Content Marketing: growth catalyst for tech-startups
In this interview, Caroline Hof, an experienced marketing expert in the B2B tech sector, reveals her best tips and strategies for making tech start-ups more visible by means of content marketing.
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WHY CONTENT MARKETING IS ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR STARTUP
Content marketing aims to use helpful content as a way of making yourself visible to the relevant target groups, gradually building trust and creating long-term relationships with them. It is therefore an ideal approach for tech start-ups offering complex products that require explanation. Artificial intelligence, for instance, still causes skepticism and uncertainty among many people. High-quality content can demystify, counteract skepticism and build trust in the long term. Tech start-ups, for example, can use blog posts, videos or white papers to show different areas of application and explain to potential customers how AI can improve their business or their lives. Furthermore, helpful content provides sales employees with a basis for sales talks.
5 STEPS TOWARDS DEVELOPING AN IMPACTFUL CONTENT STRATEGY
To ensure founders will reach the right people, they need a sophisticated cross-channel content strategy. I recommend the following five steps on how to develop such a strategy:
- Set goals: Think about what you want to achieve using content marketing, for example brand awareness, generating leads or gaining customers. Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your activities.
- Define target group(s): To whom do you want to address your offer? In B2B, often there are several target groups as several people are involved in a purchase decision. I recommend developing so-called personas, or customer avatars.
- Define topics: What drives your target groups? What topics do they deal with?
- Select channels: Where do you meet the people you want to reach? In B2B, these include LinkedIn, specialist media, specialist forums, the website or trade fairs and events.
- Cover the customer journey: Make sure to keep an eye on the entire customer journey with your content marketing measures.
SECRET TO SUCCESS OF AGILE CONTENT STRATEGIES
Success is determined by laying the proper groundwork: last year, I worked with an AI start-up to develop a content strategy that focuses on several stakeholders, each with different information preferences. An agile editorial plan was and still is the basis for orchestrating the measures for the various stakeholders – and thus reacting fast and flexibly to current topics. This enabled the AI experts to successfully position themselves as problem solvers and industry experts amongst their target groups on LinkedIn and other channels.
CONTENT MARKETING CHALLENGES FOR TECH-STARTUPS
One of the biggest challenges in content marketing for tech-startups, as well as in B2B in general, is that there is not just one target group. In the case of high-priced, complex offers, there are always several people involved in the purchase decision. And they all need different information with different technical detail. It is therefore essential to take this into account when developing a content strategy. However, there is also a risk of getting bogged down in details during the implementation. My advice: first develop actions for just one or two of the most important personas of a channel and test them out like an MVP (minimum viable product). Startups in particular have limited resources. If you implement too much too hastily, you may quickly become overstrained. On the other hand, those who take a step-by-step approach will make faster progress with the lessons learned “on a small scale” – and can expand the activities to other channels and personas.
ESTABLISHED CONTENT FORMATS FOR FOUNDERS
To ensure that content reaches the relevant people, founders should be very familiar with the key topics and preferred formats of potential customers. This can vary for the CEO or technical director of a company. For example, step-by-step instructions, infographics or videos are suitable for generating attention among B2B target groups. Technical white papers offer more in-depth information if someone is already interested in the product. And if potential customers are about to make a purchase decision, case studies can convince them to buy by illustrating how your tech startup has already successfully helped other companies with its products and services.
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