’s impossible to put the genie back in the bottle. If you plan to use AI content creation as part of your marketing strategy, consider the following guidelines to maximize the benefits. 1 – Become a prompt engineerThe quality of the content AI produces is only as good as the prompt you give it. Generic prompts deliver subpar results. Don’t just say, “Write a blog post about market trends.” You’ll end up with copy that isn’t what you had in mind when you asked AI for assistance. A well-crafted prompt explains the topic, purpose, target audience, tone, and any key points you want covered. AI language learning models like ChatGPT and Claude are trained to follow your instructions closely. The more information you provide, the better the output. Going back to the example about a blog on market trends, a better prompt would be: Act like a financial analyst with expertise in market trends. Write a detailed, 800-word blog post discussing current market trends and economic conditions in the U.S. as of January 2024. Cover topics such as GDP growth, unemployment rates, inflation, consumer spending, business investment, manufacturing activity, housing starts, stock market performance, interest rates set by the Federal Reserve, and other key economic indicators that provide insight into the overall health of the economy. Provide context by comparing current trends to historical norms over the past decade. Analyze the data to identify areas of strength, weakness, or uncertainty in the economy. Discuss what factors may be driving observed trends, such as government policy, consumer behavior, or global market conditions. Include perspectives from economists and industry experts on the outlook for the rest of 2024 and implications for businesses or investors. Make sure to cite any statistics, quotes, or findings from reputable published sources. The tone should be professional and analytical, written for an audience of business leaders and market analysts interested in understanding the current landscape to inform strategy and investment decisions. 2 – Review and edit outputThere’s no argument over whether AI can generate content efficiently. When prompted well, most AI tools can produce hundreds of articles in a few hours. However, the speed of AI content creation isn’t a substitute for quality. Raw AI output should never appear on your digital or print assets without the skilled eye of a human reviewing it first. You’ll want to tweak the copy to align with your brand voice. Verify the accuracy of any data the AI included in its content. One of the most concerning issues with AI-generated content is that it’s not always true. These factual errors and misleading results happen so frequently that industry leaders have given the phenomenon a name: AI hallucination. While it sounds cute, the problem can tarnish your professional reputation. Just ask Manhattan attorney Steven Schwartz, aka “the ChatGPT lawyer.” With 30 years of experience in practicing law, he was caught using case law generated by ChatGPT that didn’t exist. A New York federal judge sanctioned him in June 2023 for the faux pas. Schwartz claimed he had no idea that ChatGPT made up facts before he used it in lieu of human paralegals and then failed to check for accuracy. Don’t end up like Schwartz. Establish a thorough editing and review process to guarantee the final output meets the highest standards for your brand. 3 – Customize content to avoid plagiarismReviewing and editing any AI output involves customizing the content to avoid plagiarism. While AI tools like ChatGPT are supposed to write original text, that’s not always the case. Some output has failed to pass plagiarism checker tools because it contained significant chunks of exact wording from the original source. One of the most effective techniques you can use to combat this issue is to put your original spin on what AI spits out. Add new paragraphs that include your insights on the topic to demonstrate your subject matter expertise. Expand on thoughts the AI suggested to make the content meatier and more engaging for your ideal customer. If you use any statistics or quotes the AI generated, check for accuracy, and cite your sources to lend credibility. 4 – Steer clear of copyright infringementInformation is readily available in today’s digital age. With just a few strokes of your keyboard, you can find search results that match your queries. AI is no different. Some AI language learning tools, including ChatGPT4 and Google Bard, can access the internet to scan for documents and other materials they deem relevant to your prompt. Sounds great, right? Here’s the rub. AI tools may inadvertently generate content that includes copyrighted materials. If you’re really unlucky, it might replicate those sources word-for-word. To avoid getting into legal hot water, educate yourself (and any team members) on the basics of copyright and implement best practices that help you steer clear of infringement. Check usage rights for any external sources cited in the AI-generated copy before publishing them and offer attribution to any sources directly quoted. 5 – Offer transparencyAI content creation raises some ethical concerns around transparency. While not mandatory, it’s recommended to disclose when content is generated by artificial intelligence. Doing so builds trust with your target audience. Consider including a brief disclaimer on your website or within the content that states AI tools were used to enhance creativity and efficiency. Here’s an example of how that might look: At Pipefitter’s Dream, we value transparency as part of our commitment to customer service excellence. We want our valued visitors to know we use AI tools to create all or portions of the content they engage with and enjoy on our site.
