Reasons Why Your Startup Should Engage In Content Marketing
New startups face an uphill climb in getting noticed. Press releases are one way to broadcast news about your startup, but unless the founders are already public figures or the business idea is novel, it’s hard to get major news publications to pick up the press release. Journalists rarely consider startups newsworthy unless the product or service is revolutionary. Mobile and social media advertising are other effective ways for startups to get attention, but they are expensive.
Content marketing strategies are one way to get the word out about your startup without spending too much of your marketing budget. Entrepreneurs with a lot on their plate can outsource content creation if necessary. This provides another voice too, which is good because most entrepreneurs gush about how great their product is and people prefer to read something written by someone like them, so it’s conversational. The benefits of content marketing for startups include:
Brand Identity Building
Content marketing lets brands highlight their brand’s personality through content. If a brand is whimsical, outdoorsy or prestigious, they can portray their personality through their content.
Builds Brand Awareness
Startups can have the greatest idea in the world but if no one knows about it, they won’t succeed. Marketing video content, such as a product demo, is an ideal way for brands to show the public their product or service.
Provides Value
Educational content provides value to readers. Consumers searching for a solution to their problem would rather hear about how a product can solve the problem as opposed to a sales pitch. Additionally, once people see a startup’s leadership team publishing useful content, they will see them as authorities in their industry.
Helps Build a Subscriber List
Startups need to build a list of subscribers. Content marketing helps introduce a startup and get people interested in the company so they will opt-in for newsletters. Startups can nurture their leads through newsletters which should contain mostly industry news and just a short pitch at the end.
Build a Positive Reputation
Startups can help shape their company’s reputation through its content. Since no one else will be creating content about a startup, consumers will find out about a startup through their online content.
Helps Increase Website Traffic
Startups often need help to drive traffic to their website. Traffic is a special concern for startups selling a product or service which didn’t exist before since no one would search for their product or company name.
Search Engine Optimization
The more content a startup produces, the more they will have for their website, Google says content is king; the quality and relevance is how they rank search results. The more informative content a website posts, the higher they will rank for related search terms. The sites at the top of the search results get the majority of traffic from search engines.
Startups should market their content on platforms where their target customers hang out. In addition to placing their content on their own website, startups can use social media, including YouTube, to reach a wider audience.