Worried about AI-powered search engines and their impact on your small business’s growth? You’re not alone. According to the latest research, Google Overviews could cause a drop in web traffic by between 18 and 64%. So it’s a valid reason to be nervous about the fast-changing marketing environment.

But there’s good news….

AI-powered search engines still rely on content, making content marketing more important than ever. It’s still an effective strategy to grow your SME steadily by building your brand, increasing customer engagement, and generating leads.

Current research confirms that content marketing still works, as “58% of B2B marketers say content marketing helped them generate sales/revenue in the last 12 months, up from 42% the previous year.”

However, it can be overwhelming to stand out from a sea of competition without the right guidance or resources. Outsourcing content marketing is one of the best decisions your startup can make, so you can make the most of AI-powered search engines.

Why Outsource Content Marketing?

Google introduced Search Engine Experience (SGE), now AI Overviews, in November 2023 worldwide. And the company said: “With Search Generative Experience (SGE), you can get AI-powered overviews that bring together the most helpful and relevant information available for your search.”

And other search engines like Bing (Copilot) launched their own versions to fight off competition. Recently, Perplexity and ChatGPT, Large Language Models (LLMS), followed suit and introduced AI-powered search engines.

As a result, the search engines have made it more challenging for small businesses to rank highly in search results.

AI algorithms favor fresh, relevant, and high-quality content. And this means that creating content optimized for these search engines requires specialized knowledge and consistency. Also, traditional search engine optimization (SEO) on its own is no longer effective.

Instead, startups must embrace Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to stay ahead of the curve. It’s a blend of traditional SEO and new tactics to optimize for AI Overviews and other search engines.

Here’s why outsourcing content marketing is critical for SMEs:

Expertise: Let’s face it, keeping up-to-date with industry trends and ensuring your business runs round the clock is like climbing Mt. Everest. It’s challenging.

However, professional content marketing agencies stay ahead of AI trends. They can optimize content for SEO/GEO and user experience. Also, they have their fingers on the pulse of the content marketing industry.

You can bank on their solid experience and fresh ideas to scale your small business faster. For example, an agency can harness the power of AI-driven analytics to identify trends and develop content strategies tailored to your customer needs.

Time Efficiency: Outsourcing frees up your time, enabling you to focus on core business activities. For example, instead of spending your days researching and writing blogs, you can delegate this task to an agency and concentrate more on essential managerial tasks.

Cost Savings: Hiring an in-house content team can be costly. According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), an in-house marketing team may need several positions. Some examples include:

• Data analyst

• Business translator

• Revenue-generator promoter

• Project manager

• And

Each of these employees receives an average salary of $65,000 per year plus benefits, according to Glassdoor.

However, you can avoid this high expenditure by partnering with marketing agencies. They provide flexible, scalable options suited to your budget.

Consistency: Agencies ensure that content creation is regular and aligned with your marketing goals. They also have the resources to respond quickly to market changes or customer preferences. This empowers your business to stay relevant by adjusting its content marketing strategy.

Marketing agencies also provide you with detailed analytics to better understand your campaign performance and optimize your spending. 

Marketers consider conversion rates, web traffic, and email engagement as the three most vital metrics to measure success, according to the CMI report.

Now, let’s dive into practical content marketing tips that can help your business expand, whether you’re managing your content in-house or outsourcing it.

Clarify and Document Your Business Goals

Start by defining what you want to achieve with content marketing. Are you looking to generate more leads, build brand awareness, or establish thought leadership? By documenting these objectives, your marketing team (or agency) can have a clear direction.

For example, marketers used content marketing for various reasons, like brand awareness and increasing revenue. Check out the study below:

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You must be familiar with the SMART principle in creating goals for brand awareness, lead generation, or sales. For example, a SMART goal for a lead generation campaign could be "Generate 1,000 new leads in the next five months."

Why does this objective work? It’s specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound (SMART).

A clear, written content strategy also makes it easier to track performance and optimize strategies based on results. Research agrees with this, as it shows that 53% of marketers cite a documented strategy as one of their reasons for success.

Here’s an example of a written content strategy:

Various content strategy templates are available to help you develop a content strategy for your business. Here are some examples:

• Semrush (Once open in Google, make a copy to access the document.)

• HubSpot

• Backlinko

Know Your Audience

The Content Marketing Institute found out that 79% of marketers identified knowing your customers as the top reason for a successful marketing campaign. Other reasons included setting goals, data analytics, and more. 

