Content Strategyfor startups and SMEs

by Hannah Adcock

contentedstrategy.com

Companies often overlook

the importance of content

They are focused on other matters…

But content is essential

It can communicate your product

It can reduce the cost of servicing

your customers

text goes hereIt can also help you

to grow faster

– Kristina Halvorson, Content Strategy for the Web

“High quality web content that's useful, usable,

and enjoyable is one of the greatest competitive

advantages you can create for yourself online.”

However, high quality web

content can be expensive

With limited time and resources you need to create

content that appeals to your customers

What you need is

lean content

What you

need

is lean

content

If you've already read The Lean Startup

by Eric Ries, you'll probably be familiar

with this approach.

The lean approach is about learning what your

customers really want, testing your vision

continuously, adapting and adjusting.

How does this work?

1. Test content ideas before

creating content

Run short Google or Facebook advertising

campaigns and see what makes people click

through

See which tweets and posts on social media get the

most traction

2. Work out who you are writing

for

Conduct user research to find out more about your

customers, including surveys, interviews and

checking your support queue

Draw up user personas based on your research,

and always target content at specific personas

3. Make sure

people can read

your content

Make sure your content looks good on all viewports

rather than brilliant on one and terrible on the others.

A recent report on mobile behaviour found that 91%

of customers say access to content any way they

want is important.

a/b test different layouts to see whether one works

better than another

If you're on a tight budget, try the five second tests

run by Usability Hub. By taking part in the tests

yourself, you can earn credit towards running your

own tests.

4. Repackage

existing content

Consider repackaging existing content into another

format, for example a blog post into a slide show

Consider curating user content, although make sure

you set the tone and edit material if necessary

5. Make the most of

evergreen content

Evergreen content can be a good investment

because you can keep using it to attract customers

Consider updating content that feels dated to give it

a new lease of life

Make your content work harder

So you don’t have to

See my free content strategy guide for

startups and SMEs for more content tips

http://contentedstrategy.com/content_str

ategy_for_startups

social media collage: https://flic.kr/p/7zffoz

lean startup: https://flic.kr/p/bfHE3V

parcels: https://flic.kr/p/4TCYga

evergreen: https://flic.kr/p/ox43Zi

collage of people’s faces: https://flic.kr/p/9ajNeA

iphone:https://flic.kr/p/bzmdS4

sunflower: https://flic.kr/p/zyB7Y

Image credits

Turn your content into a competitive advantage

contentedstrategy.com