Six Steps to Implementing Your Startup’s Content Strategy

Chris Hughes A content material technique and storytelling wizard. He:

✍️ Weblog Writing (and Promoting) Earlier than It is Cool

👻 Spent years ghostwriting every day social content material for shoppers starting from businesses to CEOs

🖥️ Run your individual Digital technique consulting agency (On observe to 30% annual income progress)

Listed here are Chris’ six ideas for nailing your content material technique — producing strong, genuine leads.

1. If you happen to do not inform your model’s story, another person will

As a founder with one million priorities, content material like blogs and social media posts could look like low-priority gadgets.

However in case you do not inform your model story, another person will guess and inform it for you.

Do not sit in your palms relating to content material. Your story and voice want:

• be genuine
• appears regular you
• Make it significant on your audience

Sizzling tip: Have a look at your rivals — if they are not doing a powerful sufficient job of telling their story, they’re leaving content material gaps on the desk so that you can capitalize on.

2. Take a radical mind dump

Spend ~30 days on a “mind dump” train utilizing voice notes and free-form writing. Report each thought you’ve about your model, then ship it to somebody who’s near however not a part of your enterprise.

Ask them what they see from the skin trying in. Which phrases are used repeatedly? What topics maintain again? This deep-dive step is necessary for 2 causes.

One: “Persons are their very own worst entrepreneurs,” says Chris. “There’s in all probability a ton about your individual model story that you simply’re not telling. Deep dives and out of doors views deliver it to the floor.”

Second, this train will rotate aligned speaking factors so you may run with a transparent technique and nice content material financial institution—in your individual phrases.

3. Extrapolate the 4 key pillars on your content material

Search by way of your mind dump and arrange every concept, spicy quote or matter into one in all 4 pillars:

Supply: Chris Hughes/ Ventures to know

Every pillar provides rise to particular forms of content material, and alternating between them will be sure that the matters you speak about stay assorted and recent, but additionally on model.

For instance, one week you would possibly discuss concerning the outcomes you drove for a consumer (Pillar II) and the following share a few of your founder’s story (Pillar IV).

And in case you ever get author’s block, you may return to your columns as inspiration and a reminder of what you wish to convey to your viewers.

4. Deal with community-building earlier than You set out content material

Construct a group by interacting together with your ultimate shoppers, rivals and friends by way of value-driven feedback and messages.

This step makes you are feeling snug in the way you write, the way you painting your self, and the way individuals understand you.

Protecting observe of the feedback you make (for instance, concepts) may even guarantee that you’ve a content material concept financial institution; Essentially the most invaluable feedback can often be bulked up into one publish.

5. Now You may get your content material there

Use your columns, saved feedback and mind dumps to create genuine content material on your model. Keep in mind:

📈 Have a transparent KPI: Is your content material to generate basic consciousness, or to drive leads?

📝 Create a voice information, a useful resource information and a content material calendar.

Chris is an advocate of scheduling content material so you may get it on the market. Though the cadence and technique of posting will rely upon the platform, consistency is all the time necessary.

6. Keep in mind: Content material is a protracted sport.

It takes time to construct a fame the place your content material drives leads. Stick with it.

“Many founders are available in weapons blazing, after which get pissed off after a number of months,” says Chris. You’ll miss the magic. Be impressed by:

• Setting new benchmarks
• Deal with constructive suggestions
• Reuse your best-performing posts each few months

As a closing tip, Chris recommends speaking to your prospects when issues are going properly.

Supply: Tenor

“We solely talk when we have to put out a fireplace,” he informed us. “However getting consumer suggestions in good time means you’ve room for incremental enchancment—when you’ve the flexibility to behave on it.”

Constructive buyer conversion journeys are highly effective additions to your model story.