There’s a simple marketing strategy that business owners are starting to embrace more, with great success. It’s helping them attract potential customers, build brand awareness, make sales, and grow their business. It’s one of the best (and cheapest) ways to introduce potential customers to your products or services, become an industry ‘go-to’ leader and build a following.
It’s summed up in one word – content. Quality online content keeps working for you long after you’ve created it and you can start today, with minimal skills and a limited budget. The more visible you are on your website or through social media, offering quality, helpful content the more people will get to know you, like you and trust you. From there it’s a smaller step for them to become a customer.
Here are a few ways to build brand awareness for your business using online content.
Write a blog or news update
You won’t get results by writing one blog post a month or by sharing content intermittently on social media. The key is consistency. Start by doing a little research to find out what people in your target market are searching for. It’s easy – just type into Google the questions your customers ask, and Google will supply a list of topics as well as blogs that have already been written on the subject. Now of course you can’t pinch other people’s material, but you will get some great ideas on where to begin with your own blog.
Don’t fall into the trap of writing solely about your business and your products. People are more interested in how you can answer their questions or solve their problems. Make sure you share your content on all your socials and make it easy for people to do the same. If your blog or news is interesting, well written and helpful, people will share it, and send more traffic to your site.
If writing isn’t your strength, look for a good content creator to work with. Through the Bartercard community, you’ll find writers, content creators and social media marketers happy to help you get your blogs written. And you’ll be saving your cash by paying them with trade dollars!
Look at opportunities to be a guest blogger
If you’re good at writing and have the time, you may consider offering to be a guest blogger. First, you need to find a website that targets the same market as you but is not direct competition. It could be one of your suppliers, or a business you have collaborated with before.
Make sure they have high traffic to their site or a decent following on their social media. You can use a free site traffic estimator to get an idea of how many monthly site visitors they have. Then it’s just a matter of approaching them to ask if they would be interested in you writing a blog for them, or even a regular blog.
Having guest blogs allows you to leverage your message to a whole new audience. The content will need to be fresh and not copied from your site. You could do a deal where you each write a blog or article for each other’s site if the material is relevant. It’s important to ensure you have a link back to your website.
You may also find some industry magazines open to having a guest blogger. This is a perfect way to gain exposure and credibility in your market. If you can fill an un-serviced niche for that publication, then you might find yourself as a regular contributor. Again, make sure the deal includes a link to your website.
The Bartercard community has 10,000 cardholders in New Zealand with representation from almost every industry. You’re sure to find opportunities to collaborate and help grow each other’s business and following.
Create downloadable content
You know more about your business, product, service, and industry than you probably realise. By offering something of value such as an eBook, how-to guide, checklist, or template, you’re positioning yourself as an expert on the subject which helps build your credibility and following. You’re also building your database as you require contact details so you can send the material or download link.
Turn to the Bartercard community once again for help with writing your higher value downloadable material. You might also find it beneficial to work with someone who can build a complete marketing funnel for you. Once again, you’ll be saving cash by using your trade dollars and saving time by not having to do it all yourself.
Make content-rich videos
If you have a product or service that lends itself to video content (and most businesses do) then consider investing the time to create videos for your website and social media. Depending on your type of business, and your confidence and skill in front of the camera, you may be able to create videos quickly, easily, and inexpensively and upload them onto your website or socials.
Ask yourself what problems your clients have, what tips would be helpful to them, what would they like to know or learn? Offer solutions or quick how-to’s, be generous, share your expertise, offer your advice, or give useful tips that are of value and share-worthy.
You’ll find members in the Bartercard community who can help with filming and editing your videos, or perhaps just give you a few lessons so you can do it yourself. Use your trade dollars to pay for these services and put your cash to work in other areas of your business.
If you would like to know more ways Bartercard can help you work smarter, not harder on your business, contact us today!
