When it comes to startups, everybody wants to be a unicorn. And no this doesn’t refer to the mythological creatures you read about in children’s novels, but instead, it’s a term that was coined to describe a privately held startup company with a value of over $1 billion. However, one of the biggest pitfalls standing between your early-stage startup and that $1 billion valuation is trying to achieve too much with too few resources. The solution to this problem is to focus your efforts instead on using tools and implementing strategies which are cost-effective and aren’t labour-intensive. So as a founder, you may need to forgo scope in order to achieve higher depth: in steps content marketing.
According to research from Forbes China, the number of unicorns reached 1,653 as of June 30, 2023 – and astonishingly more than 90% of the global total are new companies in China and the United States, representing a 20% increase compared to last year, so the possibility is out there. But unless you’re one of the few that has created a category killer or major market disruptor, you’re likely competing in an overcrowded industry with a stream of established brands all claiming their product to be “superior”. So how can you make sure that your new brand not only stands out but is viewed by potential audiences as more desirable than others that are already on the market? Because you don’t have brand equity yet, one of the best ways to build it, while simultaneously growing your exposure and awareness is content marketing. We’d even go as far as to hang our hats and say it’s one of the most important tools in a startup founder’s toolkit.
In any business, there’s no guaranteed checklist to success, but there are strategies, if put in place correctly, that can work to a startup's advantage and that begins with a robust content marketing strategy. So, join Wordsmith as we make the case for startups using content marketing.
1. It Helps You Establish Brand Credibility
It comes as no surprise that online audiences are becoming increasingly critical and distrusting of traditional pushy sales tactics. They no longer believe the outrageous claims and fake customer reviews – readers are looking for the real deal that doesn’t come packaged in a pop-up advert. In fact, studies show that 42.7% of internet users worldwide currently use ad-blocking software in some form. So, what can you do to counteract the cynicism – build credibility through value-led content marketing. If you can prove your brand is a valuable and reliable source of information you’re halfway there to converting your audiences. And what’s one of the most successful ways of boosting brand credibility? Starting a blog. Research shows that blogs happen to be the ideal vehicle to build your reputation as it’s regarded as one of the most trustworthy sources of information online.
Jessica Wong, Founder and CEO of Valux Digital explains, “The content shared in a blog post does not normally contain a sales message but instead provides information that is relevant, valuable and often educational. As customers benefit from the information presented to them, they will come to associate that content with the brand, allowing it to cement the trust between both parties.” Jenna Guarneri, CEO of JMG Public Relations agrees stating that blogging is “an affordable and efficient tool to help companies get the word out and engage with their target audience on a steady and consistent basis…The more information consumed from your site, the more your audience is likely to return. As you continue to establish yourself as a leader in your field, they’re likely to begin to trust your knowledge and expertise.” If you need more convincing, read our top 5 reasons why you should incorporate blogging into your content marketing strategy.
2. It Boosts Your Traffic Stream
Investing in content marketing also does wonders for your Google search rankings and the number of clicks to your site. Pay-per-click advertising is one avenue that many startups may go down, but it’s very expensive and not a feasible solution for attracting loyal customers to your website in the long term. CEO of Digital and Design company, My Biz Niche, commented, “We’ve all seen the great strides search engines — Google in particular — have taken toward making quality content a top-ranking factor. Through earthshaking algorithm changes, Google has made it a must for businesses to publish nothing but useful content if it wants any opportunity to rank high in search results. So, by consistently publishing quality content, your business can become more visible online, and your SEO efforts will yield better results.”
Research shows that if businesses take the time to optimise their online content for search engines, it will pay off dividends. The important thing for you as a startup founder, is to focus on long-tail keywords that your buyer personas frequently search for and embed these into your online content so you can gradually improve the brand’s rankings on those keywords over time. If you ensure that every piece of online content your team creates contains particular keywords and phrases that your potential audiences are searching for, you will appear at the top of their search. This can result in a steady stream of traffic over time that brings long-term exposure to your startup.
