Tech startups are abundant, and all of them are vying for funding and customers. Digital advertising is an option for them to get the word out, but for young companies with fresh ideas the general public does not know much about, content marketing is essential. With content, neophyte businesses can build their online presence while educating potential audience members.
However, as innovative as techies can be, people in tech startups can be overly STEM-minded and struggle with the creative and personal aspects of a business. If you believe this applies to you and are attempting to tackle content marketing yourself, here are a few pieces of advice for connecting with your intended audience:
Practice the art of storytelling
Traditional sales advertisements are dull. No one likes being nothing more than a target. Why should people care what discounts you are offering or even what your products are if they know nothing about you? People prefer stories; they are more attention-grabbing and enable an emotional connection.
The early rounds of your content (as well as evergreen parts of your website) need to convey your business’s narrative. Where did your idea come from? What motivated you to start this company, and who else is in it with you? If you tell people why you are invested in your business (outside of profit), you give them reasons to be invested as well. A good story inspires people to do business with you without having to use an on-the-nose call to action, so think of ways to bring your brand’s message to life.
Combine your tech and creative skills
You launched a tech startup, so you probably have some tech skills. Good news: those come in handy when it comes to creating content. Writing and design are integral to creating content, but so are video, audio, infographics, and other media. Once you know what your brand’s story is, how can you tell it? Maybe you can produce an animated video of why your products are necessary and how they work, or start a podcast that talks about the gaps in your industry that you fill.
Inform and entertain
One of your primary goals is to educate people about your products or services. Learning is so much easier, though, when there is a bit of fun involved. Your content will be more successful if it makes people laugh or brings a sense of excitement. Much of this has to do with storytelling, but it’s important to acknowledge because boring stories don’t accomplish anything. Plus, making your content intriguing makes the educational parts more digestible. You could even write about seemingly unrelated things to give people a break from hearing about your products, such as the best food your team likes to eat in the office or how launching your startup inspired you to start dating again.
Be socially conscious
This piece of advice is not so much strictly related to content marketing as it is to your brand as a whole. The most important thing a business can do is be socially and environmentally conscious. Not only are consumers drawn to ethical businesses they can feel good about, but it’s also the right thing to do. Let your audience know what you do to put some good into the world. Maybe it has to do with your hiring practices, helping marginalized people with your products or services themselves, your energy consumption practices, or something else that demonstrates how much you care.
Establish yourself as a thought leader
Content is also an opportunity to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. How did you notice the gap in your market, and why is your business a legitimate solution? What is the actual technology behind your product or service? You should not limit yourself to your own blog and social media channels, though—an effective way of solidifying your place in your industry is by guest writing with other outlets and publishers. The more places people see your name, the further your reach spreads.
Optimize content for SEO
To make yourself more visible, optimize your content for SEO. Conduct keyword research and include them in your blog posts and headers (without overstuffing) so that you are more likely to appear on the first page of Google results when people search for your brand name or niche. Your technical skills will come in handy here, too, for making your pages “spider” friendly.
Social media plays a role in SEO, too, so keep your channels active and interact with your followers whenever you can. For in-platform SEO, use hashtags to make your posts more discoverable and participate in industry conversations.
Tech startups can benefit significantly from content marketing, but you’ll need to get creative when it comes to educating and exciting your audience. What is the next piece of content you will create?
