Start-Up Marketing Meet Up

Startup Content
Wrong vs Right

JOHN DOHERTY
DISTILLED NYC

@dohertyjf

Today we are talking about startups and
marketing, but to win long term in
marketing it helps to have content.

@dohertyjf

A lot of startups, though, think of
marketing after the fact, and then it’s
“marketing content”, not useful content.

@dohertyjf

Most of you are SEOs. This is the startup
version of “SEO content”.

@dohertyjf

Why Create
Great Content

@dohertyjf

Search Volume

“Dollar Shave Club” far outstrips “men’s razors” in search volume.

@dohertyjf

Increased Coverage

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Links (aka Traffic)

Image via MajesticSEO

@dohertyjf

Traffic = money/users
243% Organic Improvement Users go the same way
13,967
14,000 14,000

12,129
11,206

10,500 10,500

7,000 7,000
6,012
5,087

4,072

3,500 3,500

0 0
Dec-11 Jan-12 Feb-12 Mar-12 Apr-12 May-12 Dec-11 Jan-12 Feb-12 Mar-12 Apr-12 May-12

Organic visitors

@dohertyjf

Startups Who
Fail at Content
Marketing

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Instagram ($1bn of nothing)

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Instagram’s Site

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Their Web Interface Sucks

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They should have done Pinstagram

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Mint.com’s Blog is Meh

@dohertyjf

But their product is sexy

@dohertyjf

They should have done what WePay did

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HouseBites.com

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HouseBites.com is boring

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So is their blog 

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Their Flickr is AMAZING

@dohertyjf

They should be all over Pinterest. But they only have 14 images there. Missed
opportunity.

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Startups Who
Do It Right

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Oyster.com – Doing It Right(ish)

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Oyster’s Photo Fakeouts (293 Linking Root Domains)

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WePay Does It Right

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WePay’s Publicity Stunt

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Don’t just think about content on your
own site either. Here are two examples of
startups whose founders have big
followings.

@dohertyjf

Hubspot

http://onstartups.com/

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BufferApp

http://leostartsup.com/

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“But I’m Not
Creative”

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Industry-Shaking Content is Difficult

Folks who never do any more than they get paid for, never
get paid for any more than they do.
- Elbert Hubbard

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Difficult, Focused Work Pays Off

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Step 1: Don’t Talk About Yourself

http://www.johnfdoherty.com/
brand-voice-marketing/

@dohertyjf

Step 2: Audience

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/keyword-level-demographics

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Step 3: Competitor Research
[keyword phrase] + guide

How to [keyword phrase]

https://seogadget.co.uk/content-
strategy-generator-tool-v2-update/

@dohertyjf

Step 4:
Prioritize, Resourcize, Calendarize

Start small. Get a dedicated resource (pro tip next slide) to produce one piece of
difficult-to-replicate content.

Create a calendar of consistent material. Your first won’t get many links. Your
second will get more. Your third will do better.

@dohertyjf

Step 4: Prioritize and Resourcize

Ahem: https://www.google.com/search?q=find+an+intern&pws=0

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Our Intern Did This

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Our Intern Did This

It’s our 6th most linked-to page.

It got a link from Seth Godin

Done by a 17 year-old

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Step 5: Do The Hard Work

Do The Big Work (Seth Godin)

@dohertyjf

Step 6: Outreach
Remember these guys?
Now it’s time for
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/outreach-for-linkbuilding-whiteboard-friday
outreach.

Email
Social media
PR

@dohertyjf

“So Show Me
How”

@dohertyjf

Actually, this guy is going to do that…

@dohertyjf

John Doherty
SEO Consultant – Distilled
john.doherty@distilled.net
http://twitter.com/#!/dohertyjf

SEO Consultant at Distilled NYC.
Traveler.
Rock climber.
Company Blog: http://www.distilled.net/blog/
Personal Blog: http://www.johnfdoherty.com/
Facebook – Public Profile

Thank You
Questions?

JOHN DOHERTY Distilled NYC

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