The Secret to Content Marketing for Start-Ups
What you need to know if you’re having a start-up.
When you start a business, there’s a lot on your mind: you think about how to fund all the equipment you’ll need, how to keep track of revenue and expenses, how to make enough profit, and how to get the word out about your business.
Content marketing? This might be the last thing on your list. You certainly have other priorities.
We agree. But as a startup, it’s important to put yourself out there and content marketing is the perfect combination between branding and marketing. This is our first approach to shaping the perception of a brand, while also driving sales. Here’s how you can do it too.
Summary
- Content marketing is the most cost-effective way to get the word out about your startup.
- Build your new content marketing strategy one month at a time so you’re not overwhelmed.
- Keep the focus on your customers and their needs, not your company.
- Review your content strategy regularly to make sure you’re reaching the right audience with the right message.
What you need to know before you start planning
Decide who you are
First thing first. You need to decide who you want to be known for as a company. Let’s say you have a skincare startup. You need to decide how you want to put your product out there. Will you be doing tutorials? Will you be writing blog articles on the products? Will you join TikTok and do short videos on them? The options are endless, you just need to figure out what works best for you and stick with it.
Of course, you can change things along the way, but be careful not to make too drastic of a change, because you might lose the followers and customers that joined you on your journey from the beginning.
You don’t need fifty thousand views of a post to be successful. Ten views from the right people will drive more revenue than thousands of random views.
Offer content to the people you want as customers
Have you defined your target audience? Offer them the content they want! Let’s keep going with the skincare startup as an example. Is your target audience teenage girls that struggle with acne? TikTok and Instagram might be your answer. Make your content fun and exciting while also offering qualitative and informative content.
Do you have a more diverse audience? Make sure you offer different content for your different types of audiences. We know it might be difficult at times, but keep in mind that teenage girls, for example, don’t respond to the same content older women do, so you need to find a balance between them if you want to transform your audience into customers.
Create content that helps
Make content that solves problems. It’s easy to forget your goals and get caught up in the next thing that can make you go viral. Content marketing is usually intended to solve problems. Spotting problems to address is one of the most underrated skills one can have. Open your eyes and pay attention to what’s going on around you and you’ll find things to solve in no time.
The better you get at doing this, the more successful your content marketing will be at building your brand and generating revenue. Determine what you want the reader to take away from your post before you start writing or filming and then create content that delivers the goods.
Stick to a schedule
If you want results you need to stick to a schedule and show up week after week. You can’t post this week, then be MIA for a month, and then post again. Not only will it increase your chances of getting to be better known, but it will also show you are consistent and committed. This is a plus for any business, big or small.
Force yourself into action. It might be intimidating and scary, but consistently showing up is an essential ingredient of content marketing.
Play the game
When we say play the game, we refer both to the short and the long term. Content marketing can provide you with immediate gratification in terms of sales and long-term value when it comes to building your brand. Every post should show your expertise on a certain topic. Once you provide enough useful content, your followers will start reaching out to you to solve their problems. That’s the end goal: to gain their trust and become their go-to business.
Conclusions
You don’t have to be worried about not having a budget for your marketing. With a killer content strategy and some good content, you build an audience, drive sales and increase conversions. All you need to invest is time.
One question remains, though. Quality or quantity? Neither. You have to keep in mind that not all your followers will see all your posts so the more content you put out there the bigger the chances that they will see at least one of your pieces of content. So, while quality is important and useful, quantity also is when you put yourself out there.
P.S. If you want to read more and find out some extra tips you can read the full article here.