Embracing the future of AI content creationAI content creation tools aren’t going anywhere, so we may as well learn how to use them responsibly to streamline our workloads. You can learn to harness the full potential of AI while maintaining your integrity by following the suggested AI content creation best practices in this article. Still have questions about the best approach for implementing AI tools into your content creation process? Entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to learn how to create best practices for AI content creation can schedule a 1:1 training session with a member of our team. Contact us today to schedule your lesson. About the Author - Shari Berg
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Successful entrepreneurs and small business owners often have a do-it-yourself mindset. They take pride in single-handedly building their businesses from scratch and aren’t afraid of rolling up their sleeves and putting in the hard work to get things done. Combine that go-getter attitude with a creative personality, and it’s no wonder so many of them are interested in handling their brand content marketing assets. Before donning a content creator hat, it’s worth exploring the differences between DIY small business content marketing versus outsourcing the work to a professional content marketer. Both have their merits and drawbacks. Becoming a content creator isn’t for everyone. Using this guide can help you decide whether you’re ready to become a brand content creator in training or if you should leave the work to someone more experienced. DIY Small Business Content Marketing: Empowering the EntrepreneurCarving out your brand’s unique voice in the digital landscape is a thrilling experience that comes with its share of challenges and rewards. It’s empowering to control the direction of your brand’s messaging, adding your unique perspective to every piece of content you create. However, it’s sometimes frustrating when things don’t quite go as planned. Let’s explore the most common pros and cons of DIY small business content marketing to help you decide whether you’re up for the challenge. DIY Small Business Content Marketing AdvantagesPlenty of reasons exist for giving DIY content creation a try that appeals to entrepreneurs. Three of the biggest drivers include:
DIY Small Business Content Marketing DisadvantagesDIY small business content marketing isn’t all sunshine and roses. All it takes is one unhappy customer or social media troll to gaslight your efforts to make you question why you ever agreed to handle content creation yourself. The two biggest downfalls to this approach include:
Outsourcing to a Professional Marketer: Tapping into ExpertiseThe excitement of creating your brand’s content can quickly get overshadowed by the daunting nature of how frequently you must post fresh content to keep your audience engaged. Most marketing professionals recommend posting to social media between 2 and 5 times a week. If your website includes a blog, posting fresh content to it once or twice a week is recommended to boost engagement levels. Posting is the easy part. Strategizing and creating the content is what takes the most time. And sometimes, small business owners simply don’t have it to spare. They may start out strong with the initial excitement of serving as their official brand voice, only to find that task falling by the wayside as their business grows and they become overwhelmed with other responsibilities. Content Outsourcing AdvantagesAddressing the huge time suck of content creation by outsourcing the work to a marketing agency or consultant is one way to alleviate the pressure. It’s also one of the most common reasons why eager do-it-yourselfers eventually offload the responsibility. Besides the time-savings advantage, here are some other reasons why delegating the responsibility to a content pro benefits small business owners:
Content Outsourcing DisadvantagesIt might seem like the pros of outsourcing your content creation outweigh the cons. The truth is that they’re about equal. One of the biggest disadvantages of handing the reins over to someone else is the cost. The average monthly retainer cost for marketing agencies and professional marketing consultants is $3,500. Costs can swing higher or lower depending on your content needs. Some other downsides to outsourcing include:
