If You Build It, Will They Come?
Originally published at www.scotchandramen.com.
Even if you’re not a fan of Kevin Costner, baseball, or cheesy 80’s sports flicks, you’ve probably heard the iconic line from Field of Dreams, “if you build it, they will come.” Unfortunately, building a successful startup is never a fairy tale story — and taking advice from a movie about a farmer who destroys his crops to build a baseball field for ghosts probably isn’t the best path to success.
In all seriousness, “if you build it, they will come” does seem to be a sort of mantra for many innovators, and it’s easy to see why. Your product (or service) is what you’re passionate about, it reflects your skill set, and you’ve been spending time, energy, and money on “building it” since day one. However, no matter how awesome your product may be, it won’t ever succeed unless you get your message out there. That’s why a great sales and marketing funnel is every bit as crucial as building a great product when it comes to building a successful company.
Creating a strong marketing and sales strategy, much like developing a fantastic product, is all about iterating. We recommend choosing a tried and true set of tactics and sticking to them, thereby building a foundation which you can improve and build upon as you get feedback, earn customers, and grow your business.
Here are the content marketing tactics that we believe in most:
Blogging
If you’re reading this article right now, you’re living proof that blogging is an effective way of building brand awareness. (And if you’ve made it this far into the article, you may even be proof that blogging can provide real value to your visitors!) That said, it’s important to approach blogging the right way: blog posts that are written for the sole purpose of making sales or improving search engine results are generally ineffective and universally annoying. Good blog posts provide readers with real value by sharing ideas that are unique, informative, and actionable. That’s how you build brand authority and sincere interest in your company.
Vlogging
A number of studies have shown that video tends to convert better than any other form of content — which makes sense when you consider human psychology and the importance of building a connection with your audience. An effective vlog doesn’t need to be fancy: simply rehashing your ideas in a concise and transparent way can help you stand out from the competition.
Podcasts
Another personal and convenient form of digital marketing, podcasts empower you to build an audience by sharing your vision, your values, and your solutions with the audiences who care what you have to say. Much like blogs, the best podcasts should also be actionable: this will help make the value you provide easily recognizable for your audience.
What About Content Distribution?
Obviously, if you want your content to attract an audience, you need to distribute it effectively. Social media is one of the most powerful tools for achieving this — and, as any digital marketer will agree, promoting valuable content is a far better way of getting social media attention than directly promoting sales ever could be.
If your social media strategy is built upon paid ads, the we recommend using Facebook to distribute your content. This is because the audience-building precision that Facebook offers is unrivaled, and because Facebook integrates ads into their site in the most organic-looking way.
If you plan on using organic social media content marketing, then we recommend promoting yourself on LinkedIN and Instagram. LinkedIN is great because of its professional user base and because its algorithm truly does seem to reward quality — and Instagram works well because its visual format puts so much emphasis on storytelling.
Want to Learn More About Content Marketing?
We’re all about providing value, and that doesn’t end here at the blog. If you have more ideas you’d like to discuss with us, you’re welcome to book a free strategy call today!
