One of the most important parts of establishing a startup is understanding how to market. Not only that, but the name of the game in 2015 is content. You’ve probably heard this term before, but content refers specifically to what you put out onto the Internet, whether via social media or just your website. Blog posts, tweets, status updates, photo posts, website copy, and even reblogs are all considered content. The key when you’re trying to start a business, though, is how to translate that content creation into a marketing opportunity. Here are five ways to optimize content and make it a marketable commodity to generate customers.
Connecting Content with Products
Statista reports that global social eCommerce revenue is predicted to grow to $30 billion this year. That means that there’s a lot of money right now in social revenue. You need to get onboard, especially with a startup. A good place to start is to establish a solid social media presence, such as a Social Media Page Design by Designhill. Using a design site that’s flexible with cost and scope is one of the best ways to make sure that you’re not only getting the expertise you require, but also not breaking the bank. Sites like Designhill are intended to help small businesses find their way when it comes to marketing products via content. The best tactic to use when you’re creating marketable content is to remain true to your own core brand and focus on what’s unique to your business. Your social media presence needs to ring true with the products you’re offering, or else it will be confusing and alienating for customers who follow you on different platforms. Connecting real life offers and items with online posts is the best way to reinforce digital content with physical objects.
The Magic of Real Life Promo Materials
Remember that your content doesn’t necessarily need to be exclusively online. Personalizing promo materials to send to potential clients, give out at industry events, or hand to special customers is a great way to leave your mark. Tweak Your Biz suggests personalizing promotional items is a good way to draw attention to your company, especially if you’re working with individual clients or trying to get investors’ attention. They name umbrellas, coasters, and even pet items emblazoned with your logo and website as some examples. You specifically want to make sure that your URL is always present, and to find a way to link your promo merchandise back to your online content.
Social Versus Search Advertising
In comparing the efficacy of social versus search advertising, Mashable states that social ads translate more effectively than search advertising to consumer purchases when you’re dealing with visual products. They name Pinterest, Polyvore, and Instagram as being top performers when you’re trying to tout products that focus on aesthetics, such as decor and fashion.
When It’s Short, Make It Sweet
You will inevitably be using popular social networking platforms like Twitter or Instagram that only allow small pieces of information to be posted at a time. Twitter has a 140 character limit, for example, and Instagram is limited to single photo posts. Therefore, you want to make sure that your content is packing a punch while boiled down to the shortest form possible. Don’t waste proverbial air time on
your social media accounts by posting irrelevant content that’s simply there to force a continued presence. Remember that the content you’re posting needs to be able to be broken down articulately for these types of social media platforms. For example, linking to a blog entry on Facebook is easier since it automatically provides a summary and preview image, making the link attractive. Twitter, on the other hand, doesn’t do this. You need to make the content palatable, so devising a way to convey interesting information on limited platforms is essential. One tactics is to post an image on Twitter with a link or caption. Instgram can be the reverse scenario, though it’s often easier to paint a picture with an actual picture.
License It Out
If you have original marketable content that’s desirable to use for other purposes, like stock photography, feel free to license it out. Sometimes all a business wants is a series of images to choose from for different posts and materials, and if you’re already taking original photos for your own blog, there’s no reason not to profit it from it. Many blogs use stock photography, and while it’s in your best interest not to do this since it makes posts more unique, you can certainly sell the rights to any aesthetically engaging images that you happen to post yourself.
Content marketing is not only a smart and current way to do business, but it’s also free. One of the greatest aspects of the rise of social media is the fact that it costs nothing unless you have a pay for certain services on different sites, such as ads or product placements.
