Is Content Marketing Effective for Small Businesses?

May 11, 2022
Smartphone, Reading Glasses, Keyboard, & Coffee Cup Top View

There’s a reason the “godfather of new-age marketing” Seth Godin made this bold statement in 2015.


“Content marketing is the only marketing left.”


Actually, there are several reasons why he said so all those years ago. But, that’s a discussion for another time. What Godin meant was that marketers should focus on creating content that their target audience can genuinely relate to and consume. Repurposed and thinly veiled advertisements won’t cut it anymore!


The marketing industry has changed significantly since those comments were made. Nevertheless, the requirement to produce content according to the above-mentioned approach remains as strong as ever. To say that the world has moved away from traditional advertising methods would be an understatement.


These days, the brands aren’t that much concerned about bombarding the public with eye-catching messages. Instead, businesses have turned to inbound marketing to get the most out of limited budgets. This ensures that the right people can find a brand when they need it.


Think of the digital marketing sector as a theater of short attention spans. In there, every performance is just one click (or screen tap, depending upon your device!) away from being consigned to the dustbin of irrelevance.


This is often tough to take for marketers, but it’s the sad truth. Online business promotion isn’t easy by any means. You can be in a niche market and still face lots of competition. As mentioned already, simple ads and promotional emails aren’t enough nowadays. To stand out in your chosen market, you need a well-thought-out content marketing strategy. 


Small Business Content Marketing

For small business owners, content marketing may appear complicated and overly pricey. You probably believe that this is something only the big brands can do well. Not to worry!


Given the considerably low cost and hardly any barriers to entry, there’s a level playing field for businesses of all kinds when it comes to digital marketing. Even mom-and-pop shops can now devise an efficient content marketing strategy to entice more customers and grow their venture.


We would even argue that content marketing holds greater value for small businesses. This is because such companies have to function within their limitations. They don’t have the resources usually available to a big corporation. And since content marketing is known for delivering the highest ROI (Return on Investment) among all marketing tools, small businesses have a lot to gain from it. Furthermore, this is a long-term ploy that can continue benefitting businesses even years after implementation.


Perhaps this is why an eye-watering 70% of marketers today are investing heavily into content marketing. Also, an astonishing 72% of professionals in the field believe that a sound content strategy is indispensable to the success of their companies!


Why Should Small Business Owners Focus on Content Marketing?

Delivering interesting, engaging, timely, and relevant content can help small businesses become thought leaders in their industry. As a result, your firm will get better recognition while also building loyalty, respect, and trust with the consumers.


Through content marketing, you can identify customer pain points and illustrate how your product/service can deal with those issues. This will generate a ton of quality leads, which you can then work on closing and turning into repeat sales.


Moreover, content marketing can help you generate lots of evergreen and high-quality content. Suppose you’ve created an infographic detailing the steps involved in a process that isn’t likely to change, or your team of writers has produced an engaging blog post about the history of your industry. Such stuff can eventually turn into valuable intangible assets for a business with virtually no expiration date!


Multi-purpose content is another reason why small businesses should invest in content marketing. At a relatively much lower cost, you can create marketing material for various platforms and types of campaigns. Examples include a YouTube video on a common industry topic or a blog post about the needs of a specific community.


Once this content has been created, you can share it on all your social media channels. You just have to make a few tweaks here and there depending upon the requirements of a particular platform. This saves both money and time, while you can position your organization as one of the leading names in the field.


What Purpose Can Content Marketing Serve for Small Businesses?

The ultimate aim of any marketing effort is to increase the customer base by creating brand loyalty and driving sales. Content marketing happens to be one of the most economical and effective ways of doing that in the multi-channel environment of today.


That’s mainly because content marketing provides value to the audience. You can’t say the same about paid advertising. Thanks to this value delivery, building trust with potential customers becomes easier.


The numbers indicate that around 70% of people would prefer understanding a business by reading an article about it. This is just one form of content marketing. Your small business can generate so many different types of content for a variety of platforms. All of them can help you come up with a robust marketing strategy.


