The barrier to entry for content marketing is low, allowing startups to implement this proven effective marketing strategy faster and more cost-effectively than ever before. 

But here's the thing: the bar has never been higher. 

A brief blog post devoid of multimedia will no longer suffice. Prospects' and customers' expectations are rising. 

We are witnessing a winner-takes-all environment in many categories, with high-quality content pieces capturing the vast majority of eyes—and clicks. In fact, according to an Ahrefs study, 90.63 percent of all content receives no traffic from Google at all. 

How can your startup outperform the competition? 

This column will teach you how to plan a content marketing campaign, how to be memorable even on a tight budget, and how startups can measure content marketing success. 

Throughout the book, content marketers from successful startups share their advice and experiences to help you achieve the best results possible. Let's get this party started. 

How to Plan Content Marketing Campaigns for Your Startup?

There are a million things you could be doing: SEO, public relations, social media... It is easy to become overwhelmed, expensive, and distracting. 

Don't start all channels at once if you're on a tight budget, or you'll end up spreading yourself too thin. 

Balance long-term channels (SEO, social, podcasting) with short-term campaigns that can get you the attention you need right now. 

Short-term campaigns could include, for example, a Product Hunt promotion, being featured on Hacker News or TechCrunch, or speaking on the podcasts of industry leaders. 

This exposure enables you to better understand the market, fine-tune your messaging, and create your first opportunities. 

The 4-point framework below will help you plan a content marketing strategy, whether you are planning a long-term campaign or a short-term initiative. 

1. The goal 

Prior to launching your campaign, you must define your objectives. This aids in team alignment, communicating the purpose, and measuring progress and success. 

Your objectives and measurable targets will be separated from your goals. 

Your reason for being, or vision, is your objective. The goal depicts the big picture. Here are some examples of marketing objectives: 

PR activities should be used to raise awareness among software founders. 
Organize a networking event to foster relevant industry relationships. 
Create a blog to drive organic traffic using SEO. 

2. Objective 

Your objectives are measurable and quantifiable. You may have also heard the terms key results or KPIs. A goal should be so precise that there is no doubt whether you have met it or not. 

Here are some examples of targets: 

By the end of Q3, you should have published 20 press pieces. 
By the end of Q3, host two media dinners with key industry influencers. 
According to our content pillars, publish four keyword-focused blog posts per month. 

3. Messages 

Your messaging communicates the worth and benefit to your target audience. The target audience for an SEO or Social Media campaign is your potential prospects, leads, and customers. 

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Discuss the difficulties they are experiencing and provide them with one-of-a-kind, beneficial solutions. Keep in mind that content marketing is intended to be educational rather than promotional of the products your company sells. 

If you are running a public relations campaign, your target audience is the journalist with whom you are attempting to collaborate. They are looking for an interesting new storey to cover; their requirements may differ from those of your potential customers. 

Your messaging should ideally be highly relevant to the people in your target audience. 

Consider where each campaign is in the nurturing funnel. What makes sense to someone who has received ten drip emails may not make sense to someone who is visiting your website for the first time. 

4. Advertisement 

“More brands need to slow the pace of content and focus on wringing out every piece to get the maximum value and return on investment and effort,” says Holly Pels of Casted (founded in 2019). 

“For instance, consider a webinar. Marketers put in a lot of effort to create these assets, drive registrations, and host these events. After the webinar, most brands post them on their website as "on-demand" assets and let them collect dust. 

“Instead, turn the various insights from the webinar into written content. Snackable clips of the webinar should be released to entice people to return to the content. Did anyone ask any questions? Convert that into blog, social, or audio and video content. Consider creating an audio series that your audience can listen to on the go if the webinar is conversational in nature. The list goes on and on. 

You don't need a big budget to have a good (and effective) content marketing strategy. Every content marketer should practise reusing, repurposing, and repromoting content, especially content that has resonated with their audience.” 

3 Ways to Increase the Effectiveness of Your Content Marketing 

If you want to win at content marketing with your startup in a landscape where the barrier to entry is low but the bar is high, there are a few important things to consider: 

Concentration: Choose a small number of channels and master them. 
Quality: Acquiring proficiency will take time. In the first few weeks/months, don't get too caught up in metrics; instead, concentrate on producing high-quality results. 
Consistency: Content marketing is a game of compounding effects. Continue to invest in your channel to see exponential returns over time. 

