How to Create a User-Centered Content Marketing Strategy for Small Businesses

I recently taught a class to small business owners on the foundations of a content marketing strategy for small businesses. My students were entrepreneurs and professionals who were in the process of building new websites for their companies. They had many questions about how to choose what to put on each new website page. Questions like:

• How do I create content that is optimized for search engines?
• How can I find topics to write about that will have high SEO value?
• What kinds of content will help my business grow?

To answer these questions, I told them, the first thing you need to do is think carefully about the people you want to attract to your business sites.

Anyone who is building a new business website should be mindful of today’s best practices for SEO. Keyword stuffing is a thing of the far-distant past. Optimizing your website content for search engines requires using niche short- and long-tail keywords appropriately after doing extensive keyword research. It also means creating content that’s relevant and engaging to the people you want to reach. Your content has to use the right words while being genuinely useful, helpful, interesting, or otherwise valuable to your audience.

Here is the most important lesson I taught my students that day: empathy can help you create a website that serves your audience while helping your business achieve its growth goals.

The Best Content Strategies Begin with Empathetic Target Audience Research

For instance, one student, who was building a website for her counseling practice, asked me for tips on how to choose the best blog titles to attract search traffic.

My advice? Don’t start by obsessing about the wording of blog titles; begin by researching how her content can help the people she wants to attract to her practice.

I then provided her with a step-by-step plan for conducting that research and utilizing her findings to develop a content strategy. While your business may be different from hers, Although her business may be different from yours, the step-by-step plan I recommended would be helpful for anyone building a website for a small business.

Step 1: Think of Your Best Customers: What Needs Do They Have?

Begin by thinking about the people you serve. Who are they? Don’t think of generalities. Think of specific people with whom you’ve had enormous success. Use your former and current best clients as models for your target audiences! Consider the overlap between the needs of those clients and your expertise. Document your observations. Those notes will serve as a great starting point for all your digital marketing research efforts.

Write down a list of the needs your best clients had when they came to you. And here’s the thing: try not to think of what they needed from your perspective as a business owner. Instead, try to recall what they asked for or said in their own words.

Create customer personas by using surveys, customer interviews, or analytics tools like Google Analytics or HubSpot to build a detailed profile of your ideal clients.

Step 2: Google From Your Customer’s Point of View

Use Google and other popular search engines to search for answers to your audience’s questions and for other relevant information—again from their point of view. Think about the differing questions that they might have had at various points before they first came to your business.

For instance, if you run a clinic, they may have researched their symptoms or explored ways to self-treat individual symptoms. Perhaps they had questions about whether they had one distinct issue or another, or if they suffered from multiple diagnosable illnesses. They might already have a diagnosis, and they’re seeking a second opinion or an alternative treatment from the ones they’ve already tried.

Map out all the different journeys people go on that could lead them to seeking treatment, and how they might use search engines to get help at each stage of the journey.

Answering questions that your potential new ideal customers are asking online is one of the smartest content strategies today. Use tools like Answer The Public or websites like Quora to see what kinds of questions real people are asking about your area of expertise. Go as deep into your niche as possible. Remember to search from their point of view using language that they are likely to use.

Keep a spreadsheet of questions that you are uniquely qualified to answer. These are all potential blog topics or topics for downloadable e-books. Keyword research will help you discover related terms on topics that are of interest to your target audiences.

Step 3: Take Note of Your Competition

As you’re using search engines from the point of view of your most promising target audiences, take notes on all of the content you discover along the way. Any new website content that you produce on specific topics will “compete” against the content that is already performing well on those respective topics.

• What resources did you discover? (What online tools and resources came up in your searches?)
• What’s missing? (What questions have no good answers? These are opportunities.)
• Is there a resource that you’re uniquely suited to provide that can help patients get the treatment they need, whether they come to your practice or not?
• Could you do better? (Can you create content that will be ten times better than the competition? Learn more about 10x content from SEO powerhouse Moz).

