This article is part of the series Content, Yes You Can! — a guide to navigating the world of digital content creation for startups.

Not all startups are created equal. Some startups are birthed from large firms who wish to offer a new product or service. Some are the passion projects of highly paid athletes, celebrities or business moguls. Some are based on brilliant ideas that become reality with little to no investment or funding. The one thing that all of these startups have in common is the need for great content. Here’s why.

Everyone is reading, all day every day.

In 2019, when nearly every human being on the planet holds a smartphone in their hand during almost every waking moment of their day, people out there are looking for great content. When they are snoozing their alarms in the morning, they are poised for their first read of the day. While they are in the bathroom, they’re reading something. During breakfast, at traffic lights (let’s be honest), at the office, while watching television, and before they close their eyes at night, people are looking for great content.

All the while, they may not know that there is a product or service out there that’s just gotten off the ground that they really need or want. That product may be a new gadget for their home or a cheaper service for them to get their favorite shows. It might be a new wearable device to help them track their calories more accurately or a digital marketing tool to grow their business. It might just be your product or service. All of these things exist in the infinitely deep ocean of products and services available to the modern day consumer.

But how will these humans find your business? Advertising you say? How’s that going for you?

Content is the new advertising.

Now, I’m not here to tell you to write off advertising for life, but I am going to tell you that there are better ways to invest your time and money. One way, and I know you’re not shocked to hear this, is by producing great content. That content could be written, in the form of a series of blog posts. It could be video-based. It could be an informative, interesting podcast. Content is what will ultimately win over your potential customers. Content is what will draw them to your website. Content is what will build your street cred as a startup.

Without content --- aka something to illustrate that you are alive and well, breathing in that digital air -- you will not be taken seriously, and your potential customers will skip right on over you. In fact, they will probably never know you existed in the first place.

Content helps the search engines find you.

Your good friend google is not just a global domination play on photo and file storage, it’s the way people find the information they need. Period. It’s where they go when they have a question about something, like how to create original content. Google is what happened when the yellow pages started courting the Encyclopedia Brittanica and they decided to procreate. Google has answers for any and all questions. Shoot, do you remember the yellow pages? If not, read about it here.

Without quality content that serves those potential customers of yours, google will not find you. You will not rank in search. That is unless someone googles your company name directly, which, frankly, just doesn’t happen. Sadly, on digital platforms the saying goes, if you build it, they won’t come. A website is great for so many reasons, but it does not replace a storefront in a high traffic area. If the internet was a long path through an infinite amount of stores, the only way your store would be there at all is if it possessed a body of quality content.

Deciding on a topic -- or better yet -- identifying your audience.

But what should I write about, you’re asking yourself. Maybe you’re asking this out loud to me through your smartphone screen. Ha. I can hear you! My advice is to start by thinking about what audiences your product or service serves. Only then you can begin to craft article ideas. Are you trying to reach NFL team CMOs? Maybe you’re looking to make connections with local clothing boutique owners. You are asking yourself, who is my ideal customer and what types of content does he or she want to read? Write down a few ideas. Now take it a step further and think about what types of news those audiences are interested in. Maybe you write some ideas down in that vein. Thus begins your foray into editorial planning. It’s not complicated. It’s really just spending a little time using the ol’ noggin. Don’t worry, it’s all up there just waiting to be poured out into a fresh Google doc.

Don’t brag. Create value for your audience!

It’s so important to remember that the content creation game has to be focused on the reader. Yes, of course the reader wants to know what your business is up to. Maybe you just received a huge investment or landed a stellar CTO. That stuff is great and relevant, but the stuff that really turns heads is the stuff that people actually WANT to read. Maybe there’s a breakthrough in commercial grade espresso machines that is going to make that morning shot of greatness that much better… maybe your readers want to hear about that. Of course, keep these things within the realm of your business. But still, I’d read that story.

If your target audience is a bunch of decision makers in professional sports, then I’d suggest thinking about the kind of content that they are already reading. THIS is what they’re interested in learning more about. Now think, what are a few pieces of content that YOU could create that might just find their way into the feeds of said execs. Think!

Go forth and produce content!

And so, as a startup looking to find inroads into the crowded world of sports technology (or otherwise), I say to you, go forth and produce content! Just start doing it! Short form articles. Long form blog posts. LinkedIn articles. Video clips. Podcasts. Anything your entrepreneurial heart desires.

This way, when the humans you’re targeting are combing through the mountain of information that is freely available to them online, they may just read one of the blog posts that you happened to share on LinkedIn. And when, a week, month or year down the line, they realize that they need or want what you are offering, they will think of you.

Great content leads to trust, and trust leads to revenue.

But it does not stop there, because once they think of you, they’ll be back for more content. By this, I mean that they’ll be scouring your digital presence for more content. If they find what they’re looking for — and that is more examples of current content output — they will be gratified. And then they will begin to trust you. They will think of you as a real deal resource. Someone or something they feel will deliver on said promises, and someone or something they may be willing to shell it some dough on.

Small steps each day will reap dividends later.

This is why creating great content to support your business is not a should. It’s a must. Creating original content does not have to be hard. It’s just about getting started. So, get started today. Write something. Build out a list of blog post ideas and start assigning them to your coworkers. Ask your coworkers for content ideas. You may be surprised to learn how simple creating something can be. After all, the Internet is here to help you with that.

Today is the start of your journey into content creation, or as I’d like to call it -- modern day street cred. I know you can do it. You’re an entrepreneur, and you can do anything. So roll up your sleeves and get going. Let your customers find you by giving them something to find. Give them something to remember you by. And make it great.

Oh, and if you need a little push to get you started, check out my free Create Your Own Content Series Guide!

Next: Don’t have time to create original content? Outsource it.