“In-bound” and “Content Marketing” are the newest terms in the online marketing industry to describe the concept of using a variety of marketing communications techniques to lead people to your business. Some of these techniques include email marketing, blogging, Search Engine Optimization, online press releases, and social media.

Content Marketing involves writing and distributing useful, engaging, non-salesy content to lead people to your product or service. It is not a one shot deal, but a process of building trust and respect among your potential customers so that not only do they choose your business above the others, but they stay loyal and recommend you to their friends.

Sure you say, that sounds great for a big business with lots of writers on staff and resources, but how does it work for me? The truth is that some of most effective content marketing going on right now is done by small to medium sized businesses that have a distinct personality to develop and share.

1.  You are Already Likeable. As a small to medium sized business you most likely already have a personality to you that you can share. Maybe you are the premiere luxury service in your industry, maybe you are the family-friendly corner store type place, whatever your brand, you already have something to talk about to build on your engagement.

2. You are Specialized. Your customers turn to you for a reliable service. They also likely turn to you for advice. They are actually looking forward to hearing great advice from you, and when they do, they listen. By creating content to feed to your customers, you are actually helping them while helping your reputation.

3. You Have the Ingredients. Top ingredients to pull off a successful content marketing strategy include channels to get to your customers and great content to push through those channels. Even if you are in your early stages of development, you have your website you can articles to and likely some kind of customer list you can communicate with on a regular basis. These are just the basics. Expanding your reach through social media, white papers and other forms of communication are just steps away.

4. You Need Leads. Because let’s face it, every business can use a steady stream of interested customers knocking on their door. By putting an automated content marketing program in place you are building the foundation to have customers looking to you, and talking about you to others, again and again.

5.  It’s Easier than it Sounds. Sure there a million online marketing companies out there that can tell you that you need ALL their bells and whistles, but starting simple has its merits in that you can track your progress and watch the growth. Like any other business endeavor, you can choose to make a huge investment in time or money or not. This is definitely something you can take on in a manageable chunk and expand when you are ready.

So join all the other smart strategic businesses that are establishing themselves as leaders in their industry with content marketing. And let us know how it goes. We are looking forward to how it works for you and would love to share your successful story with our community.