Striking the right small business content marketing balanceDeciding between DIY small business content marketing and outsourcing can feel like a tug-of-war. It’s important to remember there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to guide your choice. An optimal approach depends on individual factors such as budget, the level of control desired, the need for specialization, and any time constraints. Some businesses might find blending the two strategies works best, while others go all-in with one approach. Ultimately, the key to choosing wisely is to align your chosen approach with your overarching business objectives. About the Author - Shari BergAn effective small business content marketing strategy is an essential tool for growth. Without it, you’re flying blind without a clear destination. Many entrepreneurs and small business owners struggle to effectively convert curious prospects into brand loyalists. Embracing the transformative power of marketing funnels turns stagnant traffic into engaged leads and one-time buyers into repeat customers. Understanding and leveraging the power of content marketing funnels gets your brand in front of your ideal customer to build trust and establish authority in your niche or industry. Constructing a conversion-focused funnel allows you to map out an optimized path that aligns with your marketing objectives. Cracking the marketing funnel code unleashes your brand’s potential. Here’s how. Marketing funnels and their importanceA marketing funnel is a strategy that takes prospects through a series of touchpoints, moving them closer to becoming customers. The funnel method attracts a wide pool of prospects, and then narrows it down to the most qualified leads as they progress through each stage. Think of it like a master fisherman at work. First, they cast a wide net into the open waters, gathering an abundance of fish in their initial haul. But not all the fish match the kind the fisherman’s customers prefer. To sort their catch more efficiently, they feed the fish through a funnel that separates the keepers from the toss-backs. Only the prime, healthy fish that meet their standards move into the live well to go to market. A marketing funnel works the same way. Some content is designed to capture initial attention and traffic. Once you have interest, the next step is to turn that traffic into viable leads with more targeted content that educates, entertains, and solves the problems of your ideal customer. They continue to move through your small business content marketing funnel to become loyal customers, while lower-quality leads are tossed back out into the digital sea. Why marketing funnels are importantMarketing funnels are important for improving conversions and maximizing the ROI for marketing initiatives. They provide extra benefits to entrepreneurs and small businesses by:
Understanding the pitfalls of stagnant trafficStagnant traffic refers to website visitors who enter at the top of the marketing funnel but fail to move through the subsequent stages to become loyal customers. Your small business content marketing funnel is negatively impacted in several ways when traffic becomes stagnant:
Common stages of a small business marketing funnelThe stages of an effective marketing funnel vary depending on your specific business goals. While customization is possible along the journey, most small business content marketing funnels follow a similar underlying structure. Stage 1: AwarenessThe initial phase focuses on introducing your brand to potential customers and getting on their radar. Entrepreneurs and small businesses must prioritize awareness in their content marketing strategies if they hope to survive and thrive. Some of the most useful types of content for awareness include:
Stage 2: ConsiderationAfter prospects have regularly consumed your content, they start considering their options. This is where targeted content comes in handy to help them decide what to do next. Some of the content types that fit nicely with this stage of the funnel include:
Stage 3: DecisionOnce prospects know your brand exists and have explored some of the benefits of your products and services, they’ve reached the critical juncture where they decide to buy from you or shop elsewhere. Here’s where a little creativity goes a long way. Produce content that offers the following:
Stage 4: RetentionYour work is far from over once you convert a casual visitor into a first-time customer. This is where so many entrepreneurs and small businesses fall short in their marketing strategy. In this final stage of the funnel, the focus is on keeping existing customers engaged, satisfied, and loyal to your brand. Ideal content for this phase includes:
3 keys to implementing marketing funnelsWhile the stages and methodology behind marketing funnels provide a solid foundation, executing an effective funnel strategy requires honing in on some key elements. Three core focal points small businesses must concentrate on to put impactful marketing funnels into practice include:
Taking a strategic approach with your small business content marketing strategy centered around moving prospects through the funnel transforms how you acquire and retain customers. Common challenges in funnel implementationCreating and implementing a marketing funnel isn’t without its challenges. Understanding and addressing these roadblocks head-on enhances your ability to seamlessly convert stagnant traffic into valuable leads. Two of the most common obstacles include:
