Getting the word out

Don’t relax just yet.

Building a great product is just part of the job. You still have to promote it. Now’s the time to start creating a buzz around your brand with some content marketing. It’s a key part of a comprehensive marketing strategy, and one no tech company can do without.

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What is content marketing anyway?

In broad terms, content marketing seeks to attract customers through the creation of high-quality information that they actually want to consume. Instead of trying to get their attention through interruptive ads, you create value that brings them to you.

If that sounds vague, well, it covers a lot of ground. The content can be just about anything – an educational video, an entertaining blog post or an infographic – with a host of ways of reaching your audience. Sometimes you will put yourself in front of them by making sure your content gets placed on the channels or platforms they are already viewing (think of advertorials, or op-eds). Sometimes you may create channels that they choose to follow. And sometimes it’s about getting those in-bound leads through well-crafted blog posts that really deliver long-tail benefits. For tech companies in particular, content is an invaluable asset that provides a chance to explain the big idea as well as the finer details, and can even position them as trusted sources in the industry.  

There are a lot of ways to use content, so it is important to first figure out your strategy. Rather than throwing money into a stunt video in hopes of going viral, you need to start by defining your audience and your goals. For instance, for a B2B service offering, it makes a lot more sense to publish thought-provoking commentary in industry journals, or in-depth technical articles addressing the problem that you can solve. If you have an app targeting younger users, it may be time to brush up on TikTok trends. One size most definitely does not fit all.

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Match the content to the purpose.

Besides your audience, be sure to define your goals. Content marketing can do a lot of things, but don’t try to do everything with every piece. You might be trying to attract interest, establish your authority, or move a customer to action, but not all at once!

These are some questions to ask as you plan your content:

• What are you trying to do? Your approach should be carefully adapted depending on whether you want to raise awareness, build credibility, or explain a new product feature, for instance.
• How will you get this content in front of your target audience? A blog post written for publication on an independent website will be very different to one designed to turn up in search results.  
• What are they looking for? What can you give them that fills their need – such as product information, education, entertainment? Remember, content is not advertising. Don’t make it all about you!
• Does the audience already know you? This isn’t just about how much you need to explain, but how sensitive you should be to what might seem pushy.

All of this will help you develop your content ideas. But of course writing that article, or creating that video, is just one part of the process. It needs to be optimized (which may mean ensuring that the right keywords and links are used), distributed, and made to pay its way.

What we mean is: first, promote your content. Make sure that your existing audience knows about it, by sharing on your social channels, your newsletter, or wherever else makes sense. Then consider whether it can be repurposed for wider reach – maybe retool that internal blog post for a magazine, or even turn your infographic into an animation. All the work you put into your content can deliver that much more impact if you get creative about spreading it around!

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And make it strategic.

You may have already realized this: it doesn’t make much sense to think about each piece of content individually. Really, you need a complete content strategy, forming part of your overall marketing plan and leveraging multiple channels and approaches. You will have different content for different audiences, and for each audience at different stages of the customer journey. When you think about content this way, you can be sure you’re not overlooking any chance to build your brand. And you will be confident you’re creating the right content for every business goal.

It’s a huge opportunity. The tech market is full of start-ups jostling for attention, so great content gives you a great chance to stand out. This is about using your knowledge of your business and the industry to create genuinely interesting and useful content. When you get it right, you won’t just have their attention, you’ll have their trust. That’s something advertising just can’t do.

But creating compelling content isn’t easy. For tech companies, it’s particularly tricky. They are expected to be a source of high-quality information about innovation. But technological know-how is very different to communications, and a lean start-up team may not include the expertise needed to boil down complex, technical information into interesting and engaging narratives.

Blockchain companies have a double challenge: the technology is complicated, new, and poorly understood. Besides selling themselves, these firms have to sell the whole sector. And they have to make it all digestible. That takes special skills, not least a flair for storytelling, expertise with tough topics and experience in the industry. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. THE RELEVANCE HOUSE specializes in bridging exactly this gap – we have deep knowledge of both communications and tech. And we have the strategic framework to fit it all together and make a real impact. Want to know more?

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Photo credits:

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels
‍Photo by KamranAydinov on Freepik