Could blogging benefit your business? Our guide to content marketing

These days, it seems as though everyone and their dog has a blog. And, as a business owner, posting your knowledge,  for free, into the vast abyss that is the internet, may not seem like the best use of your time. But, suppose for a moment you are searching for the answer to a question, let’s say: “How can I improve office morale?”, or, “How do I make the perfect cup of tea?” The first (unsponsored) site that appears when you search for question one, comes from Slack, a project management and team collaboration app. And the answer to question two? From Yorkshire tea. These are both examples of great content marketing, and this guide will help your SME benefit from this, simple, cost-effective marketing method.

What is content marketing

At its core, content marketing is about building relationships with your audience by offering useful, engaging and relevant information, without making a direct sales pitch. It’s a long-term strategy focused on earning trust, showcasing expertise and helping your potential customers solve a problem or learn something new.

This kind of content can take many forms: blog articles, social media posts, video tutorials, webinars, email newsletters, infographics, podcasts or downloadable resources like eBooks and whitepapers. In essence, any form of material that offers value and sparks interest can be part of your content marketing toolkit 

The key benefits of content marketing

So, if you’re giving away all this valuable information for free, what do you get in return? The benefits for business owners might not be at once obvious but they are many. For starters, it builds your authority in your field and helps your audience understand your values and expertise. Take Slack, for example. By blogging about topics like “How to run better meetings” or “Ways to boost remote team morale”, the brand is seen as an expert in workplace productivity. Likewise, Yorkshire Tea’s witty, relatable content brings in huge traffic, all from talking about tea. In all cases, if done well, it can also boost brand awareness, encourage customer loyalty and increase social engagement.

From a performance standpoint, content marketing provides actionable data to help SMEs fine-tune their marketing. Unlike traditional advertising, it allows you to track clear metrics like page views, click-through rates, social shares and time on page. This makes it easier to understand what content is working and why.

Perhaps most significantly, it can help improve your website’s SEO. Search engines prioritise websites with fresh, keyword-rich content. By posting regular blogs or articles on topics that your customers are searching for, you increase your chances of appearing higher in search rankings.

This is not just anecdotal. Research by BrightEdge found that blogs are the most common content format ranking in the top 10 Google search results, at 19%. In fact, blogs featured 511 times in the top 3 results and 1,014 times in the top 5 in their study of 10,000 keyword searches. Blogs also had a higher chance of SEO-Research.pdcontaining search engine optimising attributes and had a higher text-to-code ratio (10.35% vs. 7.72%), which is the search engine’s way of telling how much of your blog is actual readable information that will be useful to the audience.

Before you start content marketing

The beauty of content marketing is that it can be free. You can start with a blog on your existing website, a YouTube channel or even a LinkedIn newsletter.

That said, you may need to consider the tools or platforms you use. Free CMS platforms such as WordPress or Wix are fine to begin with; but as your content output grows, you may want to invest in tools that offer SEO analytics, scheduling features and design flexibility.

You should also ensure your content strategy complies with any relevant data laws. If you collect emails via a newsletter, make sure you follow GDPR guidelines and offer clear opt-in and unsubscribe options. 

Key strategies to include in content marketing that will deliver returns on investment

To get real value from your efforts, you need a plan.

Start by setting goals. How often will you publish content? Who is your target audience? What do you want them to do after consuming your content?

Track success using tools like Google Analytics, which is free and very effective. It shows you where your traffic is coming from, how long people stay on your pages and which calls to action are working best. For ecommerce businesses, platforms like Shopify offer detailed data on customer acquisition and conversions.

Also, make sure your content aligns with your overall brand tone and voice. Consistency here helps strengthen your identity and reinforces trust.

Pitfalls to avoid with content marketing

Not all content is created equal. Business owners must avoid common traps such as:

• Posting inconsistently or sporadically: search engines love fresh, new content
• Creating content that doesn’t align with your audience’s needs
• Failing to include a clear call to action
• Ignoring data; if no one is reading or engaging with your content, something needs to change
• It can also be easy to slip into overtly salesy language. Focus on being helpful and insightful; the conversions will come as a by-product of the trust you build.

Optimising your content marketing strategy

Great marketing is never static. One of the biggest advantages of digital content is the ability to refine your strategy in real time.

Regularly review which content types and topics are resonating with your audience. Pay attention to blog views, social shares, comments and bounce rates.

Always aim to align your content with what your audience is looking for, research keywords to find trending search terms in your industry. And whatever you do, be consistent. Search engines prioritise websites that are regularly updated.

Content marketing isn’t about shouting the loudest; it’s about being the most helpful voice in the room.

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