Quality content’s role in traffic activationHigh-quality content plays a pivotal role in activating marketing funnel traffic. It serves as the catalyst for capturing the attention of potential customers, engaging them, and seamlessly guiding them through each stage. Key roles include:
Crafting an irresistible lead magnetNo marketing funnel is complete without an irresistible lead magnet. It serves as an initial point of engagement and plays a pivotal role in shaping the prospect’s journey. Do it well, and a lead magnet kickstarts the customer journey, fosters trust, establishes authority, and sets the stage for successful marketing funnel progression by:
Kick your small business content marketing into high gearA strategic marketing funnel is the fuel that accelerates your small business content marketing efforts toward reaching your business goals. Marketing funnels convert passive traffic to engaged customers. Constructing your funnel with conversion-focused content tailored to each stage of the process empowers you to attract ideal leads. Consistently analyzing your funnel metrics enables you to identify and eliminate weak points that are costing you leads. The power of marketing funnels is yours to harness. About the Author - Shari BergEveryone is talking about how to prompt AI for better content creation. At least that’s how it seems when visiting networking platforms like LinkedIn. You can’t scroll two clicks without landing on several how-to guides on the topic. Prompt engineers impart wisdom about how to get AI language learning models to do your bidding. Most of the advice centers around AI content creation and how to use the technology to replace professional copywriters and content creators on your marketing team. It’s possible to use AI like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Claude to create content with precise directions from a human. However, that’s not necessarily the best way to leverage the power of AI technology. Michael Goldrich offers a more effective way to use AI to achieve your marketing goals. The founder and chief advisor at Vivander Advisors LLC, Goldrich relies on a 5-step process to guide companies through an AI transformation. His new book, Too Many Hats, Too Little Time explores Generative AI and its transformative impact on the business world. Innovators and leaders can learn how to integrate AI while preserving human judgment and creativity. Thinking outside the AI content creation box“I see a lot of stuff online where people are selling tools for specific business problems, but I think it’s backward thinking,” Goldrich said. “You need to look at the entire company and see how people work before offering them specific solutions.” So, what exactly does that mean? When you understand the business's overall challenges, you can provide more robust solutions. Instead of prompting AI to create content for your brand, Goldrich suggests something more groundbreaking: AI personas. An AI persona is a character or identity created for an artificial intelligence system to interact with users. Creators give the AI persona a specific personality, tone, and style of communication to mimic a human-like quality. Think of the last time you interacted with a chatbot or virtual assistant on the website of your favorite brand. They were created with an AI persona tooled toward improving the customer experience. What Goldrich proposes cranks AI personas up a notch to serve a more innovative purpose. Last year, he spent considerable time experimenting with ChatGPT 4. He first learned the art of creating effective AI prompts. “One of the first principles of creating a good prompt is to create a role. For example, you are a digital marketer, or you are a social media manager. After the role is created, you write the prompt to provide enough context that is associated with the role to deliver the output you want. Writing good prompts is the key to getting the AI to do what you want it to do,” he said. “Once I had that down, I started getting specific with it and asking the role to persist through the chat.” Asking ChatGPT to persist means it maintains continuity and context throughout the conversation. Requesting persistence creates a more coherent and meaningful interaction between a human and AI. Goldrich then used what he’d learned to create two separate AI personas and directed them to interact through ChatGPT. Each persona had unique characteristics such as a profession and a tone of voice. After much experimentation, he succeeded in using the AI personas to solve a specific conflict by interacting with one another based on his prompts. He continued to experiment with creating AI personas until he had an entire “board” of them, each with an area of expertise beneficial to his business marketing goals. The personas could converse with one another and with him in a