Content marketing increases social media followers, drives traffic to your site, and builds trust with consumers. But when you’re working with a small budget, it’s one of the first things to drop on the priority list, which is why 66% of companies don’t have a dedicated content marketing budget.
Guess what? You really can do it yourself with little to no financial investment.
Creating posts when you aren’t a writer
When writing doesn’t come naturally to you the idea of creating one post seems overwhelming, let alone diving into regularly scheduled additions to your blog. But there are a few ways to get the ball rolling that don’t involve researching and writing 600 words on a topic.
Curate blog posts. Pinpoint a topic your followers and customers are interested in, find 5 to 10 posts on the subject that you think are useful, and write a paragraph or two detailing your thoughts on the subject before linking to the posts. Include a one to two sentence description of each link expressing why you find each post valuable.
Put together interviews. Write out some questions and send them to experts or influencers in your industry, posting the completed interview on your blog.
Incorporate product reviews. If your business revolves around using other brands’ products, write out reviews of stuff you regularly use or have tried. Because you’re just sharing your opinion, this type of content is simpler to write than others. Need a basic template? Start with an overview of the product in the first paragraph, a section on what you like about it, another section on what you dislike about it, and conclude with your final thoughts.
Generating striking infographics
Have you ever stumbled across an infographic and assumed it was put together by a graphic artist? It might have been, but it could just have easily been created with an infographic generator by someone just like you.
Canva not only allows you to create brochures and presentations, but infographics as well. It has a massive image and font library, and the infographic generator is free (although you can buy premium elements as well).
Google Charts not only helps you showcase complex data in an easy to digest form, the options available allow you to effortlessly design the chart so it’s in line with your brand’s aesthetic.
Piktochart offers three tiers of access for its user friendly infographic generator: a free version with three templates, a restricted (although expansive) $15/month version, and full access to all of the available features and templates for $29/month.
Filming quality videos
Does your brand lend itself to creating informational and educational videos but you don’t know where to start? It’s easier than you think. To get started, you’ll need a few things to ensure a quality finished product:
- A digital camera or a smartphone that films in HD
- A tripod that fits your recording device
- An external microphone
- Windows Movie Maker or Apple iMovie (both are free)
Once you’re equipped, brainstorm video ideas based on what your followers are sharing or talking about and what your customers or clients regularly ask you about. Create an outline of the video with talking points, but avoid a full-blown script; consumers respond best to videos that feel like a friend is talking to them. Make sure the filming space is bright and free of background noise, then bite the bullet and get in front of the camera. You might be awkward or uncomfortable at first, and getting the best angles will take some trial and error, but consumers aren’t looking for perfection – they want to learn something valuable.
Although creating any of these three basic types of content will take some time on your part, the return on your investment will astonish you. And you might even find it enjoyable.
