In a world full of startups it is becoming increasingly difficult to be heard and attract attention. Nowhere is this more apparent than online where thousands of established sites sit high on any Google search regardless of the topic. So if having a startup landing page alone won’t cut the search engine mustard, blogging for your startup can often be a great place to start in turning things in your startup’s favor.
Here are some great reasons you should be setting up a blog regardless of the stage you have reached with your startup.
Table of Contents
1. Convey your startup’s personal message
To stand out from the crowd with your ideas, product, or service you need to convey your core message. Anyone taking an interest in your startup needs to know why you are best placed to deliver what it is you are promising to the world. As in any area of business, there can be many companies providing a very similar end product but you might have a personal preference in terms of the ‘brand’ you use.
A blog can help you communicate your own story and how life has led you on a journey that moped you into the perfect person to deliver your service/product at this exact moment. Spread this message throughout your blog posts to really flesh it out and give people something to believe in.
2. Seek and find partners or teammates
A blog that tells a story about you and your startup can be used as a call out to the wider world for like-minded folk. You might be brilliant at coding or producing flyers but there are so many plates that need spinning all at once the chances are you will need a little help sooner or later.
If you can get your blog posts shared in the right places you could find that help quicker than expected. A blog post can be read at any time of the day or night and is a little less dependant on the right place, right time element than networking for example.
Leverage the blog to let others know what you are looking for to help build the ideal version of your startup and reach out to others for ideas, skills or help. You never know where it could lead.
3. Feedback from potential users
A blog can also be used to reach out and engage with potential users. Even before you have built or served anything or one you can gather feedback about your ideas. In the long term, this could save a lot of time and money being spent in the wrong direction.
Why not ask readers what they would prefer, what they might change, and what problems or issues they have that need solving. Comments left on blog posts can be used to collect valuable information and gather the thoughts of your potential end-users.
4. Attract potential investors
Just as I mentioned using a blog to attract people to your team you can leverage your posts to attract investment. Seeking finances and pitching to investors can be one of the main areas where many startups fail. A well-written blog can explain clearly the finer details of your ideas and vision which can be browsed through at an investor’s leisure.
Equally using a blog to back up what you are conveying at a pitch or whilst out networking is a very useful tool to reinforce your message.
5. Boost your SEO and ranking
As I mentioned at the start of the post, being found online is becoming increasingly difficult. Amongst the many, many startups coming into existence each week around the globe, there is a constant race for rapid growth, expansion, and attention.
Blogging for your startup can help massively in terms of getting noticed online as it gives you many pages of content specific to your project and ideas. As Google constantly updates its algorithm it gets harder to really know what works best to boost sites up the rankings and onto the top of the search results. However, the general consensus amongst those in the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) know seems to be that Google is increasingly prioritizing fresh and relevant content. A blog then is the perfect way to provide uncle Google with a healthy supply of up-to-date content and interactions to help boost your place in its rankings.
It’s worth mentioning that the benefit will only be felt if the content is well-written and original. If blog posts are deemed to be repetitive, thin on content, or copied then it can count against you in the rankings. In the worst case, spammy posts can be banned by Google or other search engines altogether and you will have a hard time being found online. So do post wisely.
6. Develop your voice and brand
Having a blog is also an ideal platform to help develop your image and define who you are online. Just through the process of blogging for your startup you can adopt and adapt a style that is unique and will help shape your brand.
By sitting down and having to think about what you want to say to the world and how you will say if you are forced to find your voice. It could be that you need to review your approach. For example, a startup I was part of was connected to public transport in London. There are many frustrations with the system and as a Londoner, I was keen to highlight these to users. However once reviewing some posts later on this came across as whining and negative, not exactly the image an exciting startup should be projecting.
7. Be social via blogging for your startup
For startups creating a buzz on social media is key to getting noticed. Blogging for your startup provides you with a wealth of content as I’ve mentioned which is perfect for sharing across social platforms. In doing so you will gain valuable practice in using social media to your advantage as a startup.
Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc are great fun to use as an individual sharing pictures of cats but they need to be used in a different way when pushing out your message to the wider world.
By starting with some basic blog posts you will learn the best ways to schedule, publish and promote your posts to create maximum engagement and buzz.
Related: Also check out Ultimate Startup Marketing Checklist.
#1 is a key point. Fab way to get your startup message across. Like a broadcasting hub for folks shouting out their core brand message. But with comments and contact forms you receive feedback too. Win-win scenario for anybody looking to launch soon.