similar way you would expect to see a board of directors operate, Goldrich said. 5-step plan for AI persona successHe was so stunned by the results he decided to share them. In his book, Goldrich outlines the steps he took to tailor personas to align with company goals and have them interact in meaningful ways. He includes screen captures of real, unedited conversations he had with his team of AI personas to demonstrate how the process works. “A quarter of the book is these back-and-forth conversations,” he said. Goldrich expresses in his chapter on strategies for engaging with AI personas that how you choose to engage with the digital entities significantly impacts the quality of insights they provide. He provides basic and advanced techniques for prompting and AI persona creation so you can get the results you need. Goldrich likens AI language models like ChatGPT 4 to a remote employee on the first day of work. “You can get them to do what you want, but you have to be clear and concise on what you want,” he said. One of the challenges of prompting with AI is drift, Goldrich warned. “You can’t use the same prompt over and over because you won’t get the same response each time.” You must give it adequate context. For instance, you can’t just say, “be a copywriter” and expect it to understand your input and produce quality output. “One of the reasons people get so frustrated when prompting AI is because Google has trained us to type a series of keywords into a search bar,” said Goldrich. “ChatGPT is the exact opposite. It’s not 3 or 4 words but three or four comprehensive sentences. The more thoughtful you are, the better the output is going to be.” His step-by-step guide makes understanding the purpose of AI personas and creating ones to suit your needs easy. Whether you’re seeking specialized advice from a legal AI persona or want a panel of AI collaborators, following his instructions makes it possible. Goldrich’s plan is ideal for startups and small to medium-sized companies that lack the resources to hire expert advisors. “You can have a sandbox environment of advisors to help you identify the ‘gotchas’ with ideas for growth or other business operations,” he said. His book includes a cautionary note about using AI personas. “It’s important to remember these AI personas draw upon training data to respond in a way that’s consistent with an expert’s public persona,” said Goldrich. “It’s emulation, not impersonation. They can’t capture the full scope of that person’s knowledge, experience, or consciousness.” AI’s take on AI personasPerhaps the most entertaining part of Too Many Hats, Too Little Time is the conclusion. It features book reviews from each of the AI personas he created. “Some of them liked it, some of them didn’t,” Goldrich said, laughing. “The lawyer (persona) was concerned about privacy, while some of the others were concerned about losing the human in the loop.” You can find Goldrich’s book on Amazon. Interested in learning more about how his company helps organizations transform with the power of AI? Feel free to connect with him on LinkedIn or send him an inquiry via email. About the Author - Shari BergYour 8-Step Guide to Creating a Content Marketing Strategy That WorksSmall business content marketing success requires an effective strategy tooled specifically for your ideal customer. Before you ever craft a single word, you must establish a list of marketing objectives and how your content helps you achieve them. Whether you want to boost brand awareness, direct more traffic to your website, or generate more leads, your content efforts must tie in with measurable goals. Maneuvering your brand’s content creation and distribution to align with goals requires an upfront commitment. However, a limited budget doesn’t have to hold you back. You can learn how to craft a content approach that gives you a competitive edge that pays dividends over time by following these 8 steps. 1 – Know Your AudienceBlindly creating content without first nailing down your target audience is a rookie mistake in small business content marketing. Conducting customer research helps you understand the demographics, interests, pain points, and values that influence your ideal customers’ buying habits. Combine the following research methods for the most comprehensive customer profile.
2 – Set Measurable GoalsOnce you’ve identified your ideal customer and understand how to meet their needs, the next step is to set measurable goals for your content marketing plan. The most effective way to determine if your content marketing strategy works is by tying content goals to business objectives. Using the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) method for setting content strategy helps you identify marketing goals that align well with business objectives. Let’s examine a few of the most common goals and measurable metrics you can track to determine effectiveness.
