1. Content is not an expense but an investment.
Content is the cornerstone of your marketing strategy. But that can be a hard case to make for marketing leaders facing pressure to control costs and prove ROI. Yet freezing or cutting content efforts isn’t the solution (because that will freeze engagement and cut growth). The solution is to ask more of your marketing efforts — to question, examine, revisit, and repurpose marketing content. The right words save you money because powerful branding and clear communication are gifts that keep on giving — conveying and converting without requiring a heavy lift from marketing teams.
2. Modern marketing requires digital excellence.
A good website is no longer sufficient. A great website that dominates is what you need. Much of that can be done through branding, content strategy, and search optimization. At a time when your clients know more, demand more, and act faster than ever, your marketing collateral must keep up with expectations. Yes, take advantage of what AI offers. But do so with discretion. Remember that AI speed and scale don’t necessarily mean content originality, relevance, or quality. Query, test, and then assess.
3. Thought leadership content builds authority.
Posting SEO-optimized thought leadership content helps establish authority in your industry. You don’t have to be a large enterprise to practice thought-leadership marketing. You could be a small business with a big voice. You could share insights that establish you as a reference in your local market and connect you with your market.
4. Content frequency matters, but so does content quality.
Of course, you need to publish consistent brand-appropriate content at a regular cadence to engage and convert prospects. Yet publishing without content quality assurance can have a negative impact on your social presence and reputation. What you’re posting is as important as how often you’re posting. Remember that different social platforms have different posting frequencies and that content needs review by a professional human editor.
5. Transforming messaging can lead to transforming results.
Your brand messaging is the secret sauce behind your market differentiation. If your brand content is failing to convey your unique value proposition, you won’t achieve the results you’re seeking. Improved messaging can mean improved results if it is consistent across your marketing collateral and amplified across effective channels.
6. Reach for low-hanging fruit first.
“Low-hanging fruit” here refers to ease of access and value for money. One way to reach for low-hanging fruit is to repurpose your existing content and optimize it for SEO. By doing so, you’ll likely see new returns on the time and cost investment you’ve made to create that content. That’s because you’re amplifying the reach and potential of existing marketing materials. With the right internal linking and CTA strategy, this step can lead to more signups and online visibility.
7. Think long-term, act short-term.
Your long-term goals should always be your guiding star. Yet without a short-term action plan, you will lose sight of the long-term goal. Have an actionable marketing plan in place, with specified target content outcomes, and stick to it. But measure results along the way and make adjustments to improve them.
8. Service beats price.
Premium customer experiences and service, if built into your brand positioning, can justify higher prices. There are many examples of two brands offering the same products, but one able to charge more for it. Access to service, and quality of service, for your customers create added value for their purchases and boosts brand loyalty.
9. Eliminate obstacles by questioning the status quo.
Question long-standing practices that may be standing between you and growth. “We’ve always done it that way” isn’t necessarily a reason to keep doing it that way. Weigh the benefits of the status quo vs. the possibilities of change. In medium-sized businesses, I’ve witnessed lack of staff motivation to innovate and drive efficiency. In small businesses, I’ve witnessed owners facing fear of change and becoming their own liability.
10. For agile projects, hire agile providers.
If you have a creative marketing content project with a specific deadline, consider hiring a contractor. Independent contractors are often dynamic self-starters — resourceful, entrepreneurial-minded, and client focused. Your success is their success, so your interests are mutually aligned. Examples of agile projects include specialized content (such as technical writing), seasonal or cyclical work, meeting surge capacity needs, and rapid turnaround tasks with time-sensitive deadlines.
Conclusion
By adopting the above 10 marketing consulting insights for your startup content strategy and marketing campaigns, you can reinforce engagement, increase marketing ROI, and free yourself to pursue sales and market share growth.
