4 Ways Content Marketing Makes You Look BIG
Posted by Beth Hrusch on Wed, Feb 09, 2011
In the animal kingdom, one survival tactic that has proven pretty 
successful is the ability to appear larger than you really are. In the human sphere, appearances are notoriously important, as well. For example, psychologists could tell you that the appearance of confidence turns an ordinary person into someone others see as a leader or authority. It also helps when trying to find a date.
So, we propose that there are many advantages to appearing both large and confident. In business this is certainly true. When was the last time you ended up on the “Joe’s Auto Parts” site and actually ordered anything from him? You know, the site that looks like it’s run out of someone’s garage?
Getting customers is all about appearing to be the resource, the authority and the go-to place for everything people need in your niche industry.
I recently found a business that sells books through a major retailer and got its address (it happened to be located nearby) so that I could go pick up the book instead of have it shipped. When I did the Google street view it I found that it was actually somebody’s house.
I decided not to go pick up the book because I was afraid that I might interrupt someone’s shower. But, I was impressed by the fact that I had no idea until I got on Google Maps that this was a business run out of someone’s home. Their site was professional and organized—very much looking like a big book seller with a large inventory, a good rating and excellent customer service.
Want to get out of your “Joe’s Auto Parts” rut? It isn’t just about how your site looks—in fact, that’s just a small piece of the content marketing puzzle. Here are 4 ways you can make your business appear larger, more confident and better able to get a date with consumers:
1. Blogging. Blog, blog and more blog. According to Technorati’s 2010 State of the Blogosphere, 77% of Internet users read blogs. About 60% of bloggers say that their blog has helped their company establish itself as a thought leader within the industry and that they are better known in their industry because of their blog.
2. Email marketing. This primarily means email newsletters, sent out automatically on a regular schedule. It’s a great way to stay in contact with customers, remind them of upcoming events and specials, and provide them with useful content about topics they might care about. Make them interesting and informative, and your readers will look forward to receiving them.
3. Social media. It would be awesome if Joe’s latest find could become available to thousands of people through their social media accounts. The next time he goes on a picking adventure, he could post his pictures and video on YouTube and Facebook. He could tweet about it and post links to his blogs about his travels across the country looking for rare Studebaker parts.
He could interview people he meets on the road, and dealers who might have some problem-solving tips Joe’s customers could use. It would be informative and entertaining. Get the picture?
4. Networking. The time-tested way to gain legitimacy and appear large, and the ultimate cross-promotion tool. Comment on blogs posted by others in your field. Contribute content to their sites and share your company’s information with them. Let other sites distribute your content for you through back links, word of mouth and their social media accounts. Attend a conference or event every once in a while.
There are many other ways that content marketing can make your business look larger, more authoritative and popular with consumers. Look into a content strategy. It’s affordable for businesses of every size.
Now, if Joe had all this going on--well, that would change everything, wouldn’t it?