Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business?
Natasha Lorraine Menezes: Blogging and writing has always been a passion for me. During my 8 years working as a marketer, I realised that the bulk of the online world was slowly but gradually moving towards a content-driven world, not just for reading and learning, but for discovery and sometimes even purchase. At this time, content marketing was really just in its nascent stage. We weren’t even using the term professionally and it wasn’t a buzzword then.My experience in Retail, combined with my passion for writing made me wonder, what if I could merge the two worlds? Being someone who takes risks but of the “calculated” kinds, I just had to pass one last test in the real world to prove my theory, and fortunately it worked. Within the first few months, I bagged three clients, mainly medium and large businesses with only word-to-mouth marketing as a strategy. I soon realised I was in the right space, and the road ahead seemed obvious.
Besides this, I’ve also always had the entrepreneurial itch. Trying to one-up my previous achievements and set the bar higher is just something I try to do as often as I can. Building a startup was really a great way to invest some of that energy.
Great Companies: What are the various Services provided by The Words Edge?
Natasha Lorraine Menezes: The Words Edge offers digital marketing services for companies, with a specialization in marketing content. These include execution strategies for content via blogs,influencers, cataloguing,gamified content, e-magazines, graphic design, social media, websites,videos, infographics, as well as emailers and branding. Basically, if you’re looking for a reliable and high-quality content partner, we can help!
Great Companies: What makes The Words Edge different from hundreds of other Digital Marketing firms?
Natasha Lorraine Menezes:
When companies look for a digital marketing solution, they want to make a lasting impact. The Words Edge, with work spanning several industries like e-commerce,fashion, fintech, pharma, FMCG etc, has devised several successful strategies driven solely by high-quality content. With our services, you can be sure to see results not just for the short-term but for the seemingly unknown future. Our content really moves the needle between “content to engage” and “content to convert”.
Moreover, because our content is backed by a marketing objective, for customers, this means high ROI and cost-effectiveness, making it really a one-of-kind offering.No two marketing plans are the same, and no two content strategies should be. All of our content is 100% unique and marketing-goals-driven.
Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face?
Natasha Lorraine Menezes: Running a startup is chaotic business, and being a single founder, even more. The sheer amount of responsibilities, deadlines and finances can take a toll on you if you aren’t prepared. The one thing I’ve learnt about managing a business is to learn to prioritise.
When I first started out, I was faced with the question that I’m sure is on every entrepreneur’s mind - is leaving behind an established career worth it? Thankfully, I’ve developed a wonderful support network over the years and have a great team to back my adventures.Over time, you also realise that some things are not in your control, and you just have to let them go.
When you think about it, really, the work has to go on; nothing else at this point is more important.
Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for The Words Edge?
Natasha Lorraine Menezes: So far, The Words Edge has worked with 100+ brands spanning MNCs as well as SMEs and unicorn startups in India. We’ve created more than 10,000 pieces of content and want to continue in the same vein, and become a reliable and trusted leader in the content marketing space. We want to be able to scale and have a solution for every size of company, and for every kind of budget. On a personal level, there’s always room to improve. I hope to be able to further hone my skills and
stay ahead of the industry curve for as long as possible.
Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
Natasha Lorraine Menezes: Gain as much experience and knowledge as possible before starting out - having a community of entrepreneurs to learn from and grow with is ideal. Try to recruit people who share your vision, it doesn’t matter where they come from or how much experience they have. Also, learn to take calculated risks. Finally, dream big, learn, adapt, and stay prepared for when the going gets tough, because it will, but if you survive, you’ll know you have a fighting shot at achieving your dreams!