How to Develop a Killer Content Marketing Strategy for Startups
Startups don't have it easy as they have to find a way to establish their place in the industry. While experienced and successful businesses have their winning marketing strategy in place, startups are mostly dabbling in the dark. One of the most important aspects of marketing is content marketing. It can pave the way to developing your business without spending much (or any) money.
The mistake that many startups or even more experienced businesses make is that they don't develop a content marketing strategy. The importance of creating and documenting is shown through the fact that only 37% of B2B marketers have documented their content marketing strategy in 2018 and this year that number has reached 69%.
Creating a content marketing strategy won’t seem so unattainable and complex if you know which steps to take. That’s why the following tips will guide you through the process.
Define Your Goals
Content marketing can lead to different business goals. It can be used to achieve:
Brand awareness
Brand loyalty
Customer education
Customer engagement
Getting more traffic
SEO success
While most of these results are interconnected, you should define a goal that your content strategy wants to achieve. This goal (or goals) should be clearly stated. For example, it can be to increase the number of email subscribers, to get more followers on social media, to introduce a new product, etc.
Defining a goal of your strategy will keep you focused on your aim and therefore, give you better ideas on what direction you need to take to make it happen.
Identify Your Competition
Content marketing helps you brand your business and express your originality. In order to do that, you have to learn more about your competitors. If your content outreach is similar to others in your niche, the audience won’t have a reason to choose you.
Study your direct competition and spot clues that signal their content marketing strategy and performance. You can learn a lot from your competitors. The comments, feedback, and interaction they have with their customers can give you a hint about what works and doesn’t work for your target audience.
Authenticity is what surfaced many brands from the pond of unknown businesses. However, to be authentic you first need to identify which content strategies have already been taken. The competitors will help you find your unique position in the marketplace.
Study Your Target Audience
Having a clear image of what characterizes your target audience is the key to forming a successful content marketing strategy. As a newbie in your niche, winning over the target audience won’t be possible without personalized content.
The information you need to attain your target audience is:
Demographic data (age, gender, location, education, jobs, etc.)
Audience’s priorities, interests, likes, and dislikes
Audience’s problems related to your niche
Audience’s typical behavior
There are several ways in which you can collect this information:
Web analytics
Social media analytics
Email subscriber analytics
Content analytics
Customer feedback
Comments and discussions on competitor’s websites
Google Analytics is the most popular tool for collecting data on the audience. Besides the basic information, it also helps you identify their key interests. All you need is to take the following steps in the platform: Audience > Interests > Overview.
Publish Only High-Quality Content
Digital marketers can talk about content quantity all they want but if that content isn’t of good quality it will be worthless. The quality is what defines the acceptance of your brand among potential customers. Not to mention that search engines value quality content as well.
High-quality content presents your brand as professional, caring, and trustworthy. These are all qualities that every startup wishes to be associated with.
The characteristics that are usually found in high-quality content are:
Engagement
Credible sources of information
Concise content (for an audience with short attention span)
Valuable and relevant information
High-quality visuals related to the topic
The mental pathway that takes readers from point A to point B
To produce relevant and well-written content you need talented writers and editors. What can help you with the creation process are the following tools and services:
- TrustMyPaper and Grammarly – While the writing service TrustMyPaper can connect you with experienced writers, Grammarly can serve you as a free solution for editing and proofreading.
- Studicus and HemingwayApp – With these two tools you can get high-quality content on any desired topic and free editing tool that will signal any potential mistakes.
- Readable and OnlineUtility – These are the most popular readability checkers that can spot any inconsistencies and confusing thoughts in your content. Aim for a score of 80 or higher.
Plan Your Content
Planning the content will ensure that you don't end up with an inconsistent posting schedule or poor-quality posts. When you create content in advance you'll always have time to make some changes without any pressure.
You may have the option to turn to writing services such as GrabMyEssay and BestEssayEducation when you need fresh content ASAP but why put yourself in stressful situations? Give yourself the freedom to create content with patience and care.
With scheduling tools, you don’t have to worry about forgetting to post something. Simply add your new content to the schedule as soon as you create it and let the automation tools do the rest.
Decide on Channels of Distribution
Where you post your content will define what type of content you need to create as well as its frequency. That’s why you have to decide your main distribution platforms.
Besides your website and email, you should think about having a blog. A blog is perfect for driving traffic to your website.
Social media platforms are inevitable content distribution channels. However, you don’t need to use all of them. You can focus your content solely on Instagram for example, or you can also use Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok. It all depends on your brand and your target audience.
Final Thoughts
Content marketing doesn’t have to be a problem for your brand when you have your strategy in order. Be very detailed and precise in developing your strategy and you’ll have nothing to worry about.
Lastly, don’t forget to test the content’s performance and assess the results. They will show you what works for your brand and what you need to change. Good luck!
Kristin Savage nourishes, sparks, and empowers using the magic of a word. Along with pursuing her degree in Creative Writing, Kristin was gaining experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy for publishers and authors. Besides working as a freelance writer at WowGrade she also does some editing work at SupremeDissertations. In her free time, Kristin likes to travel and explore new countries around the world.