I’m in the content marketing business, so that’s generally the subject that ensues when someone asks me what I’m up to these days. When someone asks me what that means, I break it down into two parts: I create content strategy and I create content.
What kind of content? Blogs. Those who understand the value of content marketing have no more questions. Those who do not (yet) understand the value of content marketing continue asking, mainly to determine how (and why!) one might make a living creating content (aka writing blogs) for other people.
After a few minutes of explanation, the conversation usually ends up in the same place, which is what Mark Suster has said any number of times: if you’re a startup, you must blog. I could quote Suster’s Techcrunch article over and over and over, and I highly recommend that anyone considering a startup just bookmark it, and refer to it anytime you wonder why you’re trying to create prose when you’re not creating product. So go there and read it, and heed the advice of one of the most respected tech marketers on the planet.
But there are other resources out there who (duh!) agree completely and offer up even more reasons that startup entrepreneurs should blog.
- According to Social Media Examiner, blogs are now the third most influential digital resource (31%) when making overall purchases, behind retail sites (56%) and brand sites (34%).
- The Outreach Marketer tells us that “consumers trust bloggers, not brands“, meaning if you are an authority on any subject in the universe, and you blog about said subject, you will be trusted more than brands that make and sell products in that sector.
- Forbes recently published a similar piece, noting that “32% of online consumers trust a stranger’s opinion on public forums or blogs more than they trust branded advertisements and marketing collateral.” Who’s guest blogging for you? Do you have a forum community on your site?
- Finally, Hubspot, the newest and loudest entry into the CRM market from the marketing automation space, demonstrates that “Inbound Leads Cost 61% Less Than Outbound.”
Still not convinced? That’s ok. You will be, either by trying it and seeing the results for yourself, or seeing one or more of your competitors winning through inbound marketing strategies, the simplest of which is starting, growing, and maintaining and active blog.
Suster repeats what I’ve heard so many times: “I’d like to blog, but I don’t really know what to talk about.” Don’t make it harder than it is. You know enough about something to start a business, right? Then you know enough to blog about that thing you’re building for that space you’re building it for and that problem you’re solving.
That’s what you blog about. To quote Suster again, and wrap this thing up, “If you write about something for which you’re both knowledgeable and passionate, I’ll bet you can pump out more than you think.“
Start your startup’s blog. Today.
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