Step 4: Look At Your Website Through Your Customer’s Eyes

Blogging is essential for SEO, and it’s crucial to have a long-term plan for content production. Before you begin, ensure that your website is set up to be user-friendly and maximally beneficial to visitors.

Look at your website from the perspective of someone who has already recognized they have an issue and is looking for the solution.

• What questions do they have about you?
• What information would they like to know about your business, approach, area of expertise, or way of working with customers?
• Is there a clear call to action that helps them see how to take the next step toward solving their problem?
• Do they understand how to ask follow-up questions?
• Would your site be easy for them to navigate?

Step 5: Publish Consistent, High-Quality Content

Now that you understand what your audience is looking for, it’s time to create content that delivers real value. Strive for a blend of educational, entertaining, and highly practical content that resonates with your audience.

Types of content to consider include:

• Blog Posts: These can address FAQs, provide how-to guides, or share industry tips.
• Video Content: Explainer videos or customer testimonials can drive engagement.
• Infographics: Visual representations of data or processes are highly shareable and engaging.
• Case Studies & Testimonials: Showcasing success stories builds credibility.

Optimize your content for SEO by creating engaging titles that incorporate target keywords. Use headers (H1, H2, H3) to structure your content. Add metadata, including descriptions and alt text for images. And always make sure to naturally weave your keywords into the content (remember: keyword stuffing is outdated!).

The frequency of your content depends on your resources, but consistency is key. A content calendar can help you stay on track and plan topics aligned with your business goals. Posting once a week or every other week is reasonable for many small businesses. If time constraints are an issue, batch-create your blog posts or videos for the month in one session. Remember to review high-performing past content and update or expand on it to maximize its impact.

Pro Tip: The 5 C’s of Content Marketing (Consistent, Compelling, Clear, Customer-Focused, and Contextual) are your go-to checklist for creating content that resonates.

Step 6: Track and Adjust

A significant part of a content marketing strategy is identifying what works and iterating for improved results. Key performance indicators (KPIs) include:

• Organic traffic (sessions/page views).
• Keyword rankings (Are you climbing above competitors?).
• Engagement metrics (like time on page or bounce rates).
• Lead generation (Are your calls-to-action driving conversions?).

Use tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, or HubSpot Marketing Hub to gather data.

Pro Tip: Review your content quarterly to identify low-performing pieces. Ask, “How can I refresh this for better results?”

Major Takeaways

By empathizing with your existing customers or clients, you can generate ideas for website content that will better serve those who are likely to become your future clients.

Building an effective content marketing strategy for small businesses takes time, effort, and consistent learning. As you look for content ideas, try to put yourself in the position of the person or people you want to attract, so that you can design a website that benefits them more effectively. Make it your primary goal to create a website that truly serves the needs of your target audiences.

Want to upgrade your content strategy? We’re here to help. Contact us today to develop a plan tailored to your goals.

FAQs

How Do I Identify My Target Audience for Content Marketing?

Begin by conducting customer surveys, utilizing tools like Google Analytics, and creating buyer personas to gain a deeper understanding of consumer demographics, pain points, and needs. As mentioned above, think of your own best customers and consider what they have in common.

What Types of Content Should a Small Business Create?

Small businesses should focus on blog posts, videos, infographics, and case studies that educate, entertain, or solve problems for your audience.

How Do I Measure the Success of My Content Marketing Efforts?

Success will depend at least partly on how you define it and what numbers you choose to track. Use metrics like organic traffic (SEO performance), keyword rankings, lead generation, and audience engagement rates to track content performance.

What Tools Can Help with Content Marketing for Small Businesses?

Popular tools for creating content strategy include Ahrefs, Moz, Google Search Console, HubSpot, SEMrush, Canva, and WordPress editorial plugins.

How Often Should Businesses Publish New Content?

Consistency beats frequency. Start with what’s realistic (e.g., weekly or bi-weekly posts) and scale your strategy as you grow.