Stay in the know. Subscribe to Currents
CurrentMarketing

Inflation Means Content Marketing Strategies Need to Be Rethought

3 Mins read

Inflation has small business owners rethinking their 2023 content marketing strategies. Now at a 30-year high, inflation is forcing companies to either absorb increased costs and sacrifice margins or raise prices and depress demand. As nearly half of SMBs try to navigate content marketing efforts on their own, they may run into various challenges that impede their efforts. It is clear that more comprehensive solutions are necessary to overcome these hurdles to prioritize growth and success, and solutions providers need to be aware of these client pain points to best address these issues. 

As companies begin setting concrete financial plans for 2023, it is imperative for small business owners to encourage their content marketing personnel to address four critical pain points: planning and strategizing, creating content, publishing, and measuring results. While these challenges can seem daunting, there are feasible solutions that small businesses can implement to overcome these obstacles.

Plan and strategize effectively by prioritizing key verticals for content creation & dissemination

When planning content marketing efforts for the upcoming year, it is critical for small business marketers to zero in on target verticals and demographics where they anticipate delivering the most value from which they can derive the most revenue. This isn’t a time to be seduced by experimental fomo. It’s time to keep focused on core customers… After all, as markets and audience demographics continue to shift, it is even more important for small businesses to allocate their advertising dollars and content creation efforts in verticals that will not just be the most profitable but also ensure their efforts reach a wider audience to ensure success. 

Defining target verticals will also help guide publishing efforts to ensure that content marketers are reaching their intended audiences wherever they are – not to mention provide a clear vision for content creation. It is understandable to want your content and brand to be seen by as many people as you can, but oftentimes this only translates to short-term successes that are not sustainable for small businesses on a tight budget. So, when creating content, ask yourself where your audience is and what they’re looking for, or better yet, ask them, so that your marketing efforts will focus on building authentic relationships with consumers and convert to better leads for long-term benefits. 

Make your content work smarter, not harder

In addition to targeting the right audience, small businesses also need to ensure that their content is optimized to meet marketing goals. Instead of creating content tailored to specific platforms, such as social media platforms or company blogs, content should have the ability to be readily disseminated to the masses across various digital platforms to successfully reach large audiences and drive brand awareness. This also ensures that brand voice remains consistent across all published content and platforms to boost messaging and marketing efforts. 

Although it may seem daunting, content creation doesn’t have to be a strenuous effort for small business marketers. There are plenty of affordable online platforms and digital tools to help marketers create unique, interactive content that is relevant to your target audience and prioritizes cross-platform optimization. Pre-existing templates and designs simplify the process so that marketers don’t have to allocate funds toward graphic design and other creative tools. These templates can also be customized to meet your specific marketing needs to easily create on-brand marketing assets that will increase content engagement and drive website traffic. Ultimately, it’s about getting the content to your audience wherever they are, as efficiently as possible.

Implement smart tech solutions that not only help you publish, but measure results, too

Today, the digital world is saturated with content from millions of brands, creating pressure for brands to be everywhere all at once.This also makes it difficult for small businesses to publish content across various platforms and get noticed. As over a third of small businesses spend less than $10,000 on advertising and marketing a year, marketers need to ensure that their spend is optimizing their content marketing efforts and reaching the right audiences. Therefore, today’s smart tech solutions are needed to ensure brands can reach their consumers at various touchpoints. By utilizing comprehensive, all-in-one solutions, companies can publish content of all kinds across digital platforms to successfully target audiences and efficiently measure the results to inform their marketing plans. 

Smart tech solutions also provide built-in, real-time analytics tools for small businesses to track and report on the success and effectiveness of their content marketing efforts. This is an efficient way to tie marketing spend to results, and these crucial insights can help inform future marketing strategies. Additionally, robust tech solutions can help small businesses streamline their tech stacks and workflows – saving them time and increasing their marketing efficiency, ultimately reducing the total amount of spend required.

Planning for the Future

Overall, small business marketers can easily implement better – and fewer – solutions to address their critical pain points and plan ahead for the new year when creating their content marketing plans and respective budgets. By prioritizing target verticals that can help reclaim lost profits, creating effective content, and utilizing smart tech solutions to publish and share their message across channels, small business marketers can overcome key challenges in 2023 and drive long-term success. 

Joe Hyrkin is the CEO of Issuu.

Content stock image by Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

Related posts
CurrentMarketingSales

How to Redefine Your eCommerce Business With Composable Commerce

3 Mins read
Composable commerce is a development approach that allows you to choose the best-of-breed commerce components and combine or ‘compose’ them into a…
CurrentMoney

Navigating Tax Season and Beyond: Essential Tips for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses

3 Mins read
As tax season approaches, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) face a crucial period that requires careful planning and attention to detail. Whether…
CurrentTechnology

9 Counter-intuitive Trends in AI

3 Mins read
The world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is full of unexpected developments that often defy our initial intuition. The interesting part of what…