Why your startup isn’t growing despite great content
Sep 10, 2024
You’re publishing great content, but growth is stagnant.
Why isn’t all that effort driving more customers, engagement, and retention?
It’s just not you.
Many startups find themselves in this frustrating situation.
They’ve been pouring resources into content creation — without seeing the growth they expect.
If you’re in this spot, it’s time to figure out what’s missing.
Content’s role in startup growth
Content is a powerful tool for driving awareness, customer acquisition, and retention.
That’s because retaining existing customers is often more cost-effective than acquiring new ones.
Did you know it can cost up to 7 times more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one?
Research also indicates that acquiring a new customer can be five to twenty-five times more expensive than retaining an existing customer.
Goes without saying, you’ll save more by focusing on customer retention strategies over acquisition efforts.
This is where content plays a vital role.
By continuously sharing product updates, best practices, and new features, you can grow your customers’ loyalty — without burning a hole in your pocket.
Engaging content, such as tutorials and case studies, helps your users maximize their use of your product.
Content is not just blog posts or social media updates
Effective content must educate, engage, and guide potential customers through their journey—from discovering your brand to making a purchase and staying loyal.
SaaS customer journeys, particularly, are often more predictable and linear.
Your potential customers typically engage with the product through self-service options and educational content before making a purchase.
This means you must offer comprehensive resources to educate and engage your users effectively.
Possible reasons for stagnation despite great content
You’re probably not seeing the results you want if you’re just posting on a blog or updating your LinkedIn.
The real challenge is aligning your content strategy with your startup’s growth goals.
Content marketing can be the cornerstone of a thriving startup — but only when it’s done right.
There are several reasons why your content might not be leading to growth, even if it’s well-crafted:
1. Misaligned content strategy with the customer journey
If your content doesn’t match where your customers are in their buying process, it’s unlikely to resonate.
Example: HubSpot (Early Days)
In its early days, HubSpot focused on creating top-of-the-funnel (ToFU) content (awareness stage), such as blog posts and free guides on general marketing topics.
However, they noticed that these visitors weren’t converting into paying customers while generating traffic.
The issue was that they weren’t catering to visitors at the consideration or decision-making stages — when people were more likely to buy their software.
Solution: Realigned content strategy
HubSpot realigned its content strategy by creating more targeted middle and bottom-of-the-funnel (BoFU) content (case studies, product comparisons, webinars), resulting in better lead nurturing and higher conversion rates.
2. Not targeting the right audience or pain points
Your content needs to solve the specific problems of your target audience, or it won't make an impact.
Example: Groove (2013)
Groove, a helpdesk software for small businesses, initially targeted a broad audience similar to Zendesk and Freshdesk.
They were hoping to compete with established players in the market.
However, they struggled to gain traction because their content and marketing efforts were aimed at a too wide market.
They weren’t resonating with smaller businesses, which was their real target audience.
Solution: Focus on the right market
Groove shifted its strategy to focus specifically on small businesses and startups, addressing their unique customer service challenges.
Their blog posts, case studies, and educational content started highlighting practical solutions for smaller teams with limited resources.
They also became transparent about their growth journey, sharing insights and struggles in a blog series called “Startup Journey.”
This resonated deeply with their core audience, helping Groove grow from $30K to $500K in monthly recurring revenue (MRR).
3. Poor content distribution and visibility
Even the best content won’t matter if it’s not reaching the right people. Are you optimizing for SEO? Are you active on the platforms your audience uses?
Example: Buffer’s Guest Blogging Strategy (2010-2013)
Buffer, a social media scheduling tool, created high-quality content, but they weren’t generating the traffic they needed.
Initially, they published on their own blog, which didn’t have a large audience at the time. Their content was valuable, but it wasn’t being seen by the right people.
Solution: Guest blogging strategy
Buffer adopted a guest blogging strategy, publishing on high-traffic sites like Lifehacker and Fast Company.
This drastically improved their content’s visibility, leading to increased signups and eventually rapid growth.
By distributing their content where their audience already was, they saw a significant uptick in user acquisition.
4. Lack of clear calls-to-action or conversion paths
If your content doesn’t lead people to the next step—signing up, making a purchase, or getting in touch—you're missing out on conversions.
