No one seriously thinks the Internet is going to stop growing anytime soon. That’s like saying the oceans are going to run out of water next year — it’s simply not a serious proposition.
Predicting what the Internet’s growth means for its changing nature is a very different question, however, akin to asking how human activity is changing the composition of the oceans. And just as human activity is not changing the oceans for the better — precisely the opposite, in fact — the Internet’s worsening overcrowding problem is not great for small businesses and their content marketing teams.
Precisely the opposite, in fact.
Which is why it’s so important for small businesses and independent entrepreneurs to take advantage of high-visibility business properties built to burnish their brands. Like these six.
1. Medium
Medium is basically a blog in a box. With ultra-high domain authority and an impressive collection of free content creation tools, it’s an ideal launching pad for your content marketing strategy. Better than your own blog, in case that needs to be said.
2. Crunchbase
Other than Wikipedia, which is a special case for reasons not worth discussing here, Crunchbase is one of the most valuable corporate listings you can get. You don’t have to jump through any hoops to get it, and it’s simple to set up. Just follow the lead of the profile set up by InsureOne, which includes a detailed company overview and contact details.
3. Inc
For individuals and companies alike, Inc is perhaps the Internet’s foremost business publishing platform not associated with a social media property (ahem, LinkedIn). Apply for a contributorship here and get to work sharing your game-changing ideas.
4. Forbes
In terms of raw thought leadership power, Forbes is a close second to Inc — or first, depending who you ask. The utility is the same: as a Forbes contributor, you’re incredibly well positioned to take your message to the people who most need to hear it while raising your professional profile in the process.
5. Business.com
With a name like that, it’s no wonder Business.com is a go-to for so many businesses eager to rise above the din. Use it as a springboard for your content marketing efforts: a place to see and, more importantly, be seen by current and future prospects.
The Audience Matters
No two web properties are alike. You know this better than the average Internet user, unless you’re also one to confuse your company’s website with that of its closest competitor.
But seriously (we hope): No two websites attract precisely the same audiences. However adept we’ve become at modeling their behavior, people aren’t clones, and they retain the capacity to surprise us. We shouldn’t expect that their web surfing behavior unfolds any differently.
What this means for your marketing strategy is, quite simply, that you need to be in as many places as needed to target the prospects upon whom that strategy depends. (And on whom your sales team is counting to close the deal.)
Said another way: the audience matters. The broader, more sympathetic, and more engaged, the better — on both sides of the trade. It’s time to quit dreaming of a bigger, more conversion-oriented audience and start making moves to create it. Before your competitors snatch it away.
