CAPTIVATING CONTENT: DON'T BE THE BEST WHEN YOU CAN BE THE ONLY
Technology has leveled the playing field, Small Businesses have access to the same powerful tools and techniques as Fortune 500 companies. Social Media and Content Marketing are both great examples that you don't have to outspend your competitors in order to beat them. With that said, the technology provides no benefits of its own; it is the application of technology to business opportunities that produces return on investment. Small Businesses can generate significant revenue on a small budget, but only if they strategically design and flawlessly execute a plan that produces high impact results.
Content Marketing is a great way to captivate consumers and convert them into customers. While digital marketing and technology can help a small business drastically increase awareness, that applies to all of its competitors as well. Great content is visually appealing and informative; including storytelling, data visualization, eye catching techiques and strong headlines. A content strategy should differentiate your business from competitors and stand out among all the other options bombarding consumers on a daily basis. As offers and advertisements increase, attention spans decrease, making initial exposure crucial in order to establish a connection. The conventional brag and boast strategy has proven to be ineffective within our current customer centric and empowered buyer era. Unfortunately, even the most creative advertisements may not gain traction due to volume and variety alone. The most successful companies will use positioning to stand out, and it can be reached through innovative new product development or using content to estalish what you have that others do not. Positioning occurs when consumers associate a brand or business to a concept, and success relies on being the first one to get there. An original, consistent message continually targeted to the right buyers is the best way to claim a position in the mind of the consumer. It is that repetition combined with a simple and easy to embrace concept that proves to be successful.
Best, brightest, fastest; all vague claims that are thrown around often, which causes potential customers to have a hard time believing superlatives. Prior to a sale being made, a consumer must make a choice to purchase you versus a competitor. If you want to make sure you are selected then you need to eliminate the alternatives by concentrating on what you have that your competitor does not. It is not enough to be the best of the best, but rather focus on being the only one.