And as already mentioned, there’s no better way than content marketing if you want to position yourself as an industry expert, raise the profile of your venture, and gain valuable exposure for your products and/or services. In a nutshell, this strategy ticks every box.


Content Marketing: The Benefits for Small Businesses

Small businesses can benefit from a well-prepared content marketing strategy in many different ways.


Significantly Lower Cost Compared to Traditional Advertising

Conventional advertising media, like direct mail and television commercials, are often out of reach for small businesses. Besides, these platforms no longer have the effectiveness or audience pull that they once had. As a result, they won’t necessarily be the right sources to get to your target audience.


On the other hand, there’s a whole new world of affordable and addictive platforms for small business ads courtesy of digital marketing. From SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and social media marketing to community building, email marketing, and influencer partnerships, there are so many options for you to distribute high-quality content. Doing so would help you build brand awareness among key audience demographics.


You Can Easily Repurpose Digital Content 

Unlike a TV commercial, static ad, or window display, a well-written article on your blog is much more efficient at marketing your business. This is because its reach goes way beyond your own website. You can publish it as a “guest post” on another site, share it on different social media channels, make a video or infographic out of it, add it to an email newsletter, etc.


Simply put, a single blog post can be responsible for continuously sending traffic to your website long after its publication. This will ultimately generate a much bigger ROI than you could have predicted.


Hence, make sure to add some content repurposing ideas into your marketing plan. For example, if you’re planning the launch of a new product or service in the next 6 months, this is the time to consider each and every element of the campaign. Think about the blog calendar, social media posting schedule, videos, email promos, newsletters, and new website landing pages that might be needed in the lead up to the big announcement.


Doing so will help you be prepared for key marketing channels. A properly planned marketing and product launch roadmap would enable you to find the best ways of repurposing content that aligns with your goals. If you do this right, there will be lesser need of creating new content all the time.


Sharing Your Expertise Via Content Is Actually Easier Than It Sounds!

The customers of today don’t take too kindly to hard sales pitches. They’re a knowledgeable bunch (thanks to the wonder that is the Internet!) who’re looking for education rather than product/service benefits being flaunted in their face. This explains why nearly 70% of present consumers prefer learning about an organization through a blog post, feature article, promotional video, etc. rather than an advertisement.


Here again, content marketing plays an important role. It enables marketers to produce and share high-value content that can educate potential customers about your brand. This will ultimately have a positive impact on your lead generation and conversion rates.


Effective and efficient content is trustworthy in the eyes of your audience. This is why blogging is an easy way for businesses to position themselves as industry and subject matter experts. That being said, you don’t build trust overnight. For it, you have to consistently come up with valuable, engaging, and relevant content that can entice users on multiple digital platforms.


Blogging is also a wonderful marketing tool because it facilitates conversations that allow customers to trust and like your offerings over time. As a result, whenever they’re ready to buy such a product or service, your offering would be the first one that comes to mind!


Characteristics of Quality Content

Many small business owners tend to start sweating at the very mention of the words “content marketing.” Creating content is likely to give them sleepless nights, even though it’s no rocket science. The problem lies in the way they approach the content production process.


In truth, as long as you and your team have a grasp on basic writing skills, you should have no problem coming up with high-quality, reliable, and engaging content. Admittedly, viral content is somewhat harder to quantify. Since there are no rules as what may or may not be a hit with the public, generating viral-quality content is more challenging.


Nevertheless, figuring things out shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Following are some characteristics of top-notch digital content.


Original

You can try and copy stuff from anywhere. It also doesn’t matter how smartly you go about it. Doing so just wouldn’t work. Google’s algorithm has evolved over the years and its current form has been designed to punish duplicate content. Back in the day, you could generate endlessly repetitive material brimming with keywords in every line. That’s not possible anymore.


To attract visitors to your online channels, it’s important to come up with original content that can add lots of value to the business. For this purpose, you can build a team in-house or outsource the work because there’s no shortage of talented content creators and copywriters on the Internet. You can even look beyond your national borders for more economical services in this regard.


