In today’s era of global market reach, all companies require a robust marketing strategy and campaign to launch their product or service to the target segment. More than other companies, startups rely on great web designs and innovative ways of communication so as to spread brand awareness, establish a brand personality and to encourage customer acquisition. However, if you are low on cash, devising a cost-effective marketing campaign could be a herculean task for you. Using traditional forms of print or digital media such a television, newspaper and even online advertising could cost you a fortune. This is where blogging comes to your rescue by enabling efficient marketing of your brand without burning a hole in your pocket.
Now, even if you are new to the world of writing, worry not! This blog highlights various tips that could come handy for novices and add that extra edge to your startup blog. Read on to find out how you can use blogs for content marketing of your startup.
1. Plan your Content
Whether you are a startup in the IT, SEO or any other industry such as media or PR, you would primarily focus on providing innovative solutions to your client’s business or social problems. This creativity must also be reflected in your blog posts – generic content that is easily attainable through other sources will not catch the eye of your potential clients. Therefore, before you start working on your brilliant blog, think about the following:
- Who is your target audience? What are their concerns that you wish to address?
- How does your blog provide them with a solution?
- What kinds of blog post ideas are most suitable for your target segment? Choose from among interviews, infographics, tutorials etc.
- Would the tone of your blog be formal or casual?
- How often will you update your blog and what topics will you cover?
2. Creating Holistic Resources
Instead of putting up regular content, startup blogs should aim at creating manuals or in-depth resources that can come handy to their target audience. Resource pages contain valuable information that attracts visitors in search of useful data. Such blogs may also help in generating potential leads through signups for emails and newsletters. Renowned websites like UX Pin and MailChimp follow this strategy beautifully.
Resource pages can also be extensively used before a product launch to create the much required hype among potential customers. A few tips to keep in mind while creating a resource page:
- Publish evergreen content that can later be expanded based on new developments in the industry to ensure search engine traffic for a long duration.
- Use graphics, videos, slideshows and images to make your content look visually enticing. Use different headings (H2 and H3) to lay emphasis on points and keep your readers engaged.
- Offer freebies for signups. These could comprise of eBooks, downloadable PDFs or important data about a subject in return for their email ids.
3. Know Your Competitors
Know what your competitors publish on their blog. Look for any gaps in their work and ensure that you omit the same while working on your own blog’s success. Add a unique value to the blog to make sure that the target segment finds it more attractive and credible as compared to others of its kind. You could use the online tool BuzzSumo to research about your biggest competitors. It lets you know how popular all articles linked to a specific keyword are on social media platforms. Once you get an understanding of which blogs are most popular, use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to outshine them.
4. Be Consistent
Every writer has their own unique style of writing. Stick with your own. Read blogs written by renowned writers but do not try to imitate their tone of writing. Remember that authenticity is greatly appreciated and originality is what will help you stand out from the rest.
Create a framework before you sit down to write. Answer questions that you think would be of interest to your target market. Write not less than 500 words, though 1500 words would be ideal to attract maximum likes, links and shares.
Remember how utterly important it is that you are being consistent with the frequency of publishing blogs, so do not keep your readers waiting for too long for your next post. Be regular with blogging and edit your blogs only once you are done completing them. Do not try to proofread or edit midway as it breaks the required flow. Incorporate stories in your blogs to keep your readers glued to your content. Write as though you’re interacting with one person and not with an audience at large.
5. Be Creative
What lead to the foundation of your startup? There must have been some innovative idea or technique that could possibly solve a customer’s problem. Highlight the same in your blog and be creative while you’re at it. Remember that your potential customers are looking for solutions. Your blog could be a great way to help them understand why they must be interested in your Startup. Therefore, instead of talking about yourself, talk about value addition to the lives of customers. Build a brand for your blog that people would want to relate to.
Your readers understand that nobody knows-it-all, so do not shy away from being honest and humble. It is not necessary for you to load the headlines of your blogs with keywords for the purpose of attaining better SEO rankings. Be innovative in your approach and if your work attracts readers, google rankings will automatically catch up eventually.