“Because content can be such a driving force for so many areas of the business,” Holly Pels says, “too many brands have fallen into the trap of thinking that more content equals better results.” More content, in reality, usually means more content, more cost, and less efficiency.” 

You will be remembered if you use good content marketing. 

“Early-stage startups should focus on crafting their unique go-to-market message and then finding like-minded people to buy into that message,” says Ian Luck, VP Marketing for CustomerGauge (founded in 2007). Be one-of-a-kind and take a stand in the marketplace.” 

The power of content marketing is in its ability to create and capture demand. If your content reads the same as everyone else's, you might get a click, but no one will remember you. 

Your brand and voice are extremely important. They convert a search engine or social media click into a potential fan or lead. 

“In-house content resources are critical,” said Matthew Brew, Head of Marketing at EduMe (founded in 2016). Writing is very revealing because it allows you to read someone's level of interest in what they're writing about. That is why you need people who are completely committed to your mission to be true brand guardians, to truly embody (or craft) your tone of voice.” 

Good content marketing is, first and foremost, one-of-a-kind. When a potential customer begins their buying cycle, good content marketing keeps you at the top of their mind. 

Buffer's "open blog," in which they share their entire startup journey, including financials, is a well-known example. 

It was one-of-a-kind, took a stand, and is still bringing them attention, clicks, and customers. 

A more recent example is the video series Wynter Games, created by the 2020 startup Wynter. 

This live online event takes place once a month and covers topics related to B2B marketing. 

Another great example is ConvertKit's Creator Stories, a blog series that features artists, journalists, and musicians. 

ConvertKit also launched a new podcast, The Future Belongs to Creators, in 2020. 

It's interesting, shareable, and connects Convert Kit with their target audience. 

Measuring Startup Success: A Counter-Intuitive Approach 

In the early stages of a startup, content marketing can be a powerful tool for testing your offer and establishing initial relationships. 

Your objectives should be to create high-quality content while also refining your messaging and offers. 

“Remember that the measure of success for that early content may not be in terms of views, links, or keyword rankings, but rather focus on getting market validation for ideas/topics,” says Ellie Mirman of Mulberry (founded in 2018). 

“Over time, you will learn the role different types of content play in your marketing mix – what is required for SEO, nurturing, PR, and so on – and you will be able to align your success metrics with each of those goals.” 

“The advantage startups have over larger established organisations is agility,” Ian Luck adds. Startups should focus on building a community around their distinct go-to-market strategy and market view – and then bring 5x the content to market as your closest competitor.” 

After you've mastered the art of creating high-quality content, you can devote more time to tracking the traditional marketing metrics — search rankings, page views, conversions, and revenue — in greater depth. 

Ideas for Content Marketing on a Shoestring Budget 

Matthew Brew advises startups to be creative, saying, "Nothing is off limits!" From creating ways for your employer brand to stand out on social media to turning senior leaders into influencers by approaching them for content.” 

Here are a few content marketing ideas on a budget that can produce immediate results because they rely on platforms with an existing audience: 

- Participating in industry podcasts. 
- Employee advocacy and employer branding 
- Giving presentations at conferences. 
- Hosting or giving a presentation at a webinar. 
- Brand collaborations and influencer campaigns 
- Putting together a co-branded industry report. 
- Participating in an online community (Facebook or LinkedIn groups, Slack, Whatsapp). 
- I'm running a ProductHunt campaign. 
- Publish a deal on AppSumo. 
- Creating articles for LinkedIn or Medium. 
- Conducting a focused outreach campaign (LinkedIn or email).

Summary 

Content marketing is a powerful tool for creating and capturing demand – if you stay focused and don't get sidetracked. 

Instead of launching a slew of initiatives and channels all at once, narrow your focus. Choose some initiatives that will use existing audiences to generate feedback and first leads for some quick wins. 

Then, narrow your focus to the channels that your ideal customer profile enjoys. Get really good at one before dabbling in another. 

Find out what works in your specific market niche and replicate it!