Informative

The hallmark of any great piece of content is that it educates people. By the time they’re done going through it, they know something that they didn’t before. This knowledge can take the form of a funny anecdote, practical know-how, historically relevant stuff, etc.


Remember to keep things interesting when trying to come up with informative content. However, don’t make the mistake of adding humor just for the sake of it. Similarly, don’t put in irrelevant stuff to make your content more engaging.


Tell the story by using interesting hooks that can keep the audience on edge. Avoid technical jargon as well; only add stuff that’s necessary. Also, consider your audience. Are they an experienced user or a newbie with not much understanding of your product or industry? These factors should dictate the direction your new content goes in.


Furthermore, the kind of content you need will also affect the level of creator that you choose to hire or outsource the work to. Any half-decent writer can produce some off-page blog posts meant to improve your SEO stats. However, if you want to be known as an industry expert, your team will need to have a thorough understanding of your offerings as well as the sector before they can sit down to create something unique and engaging.


Actionable

Lastly, good content advises potential customers about what they should do next. Basically, you add an effective call-to-action (CTA) into your content. For instance, a product review tells readers if they should buy something or not. In the same way, informative content shows readers/viewers how to deal with a particular problem that they might be experiencing. Furthermore, opinion-based content can help people make up their minds about an existing issue.



Parting Thought

There’s no doubt about the effectiveness of content marketing for small businesses. Contrary to what many small business owners think, this is actually a great equalizer when it comes to marketing. With a well-planned content marketing strategy, even a mom-and-pop shop can compete against bigger firms with huge marketing budgets!

P.S. Would you like to automate your content marketing and have a steady flow of quality leads coming in? Learn more about our content marketing services here.