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Identifying your target audience is key to creating content that resonates. This means you should zero in on producing content that speaks to your customers’ needs, such as problem-solving content or content that is tailored to their industry.

For example, if you’re a small business selling eco-friendly products, producing content about sustainability, eco-friendly living, or green trends could be a great way to reach your target audience.

Dig deeper into your customer by considering their demographics, such as age, income, and interests, as well as their specific pain points. Create buyer personas—detailed, fictional representations of your ideal customers—to help you focus your content on addressing their needs.

Not sure how to create buyer personas? Artificial intelligence (AI) can come to your rescue, as it can help you perform this task in a breeze. You can use either ChatGPT or Gemini through prompts like the examples below:

Write Relevant, Audience-Centric Content

Your content should solve real problems and address topics that interest your audience. Google says this most of the time: “Google's automated ranking systems are designed to present helpful, reliable information that's primarily created to benefit people, not to gain search engine rankings, in the top search results.”

The same article gives a long list of questions to evaluate whether your content is helpful.

You can use several tools to discover relevant topics that resonate with your audience. Resources like Google Trends, People Also Ask, Answer the Public (works with Ubbersuggest), SERPs in Google, and Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot can come in handy to let you explore customer-focused content.

For example, ChatGPT allows you to generate topic ideas based on customer questions, and you can identify what questions people ask around your topic with Answer the Public.

I also explored a search query, “What is digital marketing outsourcing?” on People Also Ask. The tool gave me several questions about the topic. See the screenshot below.

These questions and many more make it effortless to develop my topic and address all the concerns of my audience. In this way, I can provide my readers with helpful, actionable content.

Invest in High-Quality Writing

Good content requires more than just great ideas; it needs strong writing to engage readers. If your team lacks the writing skills, consider hiring a content marketing agency or freelance writers who can craft clear, interesting content tailored to your brand.

Here are some reasons you should invest in high-quality writing:

Engagement and Readability: Want to keep your audience hooked? Create clear, concise, and engaging content that’s easily digestible. It makes it easier for your readers to understand and remember the information. For example, website copy must be snappy and straight to the point.

Consider these two examples:

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Why does this copy work?

• Concise and attention-grabbing headline that immediately hooks the reader

• Clear and direct call to action that encourages the reader to take the next step

• Visually appealing design with contrasting colors and bold typography that makes the copy stand out

• Professional and trustworthy tone that establishes credibility with the reader

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Why does this copy work?

• Compelling storytelling that engages the reader on an emotional level

• Vivid imagery and descriptive language that paint a picture in the reader's mind

• Strong brand voice and personality that shine through in the writing

• Emotional appeal that resonates with the reader and creates a desire for the product or service

Credibility and Trust: Well-written content reflects your brand’s professionalism and expertise. It builds trust with your audience and positions you as a reliable source of information.

SEO Performance: Search engines prioritize well-written, informative, and relevant content. High-quality writing helps improve your search rankings and drives organic traffic.

Because of AI-powered search engines like AI Overviews, content that provides value to your audience is more important than ever.

Brand Voice and Tone: Skilled writers can adapt to your brand's unique voice and tone. This ensures consistency across all your content and strengthens your brand identity.

Nowadays, marketers talk about brand marketing, “promoting a brand’s products or services in a way that elevates the brand as a whole.” 

This strategy empowers you to stand out from the crowd and connect with your customers by telling your unique story. And you can only achieve this through high-quality writing.

Conversions and ROI: Convincing writing can motivate readers to take action, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting you for more information. This is called copywriting. 

You need to incorporate copywriting throughout your content, whether it’s a blog post or a newsletter.

Focus on Quality, Not Quantity

More content doesn’t always mean better results. Google’s AI algorithms now prioritize high-quality content over sheer volume. Focus on creating fewer, but more valuable, pieces of content that address your audience’s concerns and interests.

Not long ago, Google punished websites that produced shoddy content in high volumes to trick the algorithms. Here are some things that can cause the search engine to penalize you:

• Scaled content abuse

• Scraping

• Machine-generated traffic

• User-generated spam

Also, Orbit Media Studios conducted a study to find out the latest trends and insights in content marketing from over 1000 marketers. It discovered these fascinating facts:

• Bloggers who spend more time creating content achieve significant results. This means taking more time to brainstorm content ideas, research, write the draft, and produce the ultimate piece. For example, some writers take nearly six hours to create one piece of content.

