Sponsored Post: 8 Awesome Content Marketing Ideas that Deliver Local Marketing Results

This is the fourth post in a series on tips, tools and strategies for SMBs, sponsored by LocalVox.

Most business owners recognize the importance and value of marketing. But the demands of keeping a business on track can be consuming and leave little time to focus on marketing. There are several types of marketing approaches, but knowing which is the best for a business is a game of trial, measure, adjust and trial again.

One approach getting a lot of attention recently is content marketing, a technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience, with the objective of driving profitable customer action. Content marketing is telling stories, sharing ideas and providing insights that are worth listening to.

Recently, it has been challenging more traditional marketing approaches. Why? The Content Marketing Institute says consumers are in complete control of what they want to engage in. And thanks to technology, consumers can ignore advertising and irrelevant content at will.

Content marketing can be a powerful tool to set your business apart. And the numbers don’t lie:

• Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about three times as many leads. (Source: DemandMetric)
• 93% of B2B marketers use content marketing. (Source: CMI)
• 73% of B2B marketers are producing more content than they did a year ago. (Source: CMI)

Yet, a staggering 69% of content marketers feel a lack of time is their greatest challenge. (Source: CMI)

But don’t fret: Content marketing may seem like something complicated and time consuming, but it does not have to be.

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Seize the opportunity to repurpose, reuse and recycle already-created content in a new way. When you publish, determine how to use existing content and ideas again in a fresh and slightly different way. Sometimes making a small adjustment and re-posting a piece can help you extend your reach to a new audience, build a loyal following and even have a direct impact on converting viewers into customers. By the way, content can be a written article, product review, helpful tips, DIY videos, and don’t forget pictures.

The basics and benefits of repurposing content

• Turning an oldie into a goodie. Usually, a few pieces of older content have not produced the results you think they could. Giving that content a new voice or purpose will extend its life and hopefully bring you longer-term benefits.
• Finding a new audience. While your current audience responds well to your blog posts, imagine whom else you could attract with visual content such as infographics or videos. Open up your business to new consumers by turning text into visuals or breaking things down into a simple checklist.
• Boosting your SEO. Taking your most popular piece of content and transforming it with optimized keywords and additional text offers the opportunity to boost your SEO and increase your ranking in search engines, thereby increasing your organic reach online.

There are many ways to use your content over and over again in various forms and channels. Here are eight ideas to help turn content into successful marketing platforms that connect your SMB with your customer:

1. Transform articles into guides or checklists

Once you complete an article, especially a how-to, turn it into a guide or checklist. No need for specialized software! Guides can be created in PowerPoint or Google Slides, which provides more freedom with page design (compared to Word or Google Docs).

2. Convert SlideShares into infographics

SlideShares are easy to turn into a variety of different content pieces, especially since they usually focus on easy-to-understand ideas and include facts and statistics—which translate to compelling infographics. Simplify these ideas with one slide of information.

3. Turn webinars into SlideShares

Turn a one-time-use presentation or webinar into a SlideShare. All you need to do is save the presentation or webinar as a PDF. The content will be easy to access on your SlideShare profile, LinkedIn profile or blog.

4. Expand SlideShares into articles or blogs

Write an article based on the SlideShare, or write a blog post with an introduction to the SlideShare. This offers information in two different ways: text and visual. It also encourages visitors to spend more time on your website.

5. Turn visuals into Pinterest boards

Take visual content and turn it into a Pinterest board, creating a specific header image. Also consider sharing all of your articles via Pinterest.

6. Reformat infographics as videos

Static infographics can become moving infographics that use the same information in a slightly different format. Try a program like Wideo, Moovly or Powtoon to get started.

7. Translate videos into podcasts

Think about translating video into just audio, talking through points clearly and slowly. Then, share these podcasts on your blog as a short article or on iTunes.

8. Add blog articles to newsletters

Once you’ve generated articles and various pieces of content (infographics, audio clips, etc.), share them via an e-newsletter that new and existing customers can subscribe to and use to keep in contact with your SMB.

Learn more about growing your content marketing efforts to attract and retain customers by accessing LocalVox’s presentation. 

Todd Renard is the head of digital and product development for The Berry Company and the LocalVox Platform. He is responsible for the development, innovation and go-to-market strategy, tactics and logistics for Berry/LocalVox’s digital products and services. A leading industry player, Renard has spoken at a number of marketing professional groups, including BIA/Kelsey, on operationalizing and promoting a suite of online advertising solutions for the SMB market. Renard holds and masters degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor of science degree in human resources management and services from California State University-Chico.