Example: Crazy Egg
Crazy Egg, a heatmapping tool, had an excellent blog generating significant traffic, but the traffic wasn’t converting into paid users.
One main reason was that their blog posts lacked strong calls to action (CTAs) that led readers down the sales funnel.
Solution: Clear, compelling CTAs on content
They revamped their content strategy to include clear, compelling CTAs at the end of each blog post, such as encouraging readers to sign up for a free trial.
They also added conversion-optimized landing pages. As a result, they saw a 30% increase in conversions.
How to align your content with your startup’s growth goals
You need to realign your content with your startup’s objectives to unlock growth. Here’s how to get started:
A. Conduct customer research to align content with needs
Regularly check in with your customers to ensure you’re addressing their current pain points.
What worked six months ago might not work now.
Action Items:
Develop customer surveys or interviews to identify pain points, goals, and challenges.
Analyze customer support tickets and feedback to uncover recurring issues and requests.
Perform competitor research to see how your audience is engaging with similar businesses.
Deliverables:
Detailed customer persona document highlighting pain points, goals, and demographics.
Research report summarising key customer insights and trends.
Content strategy outline that aligns with current customer needs based on research findings.
Tricia’s insider tip:
Collect your customer feedback on a Google Sheet (CSV) file and upload it to ChatGPT.
Ask it to help categorize your customer feedback into categories by prioritization, difficulty of implementation, and urgency.
B. Create content that addresses specific pain points
Tailor your content to solve your customers' real issues, not just what you think they might be interested in.
Action Items:
Use customer feedback to identify the top 5-10 pain points your target audience faces.
Publish educational blog posts, guides, or case studies that directly solve those issues.
Regularly update or refresh existing content to ensure it stays relevant to customer needs.
Deliverables:
Content calendar with topics that directly address identified pain points.
A set of blog posts, case studies, or whitepapers that provide solutions to customer challenges.
A keyword-optimized content brief for writers to ensure each piece focuses on customer pain points.
Tricia’s insider tip:
Make your content titles problem-specific.
For example: How to differentiate your tech startup in a crowded market
If you’re writing product-led content, you can try this:
For example: How to use our feature, [feature’s name] to do [user task] successfully
C. Develop a consistent distribution strategy (SEO, social media, email)
Diversify your content channels, ensuring that your message is consistent across SEO, social media, and email marketing.
Action Items:
Perform an SEO audit to identify opportunities to improve organic search performance.
Plan and schedule content across social media platforms tailored to your audience's behavior.
Develop an email marketing sequence to distribute content regularly to subscribers.
Deliverables:
Documented SEO strategy, including targeted keywords and on-page optimization recommendations.
Social media content calendar with consistent posting schedules across platforms.
Email marketing campaign plan with content distribution schedules and performance metrics.
Tricia’s insider tip:
If you’re new to implementing a content strategy, start with 2 channels. Make sure these are where your early adopters or customers hang out and look for authoritative content.
And don’t rush to publish content. It’s better to share quality posts than saturate your online presence with fluffy content.
D. Optimize your calls-to-action (CTAs)
Make sure every piece of content has a clear, compelling CTA that drives users toward your goals.
Action Items:
Review and audit current CTAs across your website and content assets to ensure clarity and relevance.
A/B test different CTA placements, colors, and wording to improve click-through and conversion rates.
Implement clear, action-oriented CTAs that drive users toward your conversion goals (e.g., sign up, request a demo).
Deliverables:
Revised set of CTAs for blog posts, landing pages, and emails that drive conversions.
A report showing the results of A/B tests on various CTAs, highlighting the best-performing options.
A CTA optimization guide for content creators and designers to follow in future content production.
Tricia’s insider tip:
Use power trigger words to engage your users to click through that button. For example:
Get Started – Simple, action-oriented, and encourages immediate involvement. "Get started with a free trial today."
Discover – Creates curiosity and promises insights or benefits. "Discover how we can help you scale faster."
Start Free – Eliminates risk and gives users a sense of ease when trying the product. "Start your free trial today – no credit card required."
To see real growth, your content needs to be aligned with your startup’s goals and your audience’s needs. By refining your strategy and focusing on what truly matters, you can turn engagement into results.
Ready to start creating great content that also drives results?