John Hall, co-founder of scheduling app Calendar, says, “Optimising your website for search and creating helpful, customer-focused landing pages results in increased exposure. Building a large online following does a lot more than merely boost your bottom line, nice as that is. Online popularity tends to snowball. Many will interpret a large number of social media followers and buyers as a sign that your products and services are trustworthy and reliable. Consumers act as an informal reference, providing your brand with additional credibility.”
It's good to remember that Google also grades its organic listings based on factors like a page's backlinks—both quality and quantity—the relevance of your page’s content to the search term and your website’s bounce rate, so it’s important for startups to create a consistent flow of quality content with quality backlinks their main website.
Creating a consistent flow of content for your social media channels can also be a great way of boosting traffic to your site. And it doesn’t have to be labour intensive either – if you consider using free social media scheduling tools that also provide post metrics and analysis which allow you to track engagement rates, impressions and social shares, your content team can get valuable time back to keep creating useful content. To keep your audiences engaged in the long term, you should be starting two-way conversations with your customers regularly and also be following relevant hashtags to see what’s new and trending in your industry. Over time, you’ll find that the wider you cast your content net, the larger your traffic will grow.
3. It Enables You To Grow Your Contact List
Once you’ve established a consistent flow of quality content as a startup, you’ll find that over time, you’ll gain traction and a loyal following, who will want to see more of your content content. At this junction, it’s important to prompt them to sign up for more, either through call to actions on your website that leads to exclusive gated content, or through an email subscription, both avenues will ultimately help to bolster your lead generation. The more touchpoints you have with readers, the higher the likelihood they will become customers.
However, compared to other channels, studies show that email marketing has one of the highest Returns on Investment (ROI) out there with an average of $36 for every $1 spent. So, if you’re serious about expanding your contact list and improving your bottom line, building a robust, healthy email list needs to be a top priority for startups. When used wisely, it can have an immeasurable impact on the overall success of content marketing campaigns, traffic and ultimately sales. Without an email list, you could miss out on reaching potential customers as it’s one of the best ways to connect with leads because research indicates you’re 40 times more likely to gain new customers through email than through social channels like Facebook or Twitter. But growing your email subscriber list isn’t a quick and easy process, it takes creativity, analysis, and ongoing practice. Startups need to closely monitor consumer interests and needs as they continue to evolve because your email content and list should accurately reflect those changes.
To learn more about different kinds of content distribution and how it can help you grow your contact list, click here.
4. It Allows You To Better Communicate Your Value Proposition
If your product or service needs more than a single sentence to communicate its value to your audiences, content marketing can offer an invaluable advantage. Rather than your proposition being reduced to a small promotional message or advertising banner that can be easily missed, create informative blog posts, detailed whitepapers, how-to-videos, and eye-catching infographics instead to explain exactly how your brand can benefit your audience, more than the competitors in your industry can.
Abdo Riani, CEO of startup development company, VisionX Partners, explains, “In the early startup stages, your main goal is to iterate on your offering and find product-market fit. So, if your content marketing strategy gives you information that helps you in the pursuit of PMF, then it is generating additional value.” Startups are still finding their feet when it comes to messaging and value propositions, which makes building a content marketing strategy kind of like a chicken and egg situation, but Abdo encourages startups to take some time getting to, “know who you're talking to. Develop buyer personas by engaging in customer surveys, data mine existing customers, and continue to do internal brainstorming sessions. Then take all that information to help sculpt your key messaging and value propositions going forward.” The type of content you create for every stage of a buyer’s journey should be different too. So, if you want to know a little bit more about how to create captivating content for every stage, click here.
For most startup businesses, the first time your potential consumers will come into contact with your brand will likely be online, so building a robust content marketing strategy to attract, engage and delight readers is a must from the get-go. Not only is it cost-effective and not labour-intensive, but it also can be used to increase brand awareness and credibility, boost website traffic, grow your contact list and be considered one of the most trustworthy platforms to shout about your value proposition. Fortunately, the internet is levelling the playing field for startups by offering the same opportunities for every business to reach their target demographic through content marketing, no matter what their budget. When done right, content marketing can effectively insert your brand into industry conversations without spending nearly as much as your more established competitors. And this is what makes content marketing such an ideal fit for startups.