By Lauren Basiura for Marketing Insider Group
Today, we’re rolling out the red carpet for 10 small businesses that crush it in content marketing.
Nailing the content marketing game is your golden ticket to profit paradise. But, what’s the secret behind killer content marketing? And how do you get a piece of that action to boost your ROI?
Consistency and know-how are your best buddies in the content marketing realm. Dropping awesome newsletters, engaging blog posts, and snappy social media updates can seriously amp up your business game.
Still on the fence? Hold onto your hats because we’re spotlighting 10 small businesses that are not just playing the content marketing game—they’re winning it, with jaw-dropping results to show for it.
Quick Takeaways
- Televerde achieved significant increases in website engagement and conversions by focusing on creating meaningful content that resonated with their audience.
- Contract Logix boosted their online visibility and lead generation by outsourcing content creation, demonstrating the effectiveness of leveraging external expertise in content marketing.
- Nutanix experienced substantial growth in audience and engagement by producing high-quality content and complementing it with strategic paid promotions.
- DivvyHQ significantly increased their organic traffic and engagement by adopting an innovative and quirky content style, proving that creativity can lead to substantial content marketing success.
10 Small Businesses With The Best Content Marketing
1. Most Meaningful: Televerde
While consistency and high-volume are major players in content marketing, success is hard to come by without posting meaningful content. Sales and marketing experts, Televerde, saw a 4x increase in ranking keywords after prioritizing the connection their content made with their audience.
Between September 2020 and May 2021, Televerde saw a significant increase in website users (28%), new users (23%), and total sessions (42%). Not to mention, the conversions from their “Contact Us” page also saw an impressive 65% jump.
Televerde found success by shifting their focus and sharing content that offered value to their audience. After they committed to delivering high quality content, they saw the best content marketing practices increase both engagement and conversions.
[From: How Televerde Gained Double-Digit Increases in Traffic and Leads with Our Content Marketing Service]
Check out: 6 Most Socially Conscious Companies in Business Today
2. Most Resourceful: Contract Logix
Contract Logix, a B2B SAS company, needed an effective way to teach potential clients about their contract management software. After learning about the power of best content marketing practices, they committed to a strategy that prioritized informative, persuasive content. There was just one problem: they didn’t have the bandwidth to create new content consistently.
That’s where Marketing Insider Group comes in. Contract Logix decided that outsourcing content creation made the most sense for their team, and within 18 months of working together, MIG and Contract Logix:
- Ideated 150 keywords
- Approved 136 headlines
- Delivered 85 1000-word articles
As a result, Contract Logix gained a huge amount of traffic from blog posts, qualified leads, and conversions:
- Search visibility increased from 11.55% to 12.17%
- Traffic increased from 13.34% to 13.89%
- Average position increased from 49.75% to 50.32%
By August 2022, Contract Logix had almost 100 keyword rankings in Google’s top 100. Who knew that outsourcing content creation could be the key to success?
[From: How MIG Helped Contract Logix Supercharge Its Content Marketing Strategy]
Check out: What Is Contract Management Software?
3. Best Growth: Nutanix
In 2019, Nutanix created The Forecast, a news site that covers the latest trends in cloud computing, technology, and their impact on business.
By sharing engaging, authentic content via The Forecast, Nutanix has grown their audience with organic SEO, social distribution, paid media, and free subscriptions. Their numbers say it all:
- Almost 200,000 unique visitors
- 365,000+ page views (137% YoY)
- 1,100+ newsletter subscribers (332% YoY)
- Organic readership of almost 35%
By coupling their high quality content with paid promotions, Nutanix has seen exponential growth in organic search traffic.
All of their efforts earned them the title of “2020 Content Award Finalist” for Best Overall Editorial, Best B2B Branded Content, and Best New Digital Publication. Nutanix’s rapid growth from smart content marketing proves that it’s all worth the effort.
[From: Nutanix Content Hub ‘The Forecast’ Wins Awards On Massive Growth]
Check out: Step-By-Step Guide to Building a Private Cloud
4. Most Innovative: DivvyHQ
By combining thought leadership with a quirky, conversational voice, DivvyHQ, a B2B SaaS company, found an innovative way to cater to the needs of their audience. Ever since they applied this approach to their blog-focused content, they saw a 450% increase in organic traffic.