3 – Create a Content GuideSome small business content marketing agencies call these content calendars. They may recommend creating a year’s worth of content materials and publication dates for your brand to help improve content consistency. Mapping out content topics for each month and pairing them with promotional tie-ins that align well with your brand’s products or services isn’t a bad idea. However, don’t over-plan your content to the point that you squash creativity. Leave room for original thoughts inspired by industry trends and other insights that might not present themselves that far in advance. Your content is more likely to stay fresh and relevant for your target audience if you leave some wiggle room in the planning process. Repurposing ContentOne way you can get the most bang for your buck is by repurposing content. Finding ways to recycle and reuse your content saves you time and money. Don’t worry about people realizing you’ve published a specific item before. You might retain customers who visit your digital assets regularly. However, as your brand grows, you’re going to attract new people to your website and social media feeds who have never seen any of your earlier content. Even if someone views your content frequently, the chances they’ll remember you made the same post 4 or 5 months ago is slim. Don’t be afraid to take posts that have performed well in the past and republish them again later. If aspects can be updated to provide more value, then feel free to make some minor adjustments before hitting the publish button the second (or third) time around. 4 – Focus on Quality Over QuantityNever lose sight of the fact that you’re producing content for people, not search engines. Does that mean you shouldn’t pay attention to SEO best practices for helping your content get found online by consumers eager to do business with your brand? Not at all. However, getting found by search engines like Bing and Google doesn’t mean much if you can’t close the deal once someone finds your content. Small business content marketing strategy works best when it includes content that builds brand awareness, educates your ideal customers, and solves problems. The key to creating relevant content that keeps your ideal customer coming back for more is to conduct thorough research, relying on subject matter experts to provide valuable insights not found elsewhere. Don’t forget to promote your best-performing content across multiple platforms to get the most out of your content strategy. 5 – Distribute on Multiple PlatformsContent that performs well is ideal for this small business content marketing strategy to maximize your ROI. You can take a blog post that’s generating significant traffic on your website and turn it into smaller chunks of information presented in stunning graphic mode for your social media platforms. Just make sure you’re meeting your audience where they already consume content. More than 100 social media platforms exist. Narrowing down which ones work best for your brand goes back to the first tip in this guide about knowing your audience. E-commerce brands do exceptionally well on platforms like Instagram and TikTok because they’re set up for visual success. You can feature photos and videos of your products and services, customer testimonials, and even snippets of your products in action to boost engagement. A common mistake small businesses make is to try to be everywhere online. The only thing spreading yourself too thin accomplishes is unfocused content marketing that leads to burnout for the person handling your social media feeds. Start with two platforms your audience frequents and begin creating shareable content that aligns with your marketing goals and prioritizes quality over quantity. Track your metrics to determine if your efforts are producing results. Don’t be afraid to experiment a bit to discover which social media platforms yield the best results. However, give content creation enough time to work before jumping ship. You can expect a solid 6 months to get reliable measurable results. 6 – Diversify Your ContentA solid content marketing strategy uses a variety of formats. While some customers may prefer infographics that deliver snippets of valuable information, others may connect most with in-depth blog posts or instructional videos that educate and entertain. Go back to the first tip in this guide about knowing your audience. Social media listening is especially valuable for determining the content formats your audience prefers. As with social media platforms, you’re going to want to experiment a bit before you determine which content types generate the most engagement from your ideal customers. 7 – Analyze PerformanceSmall business content marketing success relies on analyzing performance data. Otherwise, you’re just taking shots in the dark. Refer to the second tip in this guide to learn some effective ways to track metrics for common small business marketing goals. Analyze patterns to determine which topics and formats resonate most with your ideal customer. Identify any content gaps where competitors are outperforming you and figure out meaningful ways to plug the holes. Lastly, review buyer journeys to reveal how prospects interact with your content, then refine your strategy to increase your ROI. 8 – Outsource Small Business Content MarketingCreating content isn’t as easy as it looks. Designing pretty graphics doesn’t do much good if the messaging behind the visuals doesn’t resonate with your target audience. Plenty of courses exist for learning how to create content. However, not everyone is cut out for creating content that achieves your marketing objectives. If you’re a small business owner struggling to use the power of content marketing to build brand awareness and generate leads and revenue, there’s no shame in asking for help to achieve your goals. Consider hiring small business marketing content creators who can manage your digital assets to reach your audience more effectively. Large agencies may charge more than you can afford. Options include working with independent content providers who align with your budget and take on increased responsibilities as your brand grows. Outsourcing to the right content creation partner allows you to focus on your core business while still executing a smart content marketing strategy. Small Business Content Marketing Solutions to Help You GrowFocus on the 8 tips in this content marketing guide to find the solutions you need to consistently provide value through content. With a strategic, targeted content marketing strategy in place, your content can effectively attract prospects and convert them to loyal customers over time. Invest the time to research your audience, set measurable goals, and focus on quality over quantity, and your ideal customers will reward your business with engagement and trust. About the AuthorAdmit it. You see all the people liking, sharing, and commenting on your biggest competitor’s Instagram account and are feeling a wee bit jealous. Mimicking their style was an epic failure. You had hoped it would work, but no joy. The repeated attempts to replicate their results have left you frustrated and feeling social media is a waste of your time. What do you have to do to get the same level of engagement from your ideal customers? