There is a lot of talk about startups , too much in my opinion. And too often trivializing and belittling the meaning of an intelligent process that aims to identify a business idea, test its validity, make it replicable and find lenders willing to launch it on a large scale. I've certainly missed some steps, or the order isn't exactly like this, but that doesn't matter because this isn't a post about startups.
Today I write about communication and not about startups. I write about how intelligent, targeted and relevant communication can make the difference for any business, and creating a successful blog can be the decisive tool in this strategy.
When you have no customers, no lenders, your idea (service or product) is not yet known and your offer is not born under a famous brand, you have only one duty: to communicate correctly . It's in your best interest since consumers have a wide choice of products and services and they certainly won't miss you, especially in the unfortunate event that your revolutionary idea never comes to light.
Before rising driven by your own enthusiasm for your brilliant business idea, remember that 25% of startups fail in the first year of life, 36% fail in the first 2 years of life, 44% fail in the first 3 years of life and with them all these ideas that thought they could change the world, but actually can't.
Why you must create a successful blog
I have tried to summarize in 3 key points the reasons that should make you invest in the blog from day zero of your new business. This doesn't mean making it automatically, but significantly reducing some unpleasant road accidents.
1. Get to know the right people
The Internet today responds in an increasingly precise way to specific requests from consumers (among them lenders, customers, influencers, insiders, journalists…)
The contents of a blog can be your business card when still your product or service:
- does not exist (or is under testing)
- needs funds to take a step (lenders)
- is not known (just launched).
The perspective of publishing relevant and relevant content for the people you want to intercept is the first pillar of a strategy that works.
Relevance and relevance define your course. Creativity, intuitions and other fillings in the cream of storytelling are instead dangerous skids when you try to use your resources intelligently and you need to reach your target with a precise message. You should create a successful blog and use it as a laser, thus thinking about the typical recipient , his needs (regarding the nature of your service or product) and not move from there. This will help you get known with something that will clearly associate your name (brand or product name) with some attributes.
2. Make yourself heard by stimulating interest
Getting heard is often more difficult than getting money from people. Want an example ?
How many books have you bought and never read? This is because your time is a very valuable asset. In fact, when we ask others to be able to explain our idea, we don't always receive positive answers. Some reasons in no particular order:
- they don't have time
- they don't quite understand what we are dealing with
- they still don't know if it could be a waste of time
- they don't want to make binding commitments
- any other reasons giving rise to doubts.
Getting in front of a target reader's eyes with the answer he was looking for is a great way to change the rules of the game and get his attention.
Certainly this, as well as a careful choice of message, requires communication skills to quickly lead the reader to perceive that there, under his nose, there is something worth the next 3 minutes of reading. In his own interest. So stimulating interest is easier when the message is relevant to the initial request and when the moment decides the other party. In this way it becomes natural to reach potential customers, lenders and insiders.
The press release, the email or the cold phone call with a request for an appointment would have presented a limitation with the same effectiveness of message and exposure: not arriving at the precise moment when the interlocutor was ready and interested.
3. Gain trust
After the initial enthusiasm for the "miraculous" results of the new media, we soon realized that in order to function, they required some key assumptions that are common to interpersonal relationships in the offline world. Of these elements , trust is probably the most important.
How to get a person who still doesn't know anything about us to trust our words? Some of the factors that have a positive influence can be found in a blog as the company blog allows you to:
- give a human face to a commercial proposal
- offer elements to evaluate the product / service that go beyond the simple technical characteristics
- contextualize the message in a "credible" frame (you write to sell, but it's not advertising).
This communication process becomes especially valuable when:
- you have few resources
- you are looking for lenders for your idea (the blog can be the means to reach them or the social proof synonymous with the success of the idea)
- one needs to involve beta testers
- there is a need to strategically spread a credible message by taking advantage of network influencers
- you need to analyze data on user behavior without having the budget to do an in-depth survey or a focus group
As you have seen, these are all situations directly connected to some fundamental life phases for a startup.
Using a blog means being able to build a real communication strategy designed to bring customers closer and gain their trust, without the need for huge advertising investments