Their engaging approach to high-quality content earned them:
- A few hundred email subscribers
- Dozens of trials and leads
- 2.4x as many keyword rankings
- Revenue earned exceeds costs by 7x
DivvyHQ learned that keeping their content engine running is key to success. Now they publish 4-5 new blog articles per week and have an effective content marketing strategy that delivers ROI.
[How Content Marketing Drives Traffic and Growth for B2B SaaS Companies]
Check out: Content Calendar Examples from Brands that are Killing It in Content Marketing
5. Best SEO: RevBoss
RevBoss knows how to find unique, personalized solutions to not only their client’s problems, but also their own. They also understand the importance of a solid strategy, and it shows in their consistent content marketing efforts.
After working with MIG to build a research-based SEO strategy, develop a list of keywords and blog topics, and publish high-quality blog posts to their site, RevBoss surpassed their competitors with flying colors.
With 100+ blog posts and 120+ top ranking keywords, RevBoss has not only proven the power of an SEO-based content marketing strategy, but also reaped its benefits.
[How RevBoss Earned 120+ Ranking Keywords and Surpassed Their Top Competitors on Google]
Check out: Outbound Marketing for Saas: What No One Is Telling You
6. Best Strategy: Intermedia
Intermedia, a unified communications company, has been hard at the marketing game for 4 years, and it shows in their results. When it comes to the best content marketing practices, Intermedia checks all the boxes:
- Updated annual strategy based on their business
- 2 new weekly blog posts
- Link building through guest posts
- Sales and executive team webinars and interview-based articles
- 3rd-party PR Placements
- Zemanta content promotion
Because of Intermedia’s long-term commitment to great content marketing, they compete with the strongest competition in the market. While it looks like some of their competitors have much bigger paid marketing budgets, Intermedia is outperforming them on SEO in many important topical areas because their strategy and consistency is paying off.
By sticking to a solid long-term plan, Intermedia has made a major positive impact on both their business and audience.
Check out: Unified Communications Explained – Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
7. Best Link-Building: Orbit Media
Orbit Media, a web design agency from Chicago, ranks competitively despite being a small business. How, you ask? Strategic link building.
Orbit Media developed a content marketing strategy that focuses on creating:
- High-quality content
- Meaningful relationships with content marketing influencers
These two aspects work together to attract links back to Orbit Media’s website, allowing their content to rank high and generate qualified leads.
Each of Orbit Media’s blog posts are well designed, optimized for SEO, and feature influencer quotes. When industry influencers are featured in Orbit Media’s content, they often return the favor and send backlinks to Orbit Media’s website. With more backlinks and domain authority, Orbit Media’s content reigns supreme on SERPs.
Check out: Homepage Best Practices: 20 Things to Add to Your Homepage Design (and 5 things to remove)
8. Most Creative: ConvertKit
As an email marketing platform, ConvertKit knows a thing or two about making connections. By focusing on the interests of their target audience, they created a content marketing strategy that made a huge impact.
To connect with their ideal customer, ConvertKit developed a series of “Creator Stories” to share the challenges, breakthroughs, and successes of online content creators.
Image Source: ConvertKit
For a content marketing strategy to be great, it needs to add valuable insight to the lives of its customers. ConvertKit combined creativity and value to develop the best content marketing strategy for their business.
Check out: How to set yourself up for avoiding burnout in 2023
9. Best Leads: Tech Media Agency
One of Marketing Insider Group’s clients (sorry we can’t reveal their name), a tech media agency, knew that it took marketing expertise to generate quality leads. Within less than one year of working with MIG, this client:
- Earned 200+ ranking keywords (100+ in Google’s top 20)
- Out-ranked 4 of their biggest competitors in search visibility
- Gained 3x the amount of inbound leads (from blog posts)
After seeing an influx of inbound leads, this client quickly realized the power of sharing high-quality blog articles. By consistently posting content optimized for conversion, this tech media company turned product-page-visitors into first-time buyers.
