How do you stay ahead of the curve and help your content rank as highly as possible? What do you...
Launching a new business is an exciting time. Being a brand-new startup often means overseeing a company buzzing with anticipation for great things, with a small but dedicated team eager to start generating wins and growing. This is a time for figuring out how you'll work to achieve your goals, which means answering many questions. From "how will we define our brand?" to more action-oriented explorations such as "what is content writing?" there is much to consider.
After all, 90% of start-ups don't make it. That's not a fact meant to scare you, but it does highlight the importance of putting the right pieces for success into place early on in your company's story. Effective content writing and outreach on the web are some of those pieces—but how do you get started, especially if you didn't get into business to think about writing? Here are a few important tips to point your start-up in the right direction.
1. Don't Hyper-Focus on One Type of Content
You need a strategy that adopts a holistic, broad answer to "what is content writing?" Your blog is only one piece of the puzzle. For example, email marketing is one of the most effective channels in terms of ROI—it ranks third overall after organic and paid social media content. Instead of keeping your team laser-focused on populating only the blog, you want to think about managing multiple content streams across different channels. It's a must-do to gain traction today.
2. Know Your Tone
Readers associate your post's tone and style with your brand's persona, so think carefully about what you say and how you say it. Consider the characteristics of your business—what do you want readers to come away thinking about you? Is your brand youthful, energetic, and playful, or is it professional and calculating? Settle on a tone that best defines your brand and ensure it always comes through in your content. When aligned with your audience, this intangible element of your content keeps readers returning.
3. Consistency is Vital
A startup can't afford irregularity with content marketing; going all-in is the only way if you want to see real results and a positive ROI. That means consistency in your posting schedule, the tone of the writing, and the quality of the content itself. Readers notice when things don't sound right or provide what they expected from the post, and on today's World Wide Web, there's no shortage of other places for them to go.
4. Understand Your Audience's Needs and Wants
Readers want value, not the hard sell. While you'll eventually want to produce content that motivates those further down in the sales funnel, your initial plans should prioritize content with useful information. What are some things your brand's target audience wants to know? How can you answer questions or provide interesting information to keep readers engaged? Keyword research, audience segmentation, and other tactics will help you arrive at the subjects and post types that work best for you.
5. Recognize When You Need Help
Running a robust content marketing campaign requires managing numerous moving parts and keeping a close eye on your analytics to measure performance. During the start-up stage, you may not always have the capacity of time or available labor to produce the content required to keep your efforts at full strength. When the budget allows, outsourcing might be ideal. Looking into opportunities to outsource or augment your capabilities with third-party help doesn't mean giving up control—it means giving your startup more tools to succeed.
Begin Better Promoting Your Start-Up Today
What is content writing but a modern tool for growing your startup into a fully-fledged business? Take your time with the process; remember, there is a wealth of professional experience out there that you can draw from to build your content campaigns. From launching your blog to cultivating an active social media following, knowing how to produce diverse content that remains unified under your brand will be one of your startup's best assets.
Twitter: When 90% of startups fail, new brands must work hard to hit the ground running, including with their marketing. What is content writing that works for your brand? Check out our tips now. #blogging
Facebook: "What is content writing?" might not be high on the list of questions startups think about, but it should be—it's key to effective marketing online today. How do you even get started, though, especially with so much else competing for your attention? Our quick tips will point you in the right direction with simple ideas for what you need to know.
LinkedIn: The start-up environment is challenging and exciting, but many startups don't last through their first year. More effective marketing and outreach, combined with other smart business strategies, can help see your fledgling brand through these trials on its way to maturity. Understanding online marketing concepts such as "what is content writing?" is the first step on that road.
Our latest post discusses five important tips every startup should remember when planning content marketing today. Discover what new businesses should keep in mind as they place their first campaigns online.
