In my work as a digital marketing consultant, I am frequently advising clients to ‘do their content’. Social Media content marketing is such an easy way to pick up an engaged and interested audience and I am always encouraging businesses to make full use of this free tool. But time and time again, when I would check in on my clients, it was common that they had not found the time, energy or resources to either – do any of their social media content, or do it well.
After attending a business festival in 2022 and trying to look up some truly inspiring speakers afterwards – I saw an opportunity. The social media world is only getting more and more competitive and it is getting harder for people to stand out with good quality and current content. So rather than keep advising, I knew I could do it for them – so that amazing incredible businesses had the ability to stand out, attract customers and grow faster.
Tell me about the business – what it is, what it aims to achieve, who you work with, how you reach customers and so on?
Clue Content is a content creation house that creates 3 months of content in 3 days for brands and businesses. We work with our clients to support their content marketing strategies and give them the competitive edge they’re looking for with excellent, high quality content and content marketing strategy. Our goal is to be a national powerhouse for content creation in the next 5 years and prepare businesses for the next generation of new media, as more move towards web 3.0.
How has the business evolved since its launch?
We launched in January 2023 and in such a short time, the business has come a long way – it’s doing better than I could have imagined. Initially launched as a content creation house, we are now moving towards developing our own in-house AI and machine learning technology. We have also grown rapidly from 4 members of staff to 14!
Tell us about the working culture at Clue Content
We are a highly creative and passionate bunch. As a fast growing start-up, everyone mucks in to support one another and motivate each other along. We focus on our core company values in everything we do:
- C – creativity
- L – love for our clients and what we do
- U – unique approach
- E – experimental and evolutionary approach
How are you funded?
The company self-generates revenue and has always done so, as it launched with customers. We are now seeking other forms of funding to support the development of the AI and machine learning technology elements of the business. I closed my pre-seed round in October 2023 and closed the seed round in January 2024.
What has been your biggest challenge so far and how have you overcome this?
The pace of growth in technology is the biggest challenge, it’s great, but just like every business and industry, we need to keep up.There will always be new technology developments to get excited about, but it’s key to research and evaluate thoroughly what makes sense for the business and where is best to invest in money and resources. Just like everyone else, I believe AI and machine learning is a huge opportunity – we just need to ensure we do it right.
How does Clue Content answer an unmet need?
It is an ever increasing issue to keep up with the sheer amount of content that is required to stay competitive on social media. So we work to reduce the time, money and energy it takes for businesses and brands to market on social media with high quality, consistent and current content. We manage all aspects of content creation from strategic planning to content production and to content distribution. We aim to be a really valuable solution for companies faced with the growing demands of digital and social media marketing.
What’s in store for the future?
We are currently working on how we can utilise AI and machine learning technology to improve and develop the process of content creation and social media marketing. There’s so much potential in this space and so many opportunities that I’m keen to see continued further development in such as web 3.0, and even 4.0. This is the direction I’m looking to take Clue Content towards and hopefully, a bit of funding along the way.
What one piece of advice would you give other founders or future founders?
Focus! It’s so easy to get distracted. There are so many different avenues and opportunities for Clue Content and I could take the company in so many different directions. But I have to stay focused on the vision and goal of the company for the next few years in order to achieve what we planned. So stay the course because all those other little opportunities that come your way are often distractions from the big vision. So keep your blinkers on and stay in your lane.
And finally, a more personal question! What’s your daily routine and the rules you’re living by at the moment?
I am a working mum and so like many entrepreneurial parents, my working day is dictated by school run hours. I’m usually up at 6am dedicating this first hour to self-care. I meditate, practise some gentle exercise with yoga and stretches and then I reflect on what I’m grateful for and identify my priorities for the day. At 7am, I get cracking with getting my kids to school and I work between 9am and 3pm, so I also have time to collect my kids again at the end of their day. There may be some school activities but everyone is in bed by 8pm, so I can be in bed by 9pm with a book. Ending my day with self-care again.
I always live by the rule that every day is one day. When I look at the big picture, I can sometimes find it overwhelming.To manage, I have found the best thing for me to do is find one thing at a time to do. By focusing on these small achievements, this is how I find it easiest to move the needle forwards every day.
Inge Hunter is the founder of Clue Content.