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When and How to Get Content for Your Business

Erin Myers
November 18, 2015
Content

As a small business owner, there’s a good chance that marketing takes up a considerable chunk of your time. But does it need to? Have you considered done-for-you marketing solutions for small businesses like outsourcing content or marketing automation?

It’s no secret that small business owners keep packed schedules, manage never-ending to-do lists and rarely have enough time in the day to do all of the things they need to do. It takes a lot to not just run but successfully grow a business.

If digital marketing is your strong suit, you might choose to handle it in-house. Maybe you have experience with content creation, social media, website management, blogging, and tracking it all. If so, well done! Managing those pieces of the marketing puzzle requires a lot of time and expertise. But if you’re reading this now and realizing that you might be missing some of the pieces necessary to make the most of your digital marketing, don’t panic. There’s a better way for you to market your business while staying under budget. After all, your time is money.

Think of it like a game of Tetris; there’s not one right way for all the pieces to fit together. You have to figure out how all the parts work best for you and your business. So where do you begin? Start with what you know and do well:

  • Are you social media savvy?
  • Have you mastered the art of the email newsletter?
  • Do you and content go together like queso and everything?

You get the idea. Once you know what you don’t need help with, you can start tackling the list of what you do need.

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Website Creation and Management

One of the building blocks of successful digital marketing is having a well-designed website so customers searching for your services can find you online. Emails, social media and other marketing collateral should point back to your website, where you can make a memorable first impression that will keep people coming back.

  • Does your website look like it was built in the ’90s?
  • Is it mobile-friendly?
  • Are the header and logo simple but memorable?
  • Is your website easy to navigate?
  • Do you provide an email opt-in?
  • Is your contact info easy to find?

Website development can be expensive, but that’s not the only option. There are many do-it-yourself website-building platforms that make creating your own website more accessible than ever. WordPress has been around for a while, and there are other options too, like Wix and Squarespace. The best part about these platforms is that the backend that you use to update and maintain your website is user friendly, and support tools are available. They also offer free or affordable website templates so you don’t have to start from scratch.

You could take on website building on your own, or hire someone who specializes in one of those platforms to build it for you. Then there’s maintenance. Your website is like a living, breathing online organism. It needs to evolve and change along with your business and the needs of your customers. Don’t let it sit and get stale. You can maintain it yourself or hire a professional to periodically update it.

Dynamic graphic design can help your online presence stay fresh, which brings us to your next opportunity to outsource work to your benefit.

Graphic Design

The look and feel of your brand’s digital presence shouldn’t be underestimated. To start, ask yourself these five fundamental questions when you’re shaping your brand:

  1. Why does your small business exist?
  2. What value do you offer?
  3. What does your audience need?
  4. Are you consistent?
  5. Are you willing to evolve?

Unless you have a background in design, let an expert handle your logo and website so you truly stand out. Graphic design is a very specific skill set. There’s so much to establishing a visual aesthetic — from picking a color palette and fonts to images and other elements of your brand. Not only can graphic designers help bring your vision to life, they can also advise you on the latest trends, as well as classic elements that will stand the test of time.

Photography

Have you noticed the growing importance of having eye-catching photos in the digital world? We sure have, and so has most everyone else — 82 percent of marketers classify images as important or very important for social media, especially with the popularity of platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. It’s important for websites too!

The ability to take high-quality photos is more accessible than ever. For many, smartphones have replaced the camera, and smartphone photo quality gets better every year. That said, there are times when it really is worth it to hire a photographer or find stock photos (iStock or Pixabay) for your website or social media. For example, you may consider hiring a photographer for a professional headshot, or maybe you want to run a special campaign on social media. When you really want to stand out, leave it to the experts.

Blog Content

Blogging is the perfect way to establish the voice of your business and share helpful information. Producing well-written content establishes yourself as an authority in your field and helps build trust with current and future clients.

Don’t have time to write relevant, compelling content? Whether you need to fill some gaps on your content calendar or you’re looking for an automated monthly stream of blogs, there are services out there like Scripted or RightlyWritten that handle the writing for you with the click of a button. You can still guide the voice and blog topics, you just don’t have to do the actual writing.

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Email Marketing

We know, email marketing takes a lot of time, but it’s a must-do marketing strategy for small businesses. Despite any claims to the contrary, marketers consistently rank email marketing as the single most effective way to grow brand awareness and acquire, convert and retain customers. Don’t miss out on this opportunity simply because you’re strapped for time.

Marketing automation could be the perfect solution. That means professionals tackle all the details for you on a set schedule. Twice a month, your contact list receives professionally written, engaging emails that are beautifully designed.

At OutboundEngine, we know how important email marketing is for small businesses, particularly in industries with longer sales cycles. Your customers stay engaged and your business remains top of mind, which is key for conversions and customer referrals.

Social Media Marketing

Speaking of services OutboundEngine tackles, you might also consider automating your social media. That means professionally crafted posts — both text and images — will hit your social media feeds on a pre-planned schedule.

With everything you’ve got going on, it’s understandable that seemingly small tasks like posting to Facebook might fall to the bottom of the to-do list or even slip through the cracks, but social media is an important content and communication outlet. You want those customers who swear by social media and are glued to their smartphones to have a way of finding you!

That’s not to say you can’t supplement automated marketing posts with your own content; it just means you won’t have a social media drought when you get busy. If you want to stay top of mind with clients, you have to keep communication consistent.

If you happen to be a social media aficionado, write your own posts and have fun with it. But do yourself a favor and save time by using tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule them in advance. Not only can you schedule and post, but you can also track everything from your Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn accounts in one place, which is super convenient.

And yes, you should track and pay attention to how your posts are performing. If you track and measure your social engagements, you can understand what your audience wants and build your content strategy accordingly.

Wrap-Up

You have a lot to get done every day. Sometimes tasks on your to-do list get less attention or fall off altogether; it happens. But, for the sake of your business, digital marketing shouldn’t. First figure out what you have time to do and what you do well. As for the rest? There are so many tools and services out there to help you, so use them! You’ll stay connected to your audience and save yourself some valuable time.

Want more? Get our Time-saving Tools Cheat Sheet or contact us for more information about marketing automation!

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