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By Joel Conner February 2, 2026
If you’re a real estate agent or broker, you’ve probably heard of Go High Level. You may even know it’s “powerful” and “can run your whole business” — but when you log in, it feels like a cockpit. Dozens of features, endless menus, and no clear roadmap for what you actually need to use. The good news: as a real estate professional, you don’t need everything. You just need a few core pieces set up correctly: A simple pipeline that matches how you work Automated follow-up so no lead slips through the cracks Smart tagging and routing so leads go to the right place Appointment reminders that reduce no‑shows Easy open house and offer follow-ups Basic dashboards so you can see what’s working In this guide, we’ll walk through how to set up Go High Level for a real estate business step by step — and how to use it without getting buried in complexity. Why Go High Level Is a Good Fit for Real Estate Go High Level (often written as GoHighLevel or GHL) is an all‑in‑one platform that can: Capture leads from forms, funnels, and ads Store and organize contacts like a CRM Automate follow‑ups via email, SMS, and even ringless voicemail Track deals in pipelines Book and manage appointments Build simple landing pages and funnels For real estate agents and brokers, that means you can: Respond instantly to new leads Keep track of buyers and sellers by stage and property Follow up after open houses Send appointment reminders automatically Stay on top of which leads came from where You don’t have to use every feature. If you focus on a handful of essentials, you’ll get real value quickly — and you can grow from there. Step 1: Start With a Real Estate Sub‑Account and Snapshot Go High Level lets you create sub accounts — essentially separate spaces for each business. If you’re just getting started: Go to your Agency account. Click Sub accounts in the left menu. Click Create sub account . Search for Real Estate snapshots. You’ll see options like: Real Estate Agent Real Estate Broker Pick the one that matches you best. These snapshots come preloaded with: Real estate pipelines Basic automations Landing page templates Then: Add your business information (address, name, etc.). Click Add sub account . Switch into it with Switch to sub account . This gives you a solid starting point tailored to real estate rather than a blank, generic setup. Step 2: Build a Pipeline That Matches Your Real Estate Workflow Your pipeline is where you visually track deals from “new lead” to “closed.” The real estate snapshot usually includes a default pipeline with stages like: New lead Hot lead New booking Visit attended Deal Left a review You can keep this, or you can create your own so it reflects how you actually work. How to Create a Custom Pipeline Go to Opportunities . Click Pipelines . Click Create pipeline . For a buyer pipeline , for example, you might set stages like: New lead Contacted Appointment set Showing Offer made Closed For a seller pipeline , you could have: New listing Photos taken On market Offer received Sold Name the pipeline and click Create . Then, in the top left, switch to your new pipeline to start using it. Tip: If you work with both buyers and sellers, create separate pipelines. It keeps your view clean and makes follow‑up easier. Step 3: Automate Lead Follow‑Up So You Respond Instantly This is where Go High Level really shines. Most agents lose business not because they don’t get leads — but because they don’t follow up quickly or consistently. With Go High Level, you can create workflows that: Trigger when a new lead comes in Send an immediate SMS and/or email Add the lead to a pipeline Assign it to an agent Continue nurturing over days or weeks Start with a Simple New Lead Workflow Go to Automations → Workflows . Click Create workflow → Start from scratch (or use “New Lead Nurture – Fast 5” as a base). Add a trigger , such as: Form submitted (for website or funnel forms) Facebook lead form submitted TikTok form submitted LinkedIn lead form submitted New contact created Appointment booked If you’re using a standard Go High Level form, choose: Trigger: Form submitted Filter: Form is [Your Buyer/Seller Form] Once you’ve set your trigger, add actions like: Create/Update Contact – to ensure the lead is saved properly Add to Pipeline – put them into the “New lead” stage of your buyer or seller pipeline Send SMS – something friendly and immediate, like: “Hi {{contact.first_name}}, thanks for reaching out about homes in {{location}}. Would you like to schedule a quick call to talk about what you’re looking for?” Send Email – a slightly more detailed introduction and next steps Wait steps and If/Else conditions – for follow‑ups based on whether they reply You can also use the prebuilt New Lead Nurture (Fast 5) workflow in Go High Level. It typically: Triggers when someone submits an offer form or Facebook lead form Creates a new opportunity in the New lead stage Sends a conversational email and SMS Waits for replies Moves leads to Hot lead if they reply Triggers call connect actions This is a great starting point if you don’t want to build from scratch. Step 4: Auto‑Tag and Route Your Leads for Better Organization Once leads are flowing in, you want them automatically: Tagged (e.g., buyer, seller, rental, luxury, open house) Routed to the right pipeline and agent This keeps your database clean and makes it easy to run targeted follow‑ups. Tagging Leads Based on Forms and Sources Say you have different forms: Buyer form Seller form Open house form Free home valuation form You can: Use a trigger like Form submitted or Facebook lead form submitted . Filter by specific form. Add an action: Add contact tag . Useful tags might include: Buyer / Seller Rental Luxury listing Came from Facebook Came from Google Open house – 123 Main St Free home valuation With these tags in place, you can quickly filter contacts, build targeted campaigns, or trigger routing automations. Routing Leads to the Right Agent You can also route leads based on tags. Example: all Buyer leads go to your buyer’s agent. Create a new workflow with trigger Contact tag . Filter: Tag added is Buyer. Add