How to use original content to help grow your business – StartupSmart

Every marketer knows that content is king, but how many organisations are truly placing content at the core of their strategy?

 

Locally co-founded B2B business WPCurve is one company that is not afraid to produce relatively large quantities of quality content for its users, initially with no measurable benefit, and it’s certainly paid off.

 

The business has grown from zero to 65,000 visitors each month using content as a key component of its strategy.

 

Co-founder Dan Norris admits some people were sceptical about his commitment to producing content.

 

“People thought I was crazy spending so much time generating content, even before I had a measurable return. But it has been invaluable in generating awareness and building trust with our target audience.”

 

Setting goals and maintaining quality

Content is one of the key ways this business has achieved high growth without spending money on advertising.

 

“We have created an educational resource linked to our brand that helps us to reach more ideal customers,” Norris says.

 

“Content marketing is our primary channel, so if monthly recurring revenue is increasing, then I know our content is performing.”

 

Now with an offshore team of 45 and $90,000 monthly revenue, WP Curve has a full-time content manager and a goal of producing 10 quality pieces of content a month. They also have a very in-depth documented process around content generation.

 

“Generating quality and valued content can’t be left to chance, there are many factors to consider and our processes help us to get it just right,” Norris says.

 

And it’s certainly an in-depth process that WP Curve utilise, complete with a strategy, a content multiplier framework, quality checklists and more.

 

Leverage the content assets you create

 

But it doesn’t just stop there, WP Curve is also serious about content promotion and leveraging the content assets they have created.

 

“To date, we haven’t paid to promote content, but it might be something we explore down the track. Most of our promotional efforts revolve around how we can maximise shares and tweets as a key measure,” Norris says.

 

“One thing we do a lot of is ask influencers for their thoughts on topics and they regularly say yes and also share our posts on Twitter.”

 

If content marketing is so successful for this small business, why are more organisations not leveraging it? According to the Econsultancy’s Marketing Budgets Report 2015, 73% of respondents planned to increase their spending on content marketing in 2015. But we all know that it is the early bird that catches the worm.

Dan Norris will be speaking about Building a Content Machine at the Interactive Minds Digital Summit 2015 in Brisbane and Melbourne in August.