The moment you type this phrase in the Google search bar – you are amazed at the results for Content Marketing trends that flow out.
Each article has a set of relevant pointers, proven evidence with related data points to substantiate.
However, what works for a large organization might not for a micro, small, medium, enterprise wanting to make it big. Though some aspects are common and applicable for organizations big or small.
For instance, making use of content for their marketing efforts is the same for all. But how and what will certainly differ.
And as MSMEs if you can crack that then you will have clients eating out of your hand. And your content marketing team will be doing that for you.
So, lets pause to see what are those key content marketing themes that you as an MSME must be cognizant of. And having worked with a slew of small to medium players I know what their content marketing challenges are and where they need help.
- Are you present on social media channels?
Social Media is only going to get bigger, and the number of channels that we already have are mind boggling. And their features are equally confusing.
If you have no presence in any of the channels, then its time for you to start acting. But choose wisely. Its important to know which suits your business and tailor your social media presence accordingly.
If you are a boutique owner naturally your presence on Instagram is more significant than LinkedIn. This is because your business is more visual and will have more appeal for Instagram, which is a colourful visual platform. Likewise, if your audience is in the 20 – 40 age group chances are that you will find them more on Instagram than other mediums.
90.4% of Millennials, 77.5% of Generation X, and 48.2% of Baby Boomers are active social media users. Globally, Instagram has a pretty even split of male (48%) and female (52%) users.
Source: https://www.wyzowl.com/social-media-statistics
- Are you being honest and real?
Frankly speaking all your content marketing efforts go down the drain if you are unable to connect with your customers. And for that connection to happen your content, or rather your voice must be real, simple, and genuine.
There is enough business focused, serious content floating around. So, to need to stand out and be able to connect with your customer you must touch their emotions, be empathetic and be YOU.
It could be anything, but its important you speak from the heart to your customer directly.
It could be your failures, small wins, learnings, about your team members, your legacy, your initial trials, how you survived the pandemic – the list is endless.
But it’s important you speak in a language that they can understand and respond. Here is a wonderful article that lists how human interest can be smartly used in content marketing.
John Dilley, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Leicester Centre for Journalism undertook research on how local and national newspapers covered the First World War. He reported that human interest element has been the core of reporting even 100 years back.
- Do you have videos in your marketing portfolio?
You are missing a large chunk of potential audience if you don’t have videos. Attention span decreases and people are comfortable watching videos on the go, or anywhere.
From TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts everyone is making a beeline for videos. The duration is short and the effort to produce them is also much lesser, and you can be as creative as ever. Moreover, there is a face to your product or service which instantly connects you with the consumer.
According to data collected by Statista, there were over three billion internet users watching streaming or downloaded video at least once per month in 2022. This number is projected to increase annually, ultimately reaching nearly 3.5 billion by 2023. Source: Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1061017/digital-video-viewers-number-worldwide/
- Are you focusing on Search Engine Optimization?
Search has become synonymous with Google. Google is more a verb than a noun. Everybody wants to look you up before they engage with you in any form, and for that Google is their window.
So obviously you need to be listed in Google’s search findings. If you are not listed in some form, then you lose your credibility.
Which means you need to have a website, blogs, social media presence and videos only then Google will be able to crawl and retrieve you.
Which also means you need to keep adding new content, refreshing existing content and have decent knowledge of key words and meta tags. You need to identify what set of key words refer to your business and that too from the customer angle and build content accordingly.
Obviously not stuff your content with this but do it naturally and organically to include them. Don’t miss this interesting article that tells you how SEO impacts your brand.
- Does your content guarantee quality?
High quality, timely, relevant, customer focused, solution driven content alone wins. And that alone gets listed by Google.
The more you focus on quantity vs quality your content marketing efforts are diluted and you lose customer mind share.
Think about all the pain points of your customer and build collaterals that address them rather than talking about what you want to. Engagement happens when your content is customer focused and shares valuable information that they cannot find elsewhere. So do a reality check to see if you are doing that.
The reader/visitor is prompted to act when he/she reads a piece of your online content that they can relate to. Is that not what you want? Check out this informative article that lists the 10 Benefits of Consistent, High-Quality Content Marketing.
Keep in mind all this and ensure a fast-loading website with a phenomenal user experience. Content marketing can be a game changer for your business in 2023 and beyond. Go for it.
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And yes, you can read more of my blogs on Branding and Content Marketing right here. And would love to talk to you to discuss your content marketing goals for your organization – bhuvanarajaram9@gmail.com or + 91 98415 96366 (Whatsapp also).