• So it’s crystal clear that quality trumps quantity.

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Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)

UGC can be a powerful tool to boost engagement and build community around your brand. According to Billo, 60 percent of consumers view user-generated content as the most authentic marketing material.

As a result, encourage your customers to share their experiences, reviews, photos, social media posts, and testimonials. Use these assets on your website and social media platforms. 

UGC provides genuine content for your marketing efforts and shows your brand values customer feedback.

How SMEs Can Use UGC To Advance Their Business

Here are some ways your small business can capitalize on UGC to expand:

Increase brand awareness: UGC enables you to reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness. When your customers share their experiences with a product or service, it can generate interest from their friends and followers. This can lead to new customers and increased sales.

Build trust and credibility: You can build trust and credibility with potential customers through UGC. Customers are more inclined to make a purchase when they notice others are happy with your product or service.

Improve customer engagement: It’s possible to improve customer engagement by using UGC. For example, customers can create content about your product or service. This shows they’re invested in the brand, and it can lead to increased loyalty and repeat business.

Drive sales: UGC is also effective in driving sales. The presence of happy customers on your platforms can influence potential buyers to make a purchase.

To get you started, here are some practical examples of utilizing UGC:

1. Coca-Cola: Share a Coke Campaign

2. A small clothing boutique encourages customers to share photos of themselves wearing its clothes on social media. The boutique then reposts the photos on its own channels, increasing brand awareness and driving sales.

3. A local restaurant asks customers to leave reviews on Yelp and Google. The restaurant then features the positive reviews on its website and in its marketing materials. This builds trust and credibility with potential buyers.

4. An online retailer runs a contest where customers can submit photos of themselves using its products. The retailer then shares the photos on its website and social media channels.

Organize Content Creation with a Calendar

A content calendar helps you plan, schedule, and track your content efforts. It ensures you maintain a steady flow of content across multiple platforms. 

Whether you’re managing content in-house or outsourcing, a calendar helps streamline efforts and aligns content with your overall strategy.

Here are some templates to make this process a breeze:

1. ClickUp Content Calendar

2. HubSpot Social Media Calendar

3. Smartsheet Content Calendar

4. Asana Social Media Calendar

Promote Your Content Across Platforms

Creating great content is only half the battle; promoting it effectively is the other half. Use social media, email newsletters, and even paid ads to ensure your content reaches the right audience.

Agencies can help amplify your reach by developing targeted promotion strategies.

Build an Email List

An email list is one of the most valuable assets for any business. Offer valuable incentives such as eBooks, discounts, or free resources to encourage sign-ups on your landing page or website.

Use email marketing to nurture leads, promote new products, and keep your audience engaged.

Track Key Performance Metrics

Measure your content marketing performance by tracking KPIs, such as:

• Website Traffic: How many visitors does your content attract?

• Leads Generated: How many people have signed up for your services or newsletters?

• Conversion Rate: How many leads convert into paying customers?

These metrics help you adjust strategies and prove the ROI of your content marketing efforts.

Stay Consistent

Consistency is key to a successful content marketing strategy. Once you’ve started seeing results, don’t stop. Keep researching, writing, and publishing fresh content that keeps your audience engaged and coming back for more.

Also, consider updating your content to add fresh insights and repurposing it to create different content formats, such as videos and social media posts.

Types of Content That Drive Business Growth

To optimize your strategy, create content that matches your audience’s needs at various stages of their sales funnel. Some effective content formats include:

Long-Form Blog Posts: In-depth articles (1,500+ words) that establish thought leadership and boost SEO. Not sure about the ideal content length? Here’s the answer:

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Short-Form Videos: Quick, engaging content perfect for social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Video marketing is becoming more important to businesses, according to 67% of marketers.

Infographics: Visually captivating content that makes complex information easily digestible.

Case Studies: Demonstrate your product or service’s success by telling real customer stories.

Podcasts: A popular medium for delivering content that engages users while they commute or multitask.

Accelerate Your Business Growth through Outsourcing Content Marketing

With the right content marketing strategy, your small business can grow at a steady, predictable rate. However, achieving consistency and quality while navigating the challenges of AI-driven search engines is challenging.

Outsourcing to a professional content marketing agency ensures you have experts working on your behalf. This lets you focus on other critical aspects of your business.

If you’re looking for expert help, consider partnering with independent contractors like me to develop a fail-proof content strategy tailored to your business needs.