The Importance of Content Marketing for Tech Startups

Content Marketing has been a mainstream marketing activity for a long time now. In nearly all segments of the marketplace. It’s particularly important for tech-savvy buyers seeking education in a particular product category. Its growing importance corresponds to the general decline in outbound marketing response rates. Along with Internet-driven preferences toward more control over inbound sales and marketing activities associated with the product procurement process.

But it’s also an activity that, when done well, isn’t the least labor-intensive marketing method out there. Many software and hardware technology startups have an overwhelming long list of key agenda items and limited resources. Content marketing sometimes becomes an activity that “we’ll get to a bit down the road”.

In most situations, this is a big mistake. That’s because excellent content marketing, while somewhat labor-intensive, can enable a tech startup to “punch well above its weight”. Startups can’t outspend their larger, more established competitors in marketing. They don’t have an existing brand or customer base that can provide a baseline level of sales for any newly released product. And they can’t blanket the marketplace with hoards of direct salespeople. Or a large existing reseller network.

What a startup CAN do is position itself as a leader in technology and market knowledge. Using lower-cost methods such as internally managed PR and AI-enabled content marketing.

Let’s take a detailed look at some of the most important reasons for investing scarce resources in content marketing activities:

Establish thought leadership via content marketing

In my opinion, the most important reason for a startup software or hardware company to invest in content marketing activities is to build an aura of thought leadership. Specifically around the company and its principals. There is no more powerful “leveler of the playing field” versus larger, more established competitors. Position yourself as offering fresh, innovative solutions to market pain points. 30 years ago, it was almost impossible to get the word out about a nascent startup’s expertise and competitive advantage. They don’t have the large marketing budget and the time required to nurture large media gatekeepers. Today, things have changed dramatically. Start with a BLOG on the company website. Add GREAT writing, outreach to online segment influencers, and modest promotional efforts on social media. A content marketing-savvy startup can quickly brandish its expertise to its prospective target market segment.

Build your brand with limited resources

Only the most generously funded startups can utilize more traditional brand-building approaches. Those such as online display/banner advertising, hiring an expensive external PR firm, or exhibiting at numerous trade shows. Yet it is critical to start the brand-building exercise as soon as possible. In the very long run, even for most technology-based businesses, brand is really the only truly defensible asset a company has. Content marketing enables startups to begin brand-building at the earliest stage. Even before product launch, invest time writing (GREAT!) articles that are laser-focused on their target prospects. Then promote this content on key social media platforms.

The “fuel” to your sales and marketing efforts on social media platforms

Most companies that aren’t stuck in the dark ages these days have at least some sales or marketing activities targeted at social media. Social media has long been a mainstream marketing method.  This is resulting in very crowded market segments for most social media platforms.  Social media users have grown quite weary of techniques such as the social media equivalent of “cold-calling” and out-of-the-blue.  Requests to connect, then quickly followed up with unsolicited sales messages.

Articles created for content marketing can be the perfect complement to your social media platform presence. This content can be shared with social media connections to demonstrate expertise. As well as providing solutions to pressing issues of your target prospects. This is appreciated by many social media participants. These articles can serve as “ice-breakers”. Then, followed up utilizing more traditional outbound sales/marketing methods on the platform. But they can also generate unsolicited inquiries on their own. From high-value prospects actively seeking the product solutions that you can provide.

Perfect for lead nurturing

In addition to being a great complement to social media sales and marketing efforts, content marketing articles can serve the company well in lead-nurturing campaigns. These important activities are usually email-driven. But also using other low-touch platforms, such as remarketing, enables the company to continue engaging prospects who haven’t yet reached the “buying” stage. Since these prospects aren’t ready to buy, they respond better to solutions-oriented, how-to content. Rather than more transactional messaging such as “20% discount if you buy within X days”. Content marketing articles can be used very effectively in lead-nurturing campaigns. They help to build your brand and also demonstrate thought leadership with these “high in the funnel” prospects. This positions the company in a favorable light when the prospect ultimately enters “buying mode. ”

Content marketing cost effectiveness/ROI

It’s more difficult than ever to break through with traditional print and online advertising. Even if you have the budget to consider it. There are hundreds of millions of people today who use ad blockers. So buying mindshare online is not only getting more expensive. But just plain more difficult. Content marketing costs far less than ads. So it makes total sense for technology startup companies to commit scarce resources to this activity. I’ve also seen statistics that leaders in content marketing generate 7.8X the traffic compared to those who aren’t.

There is never enough time in a startup for all the activities that appear crucial to success. But I’ve found from personal experience and my clients that content marketing works. The return on content marketing activities at the earliest stages of a company’s development, when done well, far exceeds that of most other “budget-realistic” marketing activities available to startups.

That’s my opinion about the importance of content marketing for most startup software and hardware companies. There are obvious exceptions to this approach. Such as VERY small market segments, where this type of activity doesn’t make sense.  However, I believe it is broadly applicable to the vast majority of SaaS, mobile software, and hardware startups.  What’s been your experience with this approach? My readers appreciate you sharing your views. So please post a comment below if you have a take.

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