action: Assign to user . Choose the agent responsible for buyer leads. You can set up similar workflows for sellers, rentals, or specific property types or locations. This way: Facebook buyer leads go straight into your buyer pipeline Seller leads go to your listing pipeline Agents see only the leads they’re responsible for No manual sorting. Less confusion. Faster response times. Step 5: Set Up Appointment Reminders to Reduce No‑Shows Once you’re booking showings and consultation calls, appointment reminders can dramatically reduce no‑shows. Create a Calendar in Go High Level Go to Calendars → Calendar settings . Click New calendar . Choose the calendar type: Personal booking – for one agent Round robin – for multiple team members Class booking – useful if you want a “group” appointment (e.g., open house time slots) Name the calendar (e.g., “Buyer Consultation,” “Listing Appointment,” “Property Showing”). Add team members if using round robin. Set: Meeting duration Bookable times Buffer times between appointments Then, connect it to your personal calendar: Go to Connections Click Add new Connect Google Calendar, Outlook, iCloud, or Calendly Now, when someone books through this calendar, it automatically shows up in your personal calendar. Use Automated Confirmation and Reminder Workflows Go High Level usually includes a workflow like “Appointment Confirmation and Reminders.” This can: Trigger when an appointment is confirmed Update the opportunity stage to something like Appointment set Send a confirmation email: “Hi {{contact.first_name}}, your appointment has been confirmed for {{appointment.start_date}} at {{appointment.start_time}} {{appointment.time_zone}}.” Send reminder emails: 24 hours before 1 hour before Send SMS reminders (e.g., 1 hour before) If someone doesn’t show, another workflow can trigger on Appointment status: No show and: Send a link to reschedule Follow up again after a day This combination keeps your calendar fuller and minimizes missed opportunities. Step 6: Automate Open House Follow‑Ups Open houses are great for collecting warm leads — but those leads often go cold if you don’t follow up quickly and consistently. Go High Level makes it easy to: Capture visitor info Tag them based on the specific open house Send personalized follow-ups with similar listings or next steps Create a Simple Open House Form Go to Sites → Forms → Form builder . Build a form that collects: Name Email Phone What they’re looking for (beds, baths, budget, area) You can use this: On a tablet at the open house As a QR code link (visitors scan and fill it out on their phone) Embedded on your website As part of your Facebook lead ad form that’s integrated into Go High Level Automate the Follow-Up Use a Form submitted trigger for your open house form. Add an action to Add contact tag , e.g.: Open house – 123 Main St. Add actions to: Send an immediate “Thanks for stopping by” email or SMS Include links to similar listings or next steps Add them to a Warm leads pipeline Set reminders for follow‑up calls or texts Example SMS: “Hi {{contact.first_name}}, thanks for visiting the open house at 123 Main St today. I’ve got a few similar properties you might like — want me to send them over?” This simple automation helps you stay top‑of‑mind and turn casual open house visitors into real opportunities. Step 7: Use Dashboards to See What’s Working (and Fix What Isn’t) Once everything is up and running, you don’t want to guess how it’s performing. Check your Dashboard or Reports in Go High Level regularly (weekly works well). You can see: How many leads are coming in Which sources (Facebook, Google, website, open houses) are performing best How many leads are moving from stage to stage in your pipeline Where deals tend to get stuck From there, make small tweaks like: Adjusting the delay between follow‑up messages Refining your SMS and email templates Changing which tags trigger which workflows Fine‑tuning your pipelines or reminders Often, small improvements in timing or messaging can significantly boost your response rates and conversions. Bonus: Simple Funnels and Offers for Real Estate You don’t need complex funnels to generate leads. Go High Level snapshots for real estate often come with ready‑made pages like: Free home valuation offer Home buying consultation Seller consultation For example, you could: Run Facebook ads to a free home valuation landing page Collect details through a form Tag those leads as Free home valuation Trigger an automation that: Reminds you to prepare the valuation Sends a follow‑up message to schedule a consultation Adds them to a seller pipeline This turns a simple offer into a structured system that consistently feeds your business. Keep It Simple, Then Grow Go High Level has dozens of features — social planners, reputation management, and more — but you don’t need all of them on day one. If you’re a real estate agent or broker, start with: A buyer and/or seller pipeline New lead follow‑up workflows (email + SMS) Tagging and routing rules Appointment calendars and reminders Open house follow‑up Basic dashboard checks Once those are in place and working, you can gradually add: Social media scheduling Review generation (reputation management) More advanced campaigns and funnels The goal isn’t to use every feature — it’s to build a system that quietly saves you hours each week and helps you close more deals.  Need Help Setting This Up? If you’d like to use Go High Level (or any CRM/automation system) but don’t have the time or desire to configure it yourself, Blue Swing Media can help. We work with small businesses and local service providers — including real estate professionals — to: Set up practical, easy‑to‑use pipelines Build automated follow‑ups that feel personal, not spammy Connect your website, ads, and forms so every lead is tracked Create landing pages and offers that actually convert If you want a real estate system that runs smoothly in the background while you focus on serving clients, reach out to Blue Swing Media. We’ll help you implement the strategies in this guide and tailor them to your business, your market, and your goals.
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