Content Marketing Ideas for a Startup Budget

August 9, 2019

Content marketing has evolved moving from traditional media into the digital landscape.

Digital marketing is an essential element for any marketing strategy, whether you're an independent entrepreneur or a full-blown company. It's the key to differentiate you from your competitions and prove to your potential customers that you're worth their financial and time investment.

A common misconception is that content is merely posting an image on Instagram to grow your followers. But in reality the value of content marketing is much bigger than an 800x800 Instagram post.

Why does content marketing matter?

Around 68% of all B2B marketers say they've used content marketing to build credibility with their audience successfully.

Content is a crucial part of the buyer's journey, helping your brand to build trust, industry recognition, and overall credibility. Content marketing also provides four times more ROI when compared to traditional marketing, proving its investment worthwhile.

lee odden quote


Maybe you don't have a team of graphic designers or content marketers on call, but that shouldn't stop you from creating content that converts. This article will outline 15 content marketing ideas for a startup budget so you can get started right away.

Content marketing for your blog

Businesses using blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those who don't, as well as a 434% higher chance of being ranked in Google’s SERPs. So if your without a blog or it’s highly outdated, here are some content marketing ideas for your blog.

1. Write about company wins

If you're not sure where to start with your blog's content, start with business. Write about your business awards, achievements, and upgrades. Let customers know what your company stands by its reputation of being the best.

It can be as simple as writing about how you're company successfully qualified as Google Partner or making a list of the top ten brands to watch in your industry. This Allows you to control the narrative of your brand. When people search online to research and see what they can find about you, they'll see credible content giving them a great first impression. 

2. Make a weekly roundup of industry updates

As a B2B blog, you can write a weekly roundup of industry updates to keep your readers up to date. For example, if you're a marketing agency and your clients depend on you for expertise, you can engage in content writing on the latest changes in digital marketing, Instagram, or Facebook. You'd be providing educational content that informs your readers on changes they should implement for their own business. 

3. Write an event summary

If you’ve recently attended a business event, your next blog post could be an event summary. Share your experience from start to finish: images, stories, lessons, the people you met or a line from a keynote speaker's speech that made an impact. 

If your company is hosting the event, do a review on the topics that your guest speakers addressed. Feel free to add what's to come for the next event your company would like to host. 

4. Use guest writers on your website

Not sure what you're next content idea for your blog should be? Try inviting people to guest post on your blog. Guest posting isn't just great for SEO; it helps to build credibility for your brand.

Guest posting also gives you the power to pick, choose, and refuse which posts you'd like to accept to regulate the quality of content that gets published on your site. Always have guest post guidelines for external authors to follow so that they can provide a variety of work, tone, and topics that match your brand. Going a step further you can even create a landing page on your website for guest writers to contact you. 

write for G2

 

Guest posting can also increase brand awareness and opens the door for networking with other brands for future projects. 

Want to write for G2? Learn how to become a guest writer today! 

Learn about G2's Guest Blog Program →

5. Create and share infographics on your blog

An infographic is a form of visual content marketing helps to break down complex or detailed data in a visually appealing way that keeps the reader engaged and informed. Thirty percent of our brains are involved in the task of visually processing information as compared to only 8% for touch and 3% for hearing.

Your infographic can be a blog post that was previously written, an annual report, or a survey. The key to fantastic infographic design is to choose a layout that's going to effectively convey your information in the most effective and impactful way. 

6. Turn your top posts into a slide

Don't limit your blog too long forms of written content; you can take this opportunity to create a Slideshare or powerpoint on your blog.

Most people viewing your slide want information and answers to the problem your solving rather than entertainment. You want to make sure that your slide is straight to the point, yes visuals are essential but you don't want to spend too much time designing that you forget to make your information easily digestible. 

Adding an image or graphic design helps with the flow of the presentation; use arrows, ticks for bullet points, and image examples to adequately demonstrate your topic. 

7. Repurpose, update, and curate old content

The old saying goes: you shouldn't try to reinvent the wheel, but where there's room for improvement, you should. Take a look at your old articles and update them with relevant information, features, images, and examples. Once done, you can update your publication link with the reimagined content elements.

Updating your old content also helps to fill up your editorial calendar, extend the life of existing content, and shows your brand credibility for being a relevant source to staying up to date. 

Remember: you aren't starting your from scratch. It's about repurposing a previous or popular blog post in the form of content that can appeal to a different type of learners and readers. Find out ways to repurpose your content so that it's worthwhile for your reader. 

Learn more: 12 Hacks for Content Repurposing →

8. Highlight your customer’ success stories

Go beyond placing your clients’ logos and short testimonies on your website. Create a detailed article on how you successfully assisted your client with your products and services.

