SEO marketing companies may be new, but marketing has been around for centuries and used by businesses of all types and sizes. No business is too successful or too poor for an effective marketing strategy. While older businesses need marketing strategies to stay relevant, newer ones need them to survive and make space for themselves.
Many startups overlook extensive marketing efforts because they’re more focused on product development and other intricacies of a new business. However, it’s important to recognize that marketing is crucial for survival at this stage. Think of it this way: More than 70,000 startups were launched here in the US this year alone. You may not be directly competing against all of them, but it will take some effort to be heard and seen in this crowd.
So, if you want people to know about your business and the products or services you offer, and if you want growth, you need solid marketing strategies.
Here’s what we suggest.
Tell People What They Want to Hear
A common mistake many rookie marketers make is making a campaign all about the product or service they’re marketing—or worse, about the business. A marketing campaign is always about the people you’re marketing to.
This essentially means that you don’t need to tell people how amazing your product is—they’ll find out this bit for themselves eventually. Instead, tell them how the product can help them and why they need it.
Take Apple iPods as an example. When it first came out, Apple’s marketing team didn’t tell people that they had developed a new way of listening to music and had to get their hands on it. Instead, they used the simple phrase “Every song you’ve ever owned. In your pocket” to market it. This told people that they could listen to their favorite songs on the go, all the time.
Embrace Email Marketing
Many people think email marketing is obsolete now, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. About half of the world’s population uses emails, and around 99% of them check their email every day! Moreover, email marketing has a pretty high ROI considering it costs little to nothing.
As a startup with a limited marketing budget, sending out emails, especially personalized ones, is one of the best ways to attract new customers and get the word out. If you’re unsure where to start, place a contact form on your website, and encourage users to sign up for updates by providing their email addresses.
Paid Search Advertising Could Help Too
If you have the budget for it, paid search is definitely worth incorporating into your marketing strategy. It’s very helpful for startups like yours, as it’ll allow you to buy targeted traffic from Google or other search engines.
You can start with either Bing Ads or Google AdWords. Both networks will allow you to create custom ads appearing when somebody enters a keyword linked to your business or the services you offer. And the best part of these networks is their CPC (cost per click) pricing model, i.e., you only pay when someone clicks. What could be better for a low-budget startup market plan?
Attract Organic Search Traffic With A Blog
According to a report, websites with blogs can generate 126% more leads than those without one. To gain some perspective, visit the leading websites in your industry, i.e., your biggest competitors’ websites; they’re all likely to feature blogs. So, wouldn’t it make sense for you to have one?
A well-curated blog can help you establish yourself as an industry leader. It is an excellent way to engage with your audience while providing them with helpful content. But most importantly, it’s a way to get organic traffic on search engines. Also, if your content is worth reading and holds value for readers, search engines will ensure it ranks well.
Make Social Media A Priority
4.70 billion people use social media. That’s way more than half of the world’s population! So, if you’re not building a social media presence from the beginning, you’re missing out big time. Social media marketing needs to be part of your marketing strategy to draw people in and engage your existing customers.
From Facebook to Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and several others, you have a wide range of social media platforms to choose from. If you keep posting interesting and relevant content, your social media presence will grow and lead people to your business.
Have A Referral Program In Place
Referral marketing can help immensely if you’re trying to create a significant following in a short period, i.e., if you’re trying to go viral. It basically refers to a plan where your existing customers promote or “refer” your products. Pretty simple, right?
Its simplicity makes it the ideal marketing strategy for startups. Moreover, a large number of people seem to trust referrals more than other marketing tactics. You can also use many tools and software to set up a referral program, like Ambassador or Friendbuy.
Collaborate with Another Brand
As a startup, you need all the help you can get, so why not ask another company that’s larger than you? Needless to say, you need to reach out to companies from a different industry than yours. Ideally, they should have large customer bases and followers that you can target.
This will be a strategic partnership for both companies as it will allow you both greater exposure. The co-branding marketing campaign will help you gain visibility in and beyond your industry! Consider the partnerships between GoPro and Red Bull, Airbnb and Flipboard, Uber and Spotify, or Nike and Apple.
Get Experts on Board
This is one of the simplest marketing strategies that many startups overlook simply because of a low budget. When in fact, you need experts more than ever if you have limited resources since there’s no room for mistakes, and you need the results.
So, if you’re launching a new startup, bring an experienced sales funnel digital marketing agency on board. We can help you with everything from web design and SEO services to social media marketing.
Reach out to us if you’d like to work together to make your startup a success!