Always On Marketing. How To Use a Blog to Market Your Small Business

Content marketing is not only a powerful tool for promoting a brand, but it can bring in a consistent stream of revenue. Content marketing methods vary, but one of the most successful forms of content marketing is blogging. But what is more important about blogging is that it is done consistently and with relevance. Regularly blogging shows search engines like Google that your brand is consistent in producing content and providing informative and authoritative content, and this should be recognized by search engines. The always-on marketing channel is multi-faceted, and not as simple as ‘regularly’ blogging good content. In fact, social media accounts and communication channels should also be incorporated into your always-on marketing strategy. Two terms you should know before we continue:

• Campaign = “burst” marketing; a defined sales and marketing push for a fixed amount of time.
• Always-on= “drip” marketing; consistent marketing effort that lasts indefinitely. Sometimes referred to as "evergreen" marketing.

What is an Always-On Marketing Channel

Always-on in marketing refers not only to a style of marketing that is ‘always available’ as far as communication channels are concerned, but more importantly to producing content that will (hopefully) always have relevance to customers and can always be accessed through distribution channels. This type of content is content that potential customers might stumble upon initially but it will eventually become sought after content.The always-on approach takes evergreen content a step further because it focuses on regularly producing high-quality content that seeks customer relevance, rather than a single piece of content that might be relevant, or evergreen, for a longer period of time. Moreover, when you start an always-on marketing channel, you’re also telling potential customers and visitors that you are there and expecting to regularly produce valuable content. This encourages users to regularly visit your channel or seek out your brand in other ways.An always-on marketing channel can be a blog on your website or social media channel. The channel you choose will depend on how you want to operate your marketing long-term and the channels that work best for your brand.

Steps to Creating an Always-On Marketing Channel

Starting an always-on marketing channel can be daunting. After all, you have to create the content in a way that makes sense for your brand and your customers, doesn’t come off as marketing, and can be used by your customers in real life. To help you out, we’ve developed steps to creating your always-on marketing channel:

1. Decide on The Distribution Channels

Deciding on your distribution channel(s) is probably one of the most important aspects of creating your always-on marketing channel. This is most likely because the channel needs to be, well, always-on, so you need to be sure that you can continue to update that channel and the channel makes sense for your brand. For example, if you are a photographer, then it would make sense for your channel to be Instagram. However, if you are selling services like handyman services, then you might want to stick to blogging. If you want to promote to more than one channel, that is fine. But recognize that keeping more than one channel always-on without a dedicated marketing team can be difficult. If you are running the channel yourself, then stick with one so that you know that you can continue to operate it.

2. Identify Core Aspects of The Content That You Want

Core aspects of your content reflect the goals of your content (seeking to grow organic traffic, for example), the interests of your audiences, and the things that your content should be doing. If you want your content to bring people to a landing page, then a call to action and clickable links need to be a core aspect of your content. Additionally, these core aspects will speak to the content types that are being produced. Try to hone in on a few core elements of your content so that the channel can be consistent in its messaging.

3. Develop Your Customer Personas for Targeting Purposes

Customer personas are also important because they direct your content. If you are targeting a specific age group, then this will affect not only the content details but also the channel in which the content is promoted. You’ll want to do some research around the types of people who are buying your brand, are likely to buy from your brand, or other demographics. Then, hone in messaging based on customer personas so that your messaging makes sense and is positive.

4. Market Research for Distribution Timing and Receptivity

The timing that you’ll be sending out your content also matters. You’ll want to be sure that your users are online at the right times and not missing your content. At the same time, you may want to be prepared to speak to some of your followers either through private messages or comments. Try to be online around the same time that your content is being pushed out so that your customers or potential customers see that you’re active.

Blogging for Always-On Marketing

Blogging for an always-on marketing channel makes sense for most brands. But how should it be done?When blogging regularly, you might think that this takes a lot of work, and that is usually the case! Blogging consistently can be a full-time job, and that might not be something that you can budget for. Blogging for your always-on marketing channel should be done regularly, around 2-3 times a week. The content should be based on the questions that your customers or potential customers are asking; you can take this information directly from those customers or perform market research around these questions. Be sure that the content is always relevant to their needs and accessible and easy to read. You shouldn’t try to write academic writing or writing full of jargon because your customers will most likely not enjoy this and start to avoid or navigate away from your brand.Producing informative and authoritative content should be the main priority as well. While this seems like a fine balance, a well-balanced blog is possible.

Rolling Out Your Always-On Marketing

Once you have mapped your always-on marketing campaign, you can begin to roll it out. If you’re unsure about how to develop this strategy and get it rolled out, then know that you can always hire a knowledgeable team to help you or offload the process entirely. Consider hiring a copywriter on Fiverr or another marketing agency to offload your blog content. If you have already a blog strategy, then a content writing team like okgrow can provide consistent blog content that meets your goals. Other content teams, like a marketing agency, can help in developing the blog strategy so that none of your blog content is produced in vain.