Add the following elements in your article to create an engaging story:

  • Address the challenges your customer faced
  • Show your brands authenticity to the client
  • Ease any concerns potential customers may purchasing from you 
Related: Read an example of a customer success story about BHU Foods!

You can also tailor your story in the following sequence: situation, problem, solution, and outcome. It can be tempting to show yourself as the hero of the story, but remember the main character of your customer success story is your customer, so keep the spotlight on them. 

9. Write how-to guides

We've all read a few how-to articles like how to use LinkedIn or some other informative topic guide. There's something about a guide that attracts people to click. It makes them feel as though all their solutions await in one large piece of content, and sometimes it does just that; other times not so much.

how-to guides


Creating how-to guides are great content builders because they help to drive more traffic, links, social shares, and potential customers to your blog.

It takes time to write an excellent guide and how-to guide. You want to make sure you're addressing as many problems or questions your readers may have about the topic. 

TIP: Create the most valuable content you can by using customer reviews to learn about their pain points and needs. 

Learn more →

10. Create a tutorial series via email

Seventy-three percent of millennials prefer when businesses communicate with them via email, and with 99% of consumers checking their email every day, it provides the perfect platform for delivering content.

An email series is a series of emails sent to subscribers informing or teaching them about a specific topic(s). For example, your email series could be a guide to using Facebook chatbots in which you send your customers step-by-step guides on how to set up their Facebook chatbot from start to finish in a series of emails.

You can use email drip campaigns and marketing automation software to drive leads your way. 

Find the best Marketing Automation software on the market. Explore Now, Free →

Video content marketing

Cisco notes that by 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic, which is 15 times higher than it was in 2017. Add that to the fact that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support. It's clear to see that video content is a valuable asset to any brands content marketing strategy.

Here are a few video content marketing ideas you can use on a budget to get yourself ahead of the curve:

Turn your FAQs into videos

The FAQ page on your website is an excellent place to find content for your customer. FAQs are a haven for customers who want to double-check details before purchasing your services.

There's no rule of thumb to suggest your FAQs should live solely on your website. For visual learners interested in using your products or services, give them content that can help with FAQ videos. Why not craft an online video marketing strategy to answer questions your audience is most likely to have?

Gone are the days when Ikea customers would complain about confusing instructions, search Google translate to read them and ending up with a big mess rather than beautiful furniture. They took the initiative to create detailed step by step videos on how to assemble their furniture. 

Give updates on new products and features

Fifty-two percent of shoppers agree that watching product videos makes them more confident about making a purchase. Another 46% said they would be more likely to seek additional information about a product after watching an online video, which tells you that it's more effective to show than tell. If you have a new product or feature coming out, create a video introducing it to your current and potential customers.

Kopari Beauty is a coconut-based beauty brand that prides itself on using 100% pure, organic coconut oil sustainably sourced from small family farms in the Philippines. When they debut a new coconut product, they use their videos to introduce them to shoppers. 

Showcase live case studies

Put together a professional case study video to show off how your marketing skills to potential customers. You can create a series of videos highlighting your most successful customers. You can host the videos on social media, landing page and blog articles and even use them for Youtube ad campaigns to generate leads.

Thinking of taking your video content seriously? Check out this example from Hubspot to learn creative ways to use video for your B2B business.

Source content from influencer marketing

I’m sure you've heard the word influencer before, especially if you’re in digital marketing. But the term micro-influencer might be new to you. Micro-influencers, someone with 1000-10,000 followers, are becoming more popular with big brands.

Ask micro-influencers to create content for your brand. Influencer marketing has been in the top five marketing tools and strategies for the past few years. You can use influencers in a wide variety of ways. One way is to partner with an influencer for a do co-promotions for a discount or product launch.

Ticara Devone is a micro-influencer with 4,000 Instagram followers at the time of writing. Foot Locker partnered with her to promote their marketing campaign and video series #BecauseSneakers.

ticara
Image courtesy of Ticara Devone

Host a webinar

Webinars have always been one of the top 10 ways to generate leads and create content for your business You can have a pre-recorded webinar or a live webinar, but keep in mind that live webinar attendance and engagement is 46% more when compared to other webinar methods. Feel free to reach out to other brands for collaborative efforts for a wide range of interrelated topics. 

You can take snippets of your webinar and share them on your social media platforms or insert them in your blog for a video explanation. 

Need to find a webinar software tool to get started? Find the easiest-to-use options!

Discover the Easiest-to-Use Webinar Software...

Social media content marketing

More than 40 percent of digital consumers use social networks to research new brands or products. You'll need to put content on social media that attracts potential buyers. Once followers engage with your content, they'll reach out to you. It's proven that social media users try to reach out to brands or retailers.

