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How Content Marketing Can Rock Your Brick-And-Mortar Business

This article is more than 8 years old.

You’ve thought it before, haven’t you? Can online content marketing really help my brick-and-mortar business?

You’re skeptical, and rightly so. Sure, you’ve heard the hype about content marketing, read articles on its explosive benefits, and considered its massive potential impact.

But your situation is different. Why? Because you’re not angling for online sales. You’re a brick-and-mortar business.

Does content marketing work? Can you drive real traffic — real feet in the real door — through an online content strategy? Will you improve revenue?

The answer is a yes, yes, and yes. Here’s what you need to know about building your brick-and-mortar business with a digital content marketing strategy.

Know your audience — who they are, what they do, and why the heck they would want to come visit you.

The first step in any content marketing initiative is market research. Sounds boring, I know, but it can get exciting.

Here’s why. Market research is nothing more than getting to know your customers up close and personal. Your business exists because of your customer. So, who is your customer?

It should be a given that they access information online. How are they doing so — mobile or desktop? What are they searching for? Do they want answers to perplexing questions? Are they congregating on social sites? What topics interest them? What problems do they want solutions to?

A content marketing assembles this amalgam of information into a cohesive whole and spins out a strategy. Based on thoroughgoing research, you can develop the perfect angle to target the ideal customer.

Once you do, your content marketing begins to take shape. This methodology sounds strangely similar to any content strategy, digital location or physical store notwithstanding, and that’s because it is.

Content marketing can rock your brick and mortar business because customers start their search online. Your customers are informed, online, and savvy. They don’t merely wander the neighborhood, looking for a store like yours. They wander online before they even put on their shoes.

Your customers are already online, and your content marketing is designed to serve them. Once you do, they’ll come flocking in.

Become a go-to authority for information.

It’s important to understand that content marketing is about information. I make this point to draw a contrast between information and promotion.

It’s tempting, I know, to start your marketing efforts with a healthy dose of promotion. You’re the best. You have awesome products. Your restaurant’s ambiance is second to none. You have the best prices in the Northern Hemisphere. All that is great, and maybe it’s true.

But your content marketing audience is looking for something other than self-promotion. They’re concerned about themselves. The focus of content marketing is the individual who is consuming the content.

What kind of information, in general, is that potential foot traffic looking for? Obviously, the nature of the information depends on your business. In general, however, they want something along the following lines:

  • Recommendations for great service. When people look for service solutions, they look for recommendations. Most recommendations take place through social media, giving your business a strong incentive to be active on all the relevant social platforms.
  • Something nearby. Geographical proximity is a huge source of potential web traffic. With Google’s Pigeon algorithm updates, it’s more important to hone in on your particular neighborhood when optimizing for local search. Many consumers of online information are appending their queries with “in [city].” For examples, “tattoo parlors in San Francisco” or “sushi restaurant in west end.” Queries like this will reveal a local pack in the SERPs, but they will also provide organic results for information-based content on your website.
  • Methods for solving a problem or finding a solution. Your local audience is trying to solve a problem. If you can present yourself as the solution, you’ve won a potential customer. Problem-solving queries online sound like this: “How to…” The explosion of how-to articles online has led to a near saturation point for such content. Nonetheless, with a few well-placed geographical qualifiers and high-quality content, you can rise above and get found.

Your geographical area is the key to your local traffic.

The key differentiator between online-only traffic and online traffic that brings physical traffic is this:  Geography.

This differentiator is also the biggest challenge. Bridging the gap between information consumer and foot traffic is a tough one. Nonetheless, you can safely assume that many of your visitors are already interested in visiting a physical location. To best serve them, here’s how you can earn their attention.

  • Use your NAP consistently and widely. A business’s NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number Your website should prominently feature this information in a header/footer or contact page. Make sure your NAP is consistent across your site and all other online locations. This packet of information serves as your online signal, and if the search engines see mixed NAP information, they’ll have a harder time surfacing relevant results for web searchers.
  • Identify your neighborhood. For cities with well-defined neighborhoods, use the name of the area in your online marketing efforts. One reason for this is because your audience knows these area names and uses them in their online queries. Another reason is that Google can identify these areas and associate your business with that location name.

Local content marketing is all about getting to know your neighbors. Identifying local events, interacting with local personalities, and getting local media attention are the perfect ways to improve your content marketing and gain those valuable customers.

Conclusion

Content marketing isn’t just for the online entrepreneurs and digital mavens. It’s for everyone — from the gelato shop to the boutique clothier.

Your goal of getting visitors in the door has to start somewhere. It has to start in the same place that the customer themselves start. It starts online.

Content is one of the most effective and enduring forms of digital marketing to emerge in the world of viral videos and flash-in-the-pan techniques. Your brick and mortar business needs methods that are enduring and reputable. Content marketing will bring those benefits.

How do you plan to use content marketing for your brick and mortar business?