These are the days when startups are discerning more than ever the prominence and efficacy of an impeccable content marketing strategy. Entrepreneurs are investing the best of their efforts in feeding this ‘content marketing’ beast today so that it could safeguard and escalate their business needs tomorrow.
However, commencing a content marketing program straight from scratch comes out a task rather daunting.
Only an entrepreneur knows what it takes to begin with nothing. Maneuvering conventional ways of marketing can be expensive and time-curbing. When established and capable brands hold the budget and time to spend on these, content proves to be the lifejacket of an entrepreneur.
Almost every startup or small business deals with the bafflement of ‘low-funding' or ‘no-funding.' Content marketing, when done right, becomes the most cost-effective form to kick start your business. An effectual and appealing piece of content can usher to you many loyal fans without your having to spending a lot of money.
Genuine and engaging content builds trust in prospects. This trust fosters long-term relationships which eventually help in establishing the identity of your brand.
Research shows content marketing impacts your bottom line. It gives you a devoted audience. Slender resources and budgeting issues interfere nowhere when you possess true fans. You generate leads, get conversions and reach your goals!
The unfeasible expectations that many startups breed while employing content marketing strategies serve as a self-made challenge to them. They start off with a pre-conceived notion that putting a blog section on their website and filling it with blogs can take them to the highest Google ranking.
Regrettably, it never happens.
The truth is content marketing is not a wonder drug. It’s a process of immense assiduity and unflinching skills. Posting blogs on your website frequently and then expecting to drive audience in bulk can hurt your business. Your business needs qualitative content and curating a successful blog or article takes time. Also, a handful of relevant content solely cannot serve the purpose.
So, begin with patience and techniques. Trim the excess from expectations. Don’t overload your content marketing strategy. Mark smaller goals (weekly or monthly) to achieve a specific count of followers or email subscribers. Set your budget and try to win the trust of your audience by offering them quality content.
Planning to shoot a content marketing strategy and a dearth of proper or complete plans comes as one of the biggest challenges that startups face. The reason is lack of resources and absence of dedicated content creators. When there is no one responsible for concocting editorial plans and calendars, your content marketing would definitely not speak for your brand the way you want.
When it comes to relevant and fitting content marketing plans, having a full-time content creator is no less than a matter of opulence for a startup. However, if you do not find it viable to go for one, hire a consultant to create and manage your content marketing calendar.
Incorporating proper structures to your work is another step to cut the edges of a task that looks like a scratch. Your content marketing plans should be in tune with the tone of your brand: your brand values, brand aspirations, and brand goals.
Set priorities, schedule calendars, and invest in short-term plans. Stick to the timeline. Be clear with the type of content you plan to deliver. Piloting clarity in your content stratagem will not only eliminate the chaos of improper strategy but also make your content marketing goals more feasible.
Beginnings are tough but exciting. New business owners get bumped with enthusiasm at the initial stage of introducing content marketing to their business plans. Once all the steamy ideas are out in their content, procrastination enters. Content-commitments seem to break and your marketing tends to lose pace.
Stop procrastinating. There would be lot many things hanging on your board but delaying tasks out of any reason would simply knock off the interests of your audience and drag them back. Also, don’t go random. Too much content can annoy them. Post blogs or articles or send emails in a balanced and scheduled way.
Error-free content marketing is not a one-day job. It demands consistency and unbreakable commitment. Stay adamant in terms of never skipping a date of your schedule. Persistency in delivering content prepares base of trust in your prospects which brings them back to you as leads and turns them into your loyal customers.
As content is the sole cost-effective source, many startups heap up their marketing with excess blogs or articles. This constant chain of efforts in producing content suffocates the quality level, and thus the aim remains untouched.
There is a science behind creating successful content which is missed by many entrepreneurs or novel content creators.
As it is the very initial stage of your content, emphasize more on quality content. Research so that you are able to know your targeted prospects. Learn about their interests, problems, solutions, tone of conversation, and the platforms suitable best to communicate with them. The solicitation has to be based on the concoction of ‘what you know of your audience' and ‘what you intent to offer them.'
Engage in SEO content with no shortcuts. Search Engine Optimization schemes optimizes your website to let the search engines like Google, Yahoo, and many others know about your business’s presence. As you are starting, analyzing and re-analyzing matters the most. Revise the technical part of SEO and use accurate keywords to entice more audience.
Your content has to be in flow of transparency. Exaggerated deals that are low in authenticity can attract the potential customers once but repel them forever.
Times might come when showing up with fresh and new content every time can appear bothersome. When nothing works, re-purposing old content works like a magic wand. That’s called DIY content. Go back to some of your old write-ups, gather stats or punch-facts, and give them a new form: a White Paper, an E-book, or a blog. Infusing this re-framed content in business emails or promotional messages can work as a lifeboat for startups that lack resources.
Content Marketing holds the potential of shaping the future of Startups. Content marketing challenges stand nowhere when you know the science of tackling them.
