5 Powerful Content Marketing Plays to Make Your Business Stand Out Online

By Barbara Roy, Content-Communications-Training Strategist & Writer

The online world is crowded, but your business doesn’t have to blend in. If your content isn't engaging, your SEO isn’t pulling its weight, or your social media feels like an afterthought—you’re leaving opportunities on the table. The good news? These five simple strategies can elevate your business from unnoticed to unforgettable.

1. Stop making product guides that read like a robot wrote them.

We get it—your legal department likes dry, lifeless instructions. But guess what? Customers don’t. You want loyalty? Give them a manual they actually want to read. Look at brands like Mackie, who write their guides with humor, attitude, and personality. Mackie has long been known for the easy readability and conversational tone of their manuals. It's almost like they view their technical content as an extension of their brand and use that content as another method of communication to their specific customers.

2. Own the conversation—create THE go-to glossary for your industry.

People are searching for jargon, acronyms, and industry terms right now—and you could be the brand that owns that traffic. Companies like Cohesity have done this brilliantly with their data security glossary, turning niche terms into high-value SEO gold. Stop waiting for someone else to lead the conversation. Be the authority.

3. Stop treating social media like a side project.

Half-baked LinkedIn posts and once-a-month Twitter updates aren’t cutting it anymore. Social media is where buyers, partners, and opportunities---your future customers---are living. Show up, share ideas, and make sure your voice is loud enough to actually be heard. Share customer wins. Call out bad industry practices. Make people care.

4. Take your SEO seriously, or stay invisible.

This one should be a no-brainer. You could have the best blog post in the world—but if your SEO is absent, no one will ever find it. Think of SEO as your unpaid sales team, constantly working in the background to make sure people can discover you. The content is there so a good portion of the work has already been done. If you’re ignoring optimization, you’re handing traffic to your competitors.

5. Don’t let your mission statement be just words.

People know the difference between lip service and authenticity. If your website screams "customer-first," but your support system is a nightmare, the disconnect will lose trust fast. Every piece of your content—social posts, blogs, branding—should reinforce your mission. Say it. But more importantly, show it.