For service providers there is no shortage of business opportunities thanks to the ever-growing and evolving startup scene.
I don’t need to get into all the facts and figures about the rapid rate in which the innovation ecosystem is growing, because unless you live under a rock, you know startups are sprouting up like cryptic Kanye tweets. And as our startup community evolves, more and more early-stage ventures are going public and becoming anchor companies.
Early-stage startup teams pride themselves on wearing a number of different hats and being able to tackle tasks that might be out of their realm of familiarity, but they’re inevitably going to require outside legal counsel, tax services, assistance with recruiting and talent acquisition, a CRM, and a co-working space in order to establish growth.
And while the likes of HubSpot and Acquia have upwards of 1,000 employees, they are still going to require professional services from outside sources as well.
So, how do you market yourself to this sales channel through your content?... I’m obviously going to give you the answers to that question below.
Keep Content Short and Saturated
Charbeat data shows that one in every three visitors spends less than 15 seconds on reading articles they land on.
That’s how much time an average visitor spends reading content, so think about how much less time an entrepreneur who's squeezing as much productivity out of every second will spend.
The key to capturing the attention of the startup generation is to keep content brief and full of useful information and data.
You want to break content up into digestible pieces, but you don’t have to limit yourself to strictly producing listicles. As long as you make it easy for readers to navigate your content by calling attention to specific statistics and guidelines, you will increase the average time readers spend on your page.
In short: Bold important information
Get Social
If you’re trying to build up a following among the startup community, the best way to do that is through social media.
Related:From Talent to Tweeting: How to Reinforce Your Brand Through Social Media Engagement
Take advantage of the digestible bits of information you’re including in your posts to tease your content through channels such as Twitter. Tweet out an insightful statistic or piece of advice with a link to your original post/website daily, and those in the startup community will view you as an authority on topics relative to the success of their business.
Another useful tactic that can help build your reputation among the startup community is to promote news about startups working in your industry through social. If startups see that you’ve taken an interest in their community and encourage the success of their peers, they’re much more likely to do business with you.
Provide Advice
Unless content gives startup founders information that’s going to help them advance their business, they’re not going to give it the time of day, especially in the early stages. So, publish something they can sink their teeth into.
When startups are deciding which service providers to use, they’re most likely going to go with a brand that provides valuable insight rather than self-promotional content.
While they may be working on a next-generation on-demand service, you are the experts in your industry and have a proven track record of helping a number of businesses succeed. The best way to promote that is by publishing posts that guide startups through some of the challenges they will face as young ventures. Make them aware of the pitfalls startups often succumb to and show them how to avoid doing the same.
Also, what does a startup know about setting up a benefits program or which one best suits its needs? Probably nothing at all, so show them the way.
When startups are deciding which service providers to use, they’re most likely going to go with a brand that provides valuable insight rather than self-promotional content.
Interview Industry Leaders
In order to amplify the impact of your content, talk to industry leaders whose thoughts and insights would resonate with the startup community. You may be hesitant to sacrifice some brand consistency by interviewing certain individuals, but by collaborating with a Brian Halligan or Jeff Bussgang you’ll align your brand with the greater startup community.
If startups see that the CEO of HubSpot trusts your brand, there’s a good chance they will too.
Speak Their Language
The easiest way to lose your readers is to fill your content with industry-specific jargon and buzzwords that they don’t understand. I hate to use the term “dumb it down,” so I’ll say be sure to simplify your content and approach it with the mindset that you are writing to first-time readers every time.
Related:Headlines Rule, Complacency Drools: What I've Learned as a Content Producer
Beyond that, though, you’ll build a connection with a startup audience by writing conversationally and finding ways to present things like tax services and talent acquisition in a way they can relate to. It may sound like a stretch, but there’s an interesting angle to any topic or trend; you just have to think abstractly.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to connect your brand with the innovation class, feel free to reach out to the Streetwise Studio team at studio@streetwise-media.com.
Image via Shutterstock