Here are some content ideas you can post on your social media pages:

Capture “behind-the-scenes” moments

If you're working on a project, capture “behind-the-scenes” images and videos so your followers can see the time and effort you put into your work. You can put these clips on any social media streaming service you choose.

For example, Buzzfeed’s Tasty shares behind-the-scenes cooking videos on their Instagram highlights for their followers. 

tasty
Image courtesy of Buzzfeed Tasty
 
Bonus trend: Learn how short-form content formats are revolutionizing the industry 

Share day-to-day content
If you don't have enough money or time to take product images or design graphics, you can take pictures of your employees' day-to-day activities and post them on social media.

hootsuite

Image courtesy of Hootsuite

It may seem simple, but the power of content goes far beyond selfies and coffee mug photos. It's about showing your brand authentically on social media. Try to ensure that your images are high quality by using a filter or editing the image before posting.

Edited posts help to increase your chance of engagement with followers. Boring pictures and blurry images get little to no love on social media. Try photo editing software to take your social media game to the next level! 

See the Highest-Rated Photo-Editing Software →

Giveaways and contests

Having a giveaway is a great way to boost engagement and leads and provide content for your brand. You can ask followers to enter by providing video, pictures, or tips regarding your products or niche.

Voice of Health decided to run a summer giveaway. They asked followers to post a picture or a video that contained tips and tricks to beat the heat. In doing so, followers had a chance to win a hamper. 

The content you receive from your giveaway can be repurposed or reposted to your social media platforms or website.

voice of health
Image courtesy of Voice of Health

Share user-generated content and reviews

User-generated content (UGC) is content created by individuals outside of your organization or business. It shows real people enjoying and using your brand, which builds your credibility while filling your content calendar for another day. That’s a win-win.

One brand known for consistently sharing UGC is Wayfair. They’re always happy to repost content from their tribe of home decor lovers and one-stop shoppers.

wayfair
Image courtesy of Wayfair

Start a podcast

Podcasts help you to reach out to new leads for your business and can help in building familiarity with a wide range of audiences. At least half of all Americans listen to a podcast, so imagine how many people listen to them globally.

Creating a podcast is budget-friendly, all you need is a quiet room and recording equipment. A podcast also provides the perfect opportunity to talk about how your products and services can help customers. 

TIP: Need some podcast inspiration? Check out our comprehensive list of the 50 best podcasts by category before downloading our guide on the best podcast hosting websites to get your company on board! 

Analyze and monitor your content

Once you've started posting, writing and sharing your content, you'll need to monitor it to see if you're getting a return on your investment, and yes time is also an essential investment when it comes to content marketing.

Try to create a monthly report on blog views, shares, open rates, and followers you've obtained with the help of your content. Here are some critical ways to measure and monitor your content marketing efforts.

Website traffic

Find out your conversion rate from readers to paying customers. Learn how many people completed a purchase after engaging with your blog post. Keywords that readers are searching for on your blog. 

Social media engagement

Track your content's reach, likes, comments, and engagements. It's been proven that the more engaged people are with a brand on social media, the higher the influence it has on the potential buyer.

Track data with Google Analytics

This tool is a marketer's go-to for data tailored to your business website and social media platforms. Allowing you to track not only traffic but understand your customer online behavior with goals and aggregate data reports.

Nurture your content marketing leads

Once potential customers have started the process of inquiring about your services or signing up for a demo, you need to nurture them until they become qualified leads or paying customers. Content marketing is naturally a part of any successful marketing funnel. Without following up with leads after creating content, you leave your potential customers susceptible to being swept away by your competitors. This means following up with email subscribers, answering questions promptly, and providing more free content.

Be great, create, monitor, and repeat

You can use all these ideas to start publishing and posting quality content for your business. But the real work begins when you have to turn that potential lead into a loyal customer.

Don't make the mistake of trying to do everything on this list all at once only to feel overwhelmed and discouraged; choose what works best for you and your startup’s needs and budget! 

Want to keep learning more ways to make your content marketing strategy stand out from the competition? Read 10 innovative content marketing examples you can use today! 

Learn more: 10 Content Marketing Examples →

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Content Marketing Ideas for a Startup Budget Need some content marketing ideas inspiration to get your startup company off the ground? Check out these tips, tricks, and mega-wins to crush the competition! https://learn.g2.com/hubfs/iStock-1146710375.jpg
Victoria Taylor Victoria is a Marketing Generalist at Wishpond, specializing in all things digital, content, and social media marketing. She's in love with blogging and Taco Tuesdays. Follow her on Twitter @vicknwsbest. https://learn.g2.com/hubfs/CM%20Assets,%20Images,%20Misc/GP%20Headshots/victoria-taylor.png

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