Blogging for your startup is time-consuming, here are four tips to help you blog better
You’ve done the work for your tech startup blog.
Amidst the mountain of tasks you have, you’ve squeezed out countless of hours to churn out article after article. You might’ve even paid good money to a freelance writer to help lighten the load of content creation.
It’s time to see if your efforts have paid off. You login to Google Analytics with bated breath and…
Nothing.
No traffic. No leads. No slew of emails in your inbox from people eagerly asking about your startup solutions. You can’t figure out what’s wrong. Isn’t blogging supposed to help build awareness for your tech startup?
Frustrated and confused, you’re about to throw in the towel. Blogging for your startup seems so time-consuming and expensive, with hardly any returns.
But you shouldn’t give up just yet — especially if you’re a tech startup.
Here’s why –
Startup blogging helps your audience learn about you
Your startup mission is to craft a new product or service that disrupts the status quo.
That means you don’t have the luxury of riding on an existing model of success.
When speaking to target consumers, it takes more effort to explain how your startup solutions are solving their problems — compared to other businesses with more familiarity.
Optimising your startup blog ensures your content bridges the gaps in knowledge, trust and credibility between you and your prospects. Getting them to buy from you afterwards will be much more smooth-sailing!
A 2019 research by the Content Marketing Institute finds that 66% of U.S. consumers spend more on brands to which they feel loyal. This probably explains why around 8 in 10 B2C marketers want to create content that builds loyalty.
Similarly, a whopping 96% of the most successful B2B content marketers have audiences who view their company as a trusted resource.
The game is on for tech startups to create valuable resources to connect with and educate their target audience in the long run.
The problem is when you neglect one essential thing.
Your target audience won’t listen to you until you listen to them
Let’s face it.
There are a ton of businesses crowding out the Internet with content. It’s now more important than ever to make sure your startup blog creates unique value for your audience.
If you aren’t paying close attention to what they’re asking, your blog won’t provide the answers they need.
The result?
Your target audience will ignore you in search of other sites that will.
As an independent copywriter and content writer specialising in startups, I’ve met startup co-founders who were anxious to rank on page one of Google without knowing who they’re writing for.
They ended up creating generic content that had no chance in competing with the bigger, more established websites.
The lean machinery of a startup means that you have the opportunity to shine where other traditional organisations don’t:
Helping your target audience solve their specific pain points.
So before you hammer out your next article, take some time to better connect with your target audience:
1. Be crystal clear on your target audience
Remember all the hard work you’ve poured into going door to door, conducting interviews and surveys during your startup market validation process?
You should already have an inkling of who your ideal customer is.
Use that to create a buyer persona that pinpoints not only your ideal customer’s name and age, but also their beliefs and aspirations. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have all the information — take your best guess and refine it later!
2. Play agony aunt to your target audience
Let them complain. Let them whine. Most importantly, listen to what their biggest challenges are.
You can then create blog posts with insights and solutions to your target audience’s problems.
Show them how your startup product or service can change their lives!
3. Appear where your target audience hangs out
Zero in on the websites, forums, magazines, blogs and publications that your target audience is reading.
Go ahead. Do a little detective work and surprise your target audience with content that they haven’t been able to find on these websites before.
If these websites are already ranking highly on Google and allow for guest writers, rejoice! Your startup would gain credibility more quickly by posting on these sites while getting readership and direct feedback from your target audience.
4. Bait your target audience to read your startup blog
Applying this customer-centric startup blog strategy will allow you to create content that’s valued by your audience.
This naturally translates into more faithful engagements with your content, traffic, and leads.
Take a look at the content pieces I’ve published on Medium, a platform where my blog’s target audience of freelance writers frequented:
Not bad, considering I was getting reader engagement even before my blog was launched!
By identifying and focusing on your target audience, you’ll be on your way to gaining more blog readership.
You won’t feel like you’re talking to a brick wall anymore. You’d eventually have a stream of engaged readers who are curious about what your startup can offer that other businesses can’t. You’d look forward to having precious one-on-one conversations with these people to improve your startup offerings.
Your startup will also be one step closer to shaping the lives of these individuals, blog article by valuable article.
So take a step back and re-assess the content strategy for your startup blog.
You can start by connecting with the very people that your startup solutions are meant for.
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This article was first published on sherminong.com.
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Image Credit: Andre Hunter
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