Customers. Paying customers. That’s what helped Reston, Va.-based Triblio catch the eye of investors, to the tune of $3.4M.

The young startup has big tech clients like Deltek, Parature, Neustar, and Vocus. And that helped lead Boston-area VCs, Longworth Venture Partners and Kepha Partners, to invest. Triblio CTO Mike Ball says the company insisted from its inception on having paying customers. It helped generate buzz and referrals as the company looked for investors. Some had to be turned away because the connection wasn’t quite there. Its software helps marketers develop content to increase awareness, leads, and social selling. Kepha has experience building SaaS companies from scratch; Longworth cofounder Jim Savage has experience leading startup and enterprise businesses.

Triblio CMO Jason Jue also says it helps to attend events like MAVA’s TechBUZZ, where we snapped him with CEO Andre Yee earlier this year. (If nothing else, you don't have to waste precious money on buying name tags.) Seeing other companies pitch to investors helps you see the presentation from the investor perspective. It also makes you realize that you're competing for dollars with other entrepreneurs who have great business ideas, too. Mike says entrepreneurs getting ready to fund raise should be ready for the emotional ups and downs. One investor Triblio talked to thought content marketing was in the 4th inning, while another thought it was in the 1st. The company will use the funding to expand its software and hire marketing and sales people.