Quick Guide To Content Marketing On A Budget

Quick Guide To Content Marketing On A Budget

Business owners and entrepreneurs dream of the day that they wake up to an inbox full of inquiries, requests to work together, or better yet, sales! But most of us don’t have the budget for a high-ticket ad campaign from a pricey marketing agency. So how can you use your words, and tools available to you, to create content that converts?

Here are some guidelines to start paving the road to successfully use content marketing on a budget:

Identify Appropriate Content For Your Audience

Is your ideal audience looking for a readable “how-to” manual, or are they better served listening to a podcast or Vlog? Identifying the correct content for your audience can save you hours (and dollars) in creating content that just doesn’t work. Don’t sweat over a gorgeous graphic and throwing a ton of money into a Facebook ad if your audience is hanging out elsewhere, right? This is a frustrating pitfall, that can waste a lot of time and money, and lead to disappointing results!

Consider A Freelancer

I see you rolling those eyes! But why would I pay somebody to do this? I’m trying to make money. I know I can do it myself! We hear you, and we understand. But think about this for just a moment: How valuable is your time? If you are going to spend hours sweating over creating this content, that has a price. It may not be directly debited from your bank account, but your time is important. If you could hire somebody at a reasonable rate to create this for you, quickly, you’re in good shape! There are plenty of websites like Upwork or Freelancer where people are chomping at the bit to do this exact type of work. Name your price, and they will come!

Don’t Shy Away From A Cold Pitch Or A Video

If you’re willing to put in the time and energy in lieu of spending money on advertisement, these two things are gold. The thought of cold pitching or recording a video of yourself is enough to make most people squirm in their seats, but when you do these things, you really separate yourself from your competition and make yourself relatable. A video is a super great way to personalize your content, and people remember faces! When they’re ready to make a purchase, they’ll think of your face over somebody else's words. Cold pitches put your products or services right in front of your ideal client’s face; maybe you have that thing they didn’t know they were looking for!

Imitation Is The Highest Form Of Flattery

Here is where we scream DO NOT STEAL CONTENT! This is illegal. This is wrong. Nobody likes a fraud. However, finding someone who is doing what you aspire to do, who have paid the big bucks for fancy advertising, and is knocking it out of the park, is a great resource. Find the creme de la creme of your niche and see what they’re doing right! Maybe even connect with them and ask some questions! Study, and learn from them, and when it feels right, create the content OF YOUR OWN that embodies your brand, with the knowledge you’ve gained from your research.

Batch And Reuse

Batching, or creating a huge amount of content and scheduling it out in one sitting, really can have a huge impact on your daily schedule, thus, your budget. If you are chasing the clock every day trying to get a post up, it’s going to stress you out. Set aside time to create, schedule, and let it ride. Also, it takes a person an average of seven times of seeing something before they buy, so pay that freelancer to make you a heaping pile of quality content that you can dice up, batch, and reuse, for quite some time!

We hope this helps you on your way to success and freedom!

Content marketing can be overwhelming, but if you break it down, streamline, and plan it out, you are well on your way to the growth you’ve been working so hard towards!