Small operations provide a range of challenges that can test the skill and endurance of even the most motivated entrepreneur. It also offers unparalleled freedom and flexibility, with the ability to make decisions and implement plans quickly and stay ahead of the game. Content market can be a time consuming exercise, but if done well it can have a great ROI and drive engaged, valuable traffic to your site.
Quality is more important than quantity
Aiming for the stars is great, but good things take time and effort. It is better to have a smaller amount of something high-quality than cover everything in a blanket of mediocrity. Blogging has been shown to provide excellent engagement results, as well as improve SEO signals, but if you spend every waking minute writing and researching, other things will fall by the wayside. It is better to lower your blogging output and aim for one a week, or solicit guest bloggers to write for your site. This will enable you to keep your site up to date and providing information to your audience, while being able to cover other areas of the company as well.
Strategise and plan your approach
A calendar is vital to the success of your content marketing. Being predictable around when you publish posts and send social media updates is key to building and maintaining a loyal following. If people are unsure when you will be posting, they won’t know when to look. It’s as simple as that. By planning when you will blog and what tweets you will send, it also ensures you do it. Consistency and continuity is important to maintain the interest of your audience and a few days without any word from your business can cause your followers to switch off.
Measure your results
Information is power. Understanding why something has worked and why something hasn’t is vital to the evolution of your strategy. Use tools like Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools to track where your site is headed and where the traffic is coming from, as well as delve into the analytical features of eBay’s software to understand how your omnichannel business is developing. Once you identify the successful elements of the strategy you can then focus on replicating them and building on your success.
One person can get big results
Being a staff of one doesn’t mean your strategy can’t be oversized. By working smart and even calling in the help of freelancers when necessary, you can create a content strategy that will grow your small business and drive traffic.