[From: How a Tech Media Agency Earned 2-3X the Inbound Leads with MIG’s Content Services]
10. Best Overall? Marketing Insider Group
We’ll leave that decision up to you. We are content marketing experts, after all.
At MIG, we know our recommended approach to content marketing works because we walk the walk. It’s hard to generate traffic and rank without spending, but with years of trial and error, we’ve developed a plan that generates results. We see nearly a million visitors every year and all our leads come directly from the organic search results our content delivers.
The key to creating the best content marketing strategy is building your high-quality content arsenal. Success doesn’t happen overnight, but by consistently creating content that offers value to your audience, it’s only a matter of time before the rankings start rolling in.
Source: Google
When you answer the questions of your readers via content, like blog posts, you can compete with big-budget competitors, even if you don’t have one yourself. Here’s the numbers:
- MIG ranks in the top 100 search results for 23,305 keywords
- We rank in the top 3 for 577 keywords
- We rank in the top 10 for 1,451 keywords
When your content ranks, your organic search traffic grows and generates qualified leads. Our keyword rankings grew our search traffic by 6x in just 3 years, and earned us about 100,000 site-visitors per month. I’d say those numbers deserve a content marketing award!
[From: Taking Our Own Medicine: Our Strategic Approach to Generating More Organic Traffic]
Check out: The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy Template
How You Can Win A Content Marketing Award
Winning at content marketing isn’t just about bragging rights (though, let’s be honest, it’s a bit about that too). It’s about setting your small business apart, showcasing your innovative strategies, and demonstrating your commitment to quality content.
Here’s how you can get there:
1. Understand What Drives Content Marketing Success
Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter most in content marketing, such as engagement rates, website traffic, lead generation, and conversion rates. Understanding these success metrics will guide your strategy effectively.
Image Source: Agency Analytics
2. Define Your Content Marketing Objectives
Clarify what you aim to achieve with your content. Whether it’s boosting brand awareness, increasing sales, or engaging with your community, setting clear objectives will help you measure success and guide your efforts.
3. Know Your Audience Deeply
Create content that resonates by understanding your audience’s needs, preferences, and pain points. Tailor your content to address their specific interests and challenges, making it more relevant and engaging.
4. Develop a Robust Content Strategy
Your strategy should detail what type of content you’ll produce, when you’ll publish it, and where it’ll be distributed. Align your content strategy with your business goals and audience needs for maximum impact.
5. Prioritize High-Quality, Engaging Content
Focus on creating content that provides value, whether through information, entertainment, or inspiration. High-quality content is more likely to engage your audience and drive meaningful results.
6. Innovate and Stand Out
Differentiate your content by offering unique perspectives, employing new formats, or tackling untapped topics. Innovation can capture your audience’s attention and set your brand apart.
7. Optimize Content for SEO
Enhance your content’s visibility in search results by implementing SEO best practices. Use relevant keywords, optimize for mobile users, and ensure your content is easily accessible.
8. Promote Your Content Effectively
Maximize your content’s reach by promoting it across various channels. Utilize social media, email marketing, and your website to engage with your audience and extend your content’s reach.
9. Measure and Analyze Performance
Track your content’s performance using analytics tools to understand what resonates with your audience. Use these insights to refine your strategy and improve your content’s effectiveness.
10. Showcase Your Successes
Document and highlight your content marketing successes to demonstrate the impact of your efforts. Sharing these successes via case studies can inspire your team and attract attention to your brand.
Video Source: Seven Figure Agency
11. Continuously Improve Your Approach
Stay informed about content marketing trends and best practices. Regularly review and adjust your strategy based on performance data and industry developments to keep your content marketing efforts optimal.
12. Engage with Your Community and Industry
Build relationships with your audience and peers in the industry. Engagement can provide valuable feedback, foster loyalty, and uncover new opportunities to enhance your content marketing results.
Do You Want To Win Best Content Marketing?
Winning content marketing awards means mastering the art of delivering value through your content. By understanding your audience, setting clear objectives, and consistently delivering high-quality, innovative content, you can achieve outstanding content marketing results.
