7 Reasons Why Your Startup Needs a Blog

I know, bootstrapping is anything but easy. And startup owners have a lot on their plate and tons of digital marketing channels to choose from. It can be quite tempting to start with PPC ads or something that yields results fast.

After all, startups need money quickly, don’t they?

While it’s not true that 90% of startups fail, the actual numbers aren’t too encouraging, either. 79% of new ventures fail, according to a study.

Thus, while quick results are always great, startups also need to make sure they will make it in the long run. In order for that to happen, a long-term marketing strategy and investment are needed.

In my experience, this strategy starts with blogging. I have worked with tens of startups so far and I have seen them get tangible results from blogging.

Does it work instantly?

No.

Does it take commitment?

Yes.

Does it yield results?

Absolutely! The stats all say the same thing: blogging, which is a significant part of content marketing,

pays off.

In case the stats aren’t enough to convince you, here are some more reasons why you should start blogging for your startup.

7 Reasons Why a Startup Blog Is a Great Long-Term Investment

There are more than 1,3 billion websites in the world right now. And the number is constantly increasing. That means a ton of competitors for your brand-new startup.

Excellent UI/UX is a great way to make a difference. But pretty pictures won’t keep users engaged for too long. Great content, on the other hand, will.

And this is where a startup blog comes into play.

1. A Startup Blog Is a Great Way to Gain Some Brand Awareness

Every startup owner believes that their product is so amazing that people will share it on social media and with their friends instantly.

Oh, if that were true!

The harsh reality shows us that it’s very hard to get people to share a website or a promotional ad/video/infographic. What people do like to share, though, is amazing content.

When you write authority content and/or evergreen content on your blog, people will share it. They will want their friends and peers to have access to the same amazing information they stumbled upon.

An example: startup blogging went so well for Buffer, that they actually decided they need not one, but two blogs. Their initial startup blog was, as one would expect, jam-packed with social media tips, tricks and news. You can find it here.

In the meantime, they began to see value in writing about company culture (in general and their own), about Buffer updates and news and other similar topics. This is how Buffer Open was born.

Both blogs have quite an audience. In fact, there are tons of people who don’t use Buffer, but will share their blog posts.

Why does this matter?

It’s quite simple: people who are social media professionals are connected with their peers. While they don’t personally use Buffer, said peers can see the Buffer blogs and consider it.

2. A Startup Blog Can Do Wonders for SEO

SEO for a brand-new website can be a nightmare, especially in a highly competitive niche. Given the latest Google algorithm updates, we know that long form content that’s constantly added to is king.

On the other hand, we also know that clean interfaces with very little (but impactful!) content are what attracts visitors.

The only way to reconcile the two is a startup blog.

And yes, ranking a new startup blog is not a walk in the park, either. But it’s doable – take it from someone who has done it way more than once.

I usually recommend startup clients of Idunn to focus on long-tail keywords. This strategy has at least four benefits:

1. It gets traffic and, consequently, brand awareness (even though not as much as short keywords, but:…)
2. It speeds up the process since long-tail keywords are easier to rank for
3. It brings specialized traffic aka the kind of visitors that are likely to be turned into paying customers.
4. It gives us a chance to write valuable content: how-to guides and posts that answer real questions.

Image via OKdork

3. A Startup Blog Makes it Easy to Get Customer Feedback

In the early days of a startup there are a lot of questions and decisions that would benefit greatly from customer input. Use the blog to detail your concept and your plans, then ask for feedback.

It’s more effective than a simple survey. You get the chance to write about your products or services in great detail. Plus, your (potential customers) will feel involved from day one.

All this while, at the same time, gaining SEO juice and boosting your awareness.

Talk about a win-win situation!

4. A Startup Blog Establishes You as a Thought Leader in Your Industry

Most startup owners and employees are fountains of information on their field of work. They are enthusiastic and brimming with bright ideas.

Why not share them with the world?

If you look at Buffer, you’ll see what I mean about becoming a thought leader in your field through blogging. An even more impressive example is HubSpot.

The amount of great information they share on a daily basis is simply insane! They are the go-to and the standard setters of their industry. And they did all that through content, especially blogging!

More importantly, both Buffer and HubSpot bet on blogging from day one. They knew it was the best way to ensure long-term success and client retention and they were right.

5. A Startup Blog Is a Great way to Attract Funding

A startup blog gives potential investor a window into your ideas and company culture. Plus, by using it to establish yourself as a thought leader, you’re already showing that you’re a worthwhile investment.

In fact, you could turn your blog into your best pitch ever. Most investors know that some startups are vaporware. They will swallow up some money for a few years, then disappear into thin air.

Show them you are different and that you are already making long-term commitments like blogging. Using the Buffer approach with a specialized blog and one centered on company culture is the perfect blend for a startup looking for investors. Everyone loves transparency!

6. Gain New Customers and Leads through Your Startup Blog

Here’s another great Buffer-related revelation. Did you know that, in their early days, they got nearly 100% of their customers through content marketing?

Kevan Lee clearly says that guest blogging was one of their “main routes”.

A simple newsletter sign-up form could help your start-up do the same. As soon as you have qualified leads, you can start offering free trials and other incentives. As I previously said, effective lead generation strategies focus on content marketing.

Bonus: blogging is a great way to delight existing customers and ensure that they remain loyal to you. When you offer excellent information and tips on top of an awesome product, why would they flee to the competition?

7. A Startup Blog is the Ideal Breeding Ground for Innovation

You already know how cutthroat the startup world is – innovate or die may very well be its motto.

A blog gives you the chance to stay on top of things in your industry. When you’re constantly researching your industry and your competitors for your blog, new ideas are just around the corner.

The more in-depth content your write for your startup blog, the more you will learn about your industry. In order to produce a well-documented, research-based blog post, you need to sift through tons of reports, analyses, forecasts and more.

You can be sure that new ideas will appear as you read through them!

Conclusion

Yes, blogging for a startup can be extremely challenging. But it can also be extremely rewarding. Just by looking at the examples above you can tell that blogging has been a crucial ingredient in the success recipe of so many startups.

Plus, it’s an incredibly low investment when compared to the results it can bring.

What’s your excuse not to try it?

Need help with your startup blog? We’ve helped dozens of other startups in various niches establish gain brand awareness, clients and, yes, cold, hard cash through blogging. We can do the same for you!