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution that works for every brand (no matter what some self-proclaimed experts claim). The outrageous – and borderline chaotic – posts that populate Wendy’s social media feeds might backfire if you tried it on your accounts. That’s because Wendy’s knows its target audience and crafts every piece of content it pushes out with their entertainment in mind. So, what’s an entrepreneur or small business owner to do? You’ve come to the right place for some practical tips on how to unlock the power of social media engagement to build brand awareness and boost sales. What’s the right social media strategy for your small business?Small business content marketing strategists often disagree on the most effective way to boost engagement on your brand’s social media accounts. Some are die-hard traditionalists who believe there’s no place for personality or creativity in brand social media accounts. They encourage rigid, “professional speak” that makes visitors to your socials feel like they’re being talked at rather than part of a conversation. The rest of us see things differently. You don’t have to be all prim and proper to resonate with your ideal customer. Nor do you have to go all unhinged in the style of brands like Wendy’s, Duolingo, and Ryan Air. Striking a balance between boring and extreme that makes you more relatable to your target audience – without crossing boundaries that are uncharacteristic of your brand – is the key to success. Crafting a buyer personaHere’s where the hard work of small business content marketing begins. Thorough customer research is the first step in understanding the psyche of your ideal customer. You can’t create content that resonates if you don’t know what makes your ideal client tick. Follow these steps to create a buyer persona that helps your brand create focused content:
How do you craft compelling content that resonates?You can’t speak to your people if you don’t understand how they like to have conversations. And social media content is absolutely a conversation. The quickest way to turn off your followers is by posting and ghosting. Social media is meant to be interactive (that’s why social is in the name). Don’t just talk at your audience. Engage in meaningful conversations with them. You can do this in one of two ways.
The role of storytelling in engaging contentContent that prioritizes a personalized experience for your customers is more likely to build brand loyalty. That’s where strong storytelling skills come in handy. No one wants to do business with a nameless, faceless entity. People connect with people. The most effective way to humanize your brand on social media is through relatable stories about the people behind your brand, the challenges you’ve overcome, and the journey of your products. Let’s say your company just released a new product. Use your social media to tell the story of how it was developed. Highlight the challenges and the triumphs during the design process, the inspiration behind it, and real customer testimonials about how it changed their lives. What’s the role of user-generated content?Small business content marketing pros understand that user-generated content is one of the most effective ways to build trust in your brand and boost engagement. Statistics don’t lie. Customers are more likely to connect with social media content created by their peers rather than solely relying on your branded messages. They consider it more authentic and reliable. Testimonials, reviews, and even demonstrations of how to use your product from social media influencers can foster a sense of belonging. Collaborating with influencers to boost social media engagementSpeaking of social media influencers, some brands have found great success collaborating with them to increase social media engagement. Influencers have followers who align with their niche. When that niche aligns with your industry, you can tap into their established audience to reach potential customers who might not have otherwise discovered your brand. Sharing content from your social media accounts to theirs gets more eyeballs on your feed. The exposure can lead to increased engagement from a targeted and interested audience. Influencers also serve as social proof for your brand. When their followers see someone that they admire and trust endorsing your products or services, it lends credibility. If you decide to work with an influencer, give them creative license to promote your brand in the way they know resonates best with their audience. Create small business marketing content that convertsCreating content is challenging. Even pro content marketers struggle with it occasionally. Social media engagement is not just about gaining likes and comments. Use it to build meaningful connections that ultimately lead to conversions. Transforming your social media strategy into a powerful tool that helps to achieve your content marketing goals is the most effective way to drive small business success. Craft compelling content, foster genuine conversations, and use the visual appeal of your brand to create a thriving social media presence your customers enjoy engaging with every day. Need a little more help? Consider registering for our 1:1 content training sessions or joining our small business content marketing community where you can get ongoing feedback and support. About the Author |
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