Search the internet and you will find an enormous number of resources aimed at helping you with your content marketing initiatives. There truly are a lot of fabulous places to go for more information and my own personal favourites include:

• Hubspot
• The Content Marketing Institute
• Copyblogger
• Neil Patel and
• Ragan.com

But if you’re just starting to build your content marketing program it can be challenging to know exactly what kind of content will work best for your small business. Here are some ideas:

1. Speak Plainly. Don’t default to marketing speak or stilted corporatese and please take a good long look at words and phrases that are technically correct for your business or industry but virtually incomprehensible to the buying public. One problem a lot of companies have is that they neglect to “dumb things down” for their readers. Many of your buyers will not be fluent in your internal dialogue – do them (and yourself) a favour and say whatever you have to say in plain English.
2. Be original. At least some of the information you will be including in your content will be applicable to your competitors as well. Make it easy for potential customers to spot your competitive advantages by highlighting the things that make you stand out from the crowd. Sometimes this is also about the story you have to tell about your company culture. Don’t be afraid to tell your stories!
3. Post Content with Strong Visuals. Including images and videos in your content adds excitement and increases visitor engagement. Text is a great way to tell your story but remember that a picture tells a thousand words and video brings emotion into the mix as well. They both help you tell a more powerful story.
4. Invite Engagement. Don’t be afraid to ask people to comment on your posts – you might not get a lot of feedback but at least let your visitors know that you value their input. And if you are lucky enough to generate a lot of commentary with your information you are taking important steps towards developing a community that will follow what you have to say and take an interest in future information that you might want to share.
5. Be Diverse. As I mentioned, say “Yes!” to text, images and videos. But don’t stop there. You also want to generate slideshows, ebooks, templates, and podcasts.

Remember that you don’t have to do all this alone. I offer content marketing assistance to small businesses that need a guiding hand in the heroic effort to generate more business through their online activities.

If you would like to find out more about how my team and I can help you, then let’s chat! Ignoring your content marketing opportunities is no way to build your business – and I am standing by to give you the assistance that decades as a marketing writer have helped me develop. Book a free consultation with me at www.meetme.so/susancrossman. And let’s get you started on the all-important effort to make more money with your online energy!