Content marketing is a crucial strategy for businesses looking to expand their audience base on digital channels. According to the Content Matters 2023 Report, launched by WordPress, content marketing is - and will continue to be - a high priority for businesses in the coming years.

While the benefits of content creation remain clear, creating high-quality, engaging content continuously can eat up large chunks of a company’s marketing budget. Particularly for startups and smaller enterprises in their first few years of operation, this is an important consideration.

However, not all content marketing activities have to cost the earth and require a large upfront investment in order for them to generate revenue. There are numerous strategies you can adopt to create content cost-effectively and not at the expense of so many resources. You can still provide tangible value to your audience without spending a fortune on marketing activities. 

In this short guide, we’ll outline six key strategies for optimizing your content marketing efforts while keeping costs low.

1. Choose Content That Provides Value

When it comes to creating content resourcefully, you need to think strategically about what types will have the biggest impact. High-impact content can range from in-depth educational guides, ebooks or whitepapers to industry research, surveys, and reports. If you are in the B2B space and deliver professional services, these may serve you well. Conversely, if you are a B2C eCommerce business, product reviews, comparisons, listicles, and optimized product landing pages with detailed descriptions will serve your customers better, pushing them further along the marketing funnel towards conversions.

The goal is to provide content that provides tangible value for your audience while furthering your objectives. Explore ways that these initial content marketing assets can be created cost-effectively.

2. Embrace Visual Content

Visual content has become hugely important for capturing your audience’s attention and quickly communicating information. Visuals are often cheaper to produce and less time-consuming than written content, which, while still important, takes time to develop and optimize. 

Some examples of visual content to experiment with include:

• Infographics: Use infographic templates and tools to turn statistics, survey data or processes into compelling branded visuals that align with your goals and values.

• Photos: Create eye-catching and high-quality images taken on professional equipment, which can be bought or traded at a reasonable price from reputable online retailers.

• Videos: Develop how-to guides, explainers and product demos in video format to convey your message succinctly and eloquently. Whether using professional cameras or animation software, video is set to dominate the content marketing landscape. It was recently reported that online videos had an online reach of 92.3% of internet users worldwide.

• Charts or graphs: Use free graphing tools to visualize data and statistics from your own content or external research.

The right visuals make for compelling and more shareable content to make the rounds on social media, while still being easier to consume and comprehend. Take advantage of low-cost tools, equipment, and software to help you create these assets for a healthy price.

3. Repurpose and Expand on Existing Content

Creating original content from scratch can be expensive and eat up valuable hours. Repurposing and expanding on existing content can be a smart, cost-saving tactic that gives your content more gravitas. According to a recent survey, 94% of marketers repurpose content, while the remaining 6% plan to include it in a future marketing strategy.

Give existing content new life by building on assets you’ve already created to generate new value or reach new audience segments. This could include:

• Turning a published blog post into a video or infographic
• Expanding a popular whitepaper by releasing a sequel
• Creating a training course based on chapters from a written guide
• Turning a webinar presentation into a blog post or video
• Offering an excerpt from a guide as a standalone asset
• Creating a collection of your best-performing assets organized by theme

Repurposing isn’t just about reformatting the same content; it’s about adding value to it or combining assets to create something entirely unique. Your audience will appreciate the time and effort taken to diversify your content and make it easier for them to digest it in a myriad of ways.

4. Prioritize Quality Over Quantity

When trying to maximize content creation and distribution on a budget, you may be tempted to focus on quantity to generate more assets. However, be cautious of this, as spreading yourself too thin risks diluting your content quality and lessening its impact. This isn’t helped by the emergence of AI which is influencing how much content is distributed en masse.

Instead, try and dedicate your limited resources to producing content of higher quality, even if that results in fewer blogs, whitepapers, images, and so on. A handful of impactful, in-depth assets will achieve your goals quicker and more effectively than larger volumes of mediocre or sub-par content.

By prioritizing quality over quantity, you’re demonstrating that you are taking the time to research and draft content of value, rather than dispensing anything and everything. In the long run, consistent high-quality content will be more effective by generating greater engagement and ROI, as opposed to a sea of mediocre content that offers little long-term value.

5. Consult External Contributors

Generating content in-house gives you the benefit of greater quality control and oversight. However, as your business scales, you may quickly find that this becomes expensive and resource-intensive. Therefore, as a budget-friendly alternative solution, you may wish to seek the help of external contributors.

Freelance writers, graphic designers, and agencies provide affordable and flexible outsourcing options. You can also leverage trades by offering to contribute content of your own in exchange for one that you receive in return. Look for specialists or trained experts who understand your field, industry, and audience, and negotiate accordingly. 

Any external resources you use should always align with your brand voice, tone, and quality standards. This is crucial to remember when liaising with contractors for outside assistance.

6. Analyze Content Performance

Content is never one-and-done when produced. To understand its true effectiveness and value, you need to carefully evaluate its performance. Analyze the specific types of assets that generate the results you want, whether that’s traffic, engagement, conversions, clicks, ROI, and so on.

Whatever type of content you create, you may need to assess different metrics and data to understand its value. However, good places to start will be assessing shares, impressions, clicks, backlinks and sales that have been linked to content, but this will be unique to each business and its goals.

This performance data will show you what your audience truly responds to and, by extension, what it is unaffected by. From then, you can double down on content that converts while dedicated resources elsewhere from underperforming areas. Refining your high-performing content strategy based on hard data will ensure you get the most value possible from your investment.

Execute a Strategic, Unique Approach

With the right strategy, you can produce high-quality, impactful content marketing without breaking the bank. Following these best practices will help you maximize your investment and get the greatest possible return for your investment. 

Don’t try to mimic or create carbon copies of what competitors or notable names have done. Develop your own, bespoke approach to content and focus on delivering value to your audience, first and foremost. 

Rather than trying to do as much as possible with your limited budget, focus on producing the right assets with methodical execution, ensuring that they are optimized for impact. This targeted, cost-conscious approach to content creation will drive success for tech enthusiasts looking to enhance their online presence at an affordable cost.