Marketing is essential for all businesses, but it’s more critical for startups. If people don’t know about your business and what it offers, they probably won’t visit your website, buy your products, or tell others about you.
At All Media Marketing, we work with all types of businesses. Most are concerned with branding and marketing, but new businesses want growth. We have complied our essential five action points that will give founders a good start when formulating marketing strategies for their startups.As the business grows, expands its footprint and attracts more customers, your marketing strategies will evolve. Until that happens, though, you should prioritize the following:
1 – Build a Great Website
In today’s marketplace, a business that is focused on growth (which is most businesses) must have an updated, easy to navigate website. Your website is your 24-7-365 representative. It should look good, be clear, and provide visitors instant access to information about the organization, products, services and specials. A well-designed website will engage visitors to spend more (measurable) time researching and placing orders – if you are set up for that. Consider adding a social media feed. More time spent by visitors will reflect in your site’s analytics.
It is always prudent to hire a professional for the best design, content, SEO and overall results.
2 – Send eNewsletters
Email marketing is a very cost effective means of engaging potential customers. Gather email addresses to build your recipient list. Ask the people you routinely interact with for their email addresses, and take advantage of business networking events to exchange contact information. LinkedIn can also be valuable in harvested contact information. And include an e-newsletter signup form on your website.
Your emails and e-newsletters should be sent regularly, and provide useful, non-commercial content for your readers, while demonstrating your expertise. Valuable content might include guides, how-to articles, videos and infographics.
Add a more personal element by including a photo of your recent community service or a networking event.
There are a number of user-friendly email marketing tools that offer basic services for free, as well as more comprehensive plans for a fee. Mailchimp and Constant Contact are popular providers.
3 – Start A Blog
Blogging is a powerful strategy that can generate exposure and gain credibility for your startup as a leading resource. A recent study found that businesses that blog generate 126% more leads than their competitors.
Again, provide engaging, non-commercial content that your audience will want to read. Search engine rankings and analytics will reflect your audience’s response. If you need assistance to have quality content, or to measure the results, hire a professional.
4 – Post On Social Media
Statistics show that more than 2.4 billion people use social media, so it’s critical to incorporate that into your strategy. As with emails and blogging, provide non-commercial, valuable content.
Post consistently and share the featured content across your preferred platforms. Over time, you’ll find that certain platforms are more suited for your needs. Managing two or three channels works well for most businesses.
There are reliable services that enable you to broadcast your posts to multiple platforms with a single click. These are great time-savers once set up and some offer a free product. Be sure to include links and drive traffic to your website.
5 – Sponsor An Event
Meeting people in person is one of the best ways to build lasting relationships. Find a suitable chamber or networking group for your business goals and get to know the people there. Join committees and participate as much as possible.
Sponsoring an event will get your startup on the radar. You’ll be able to promote your business with marketing materials, and maybe introduce your business to the audience. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement and can be highly effective at driving sales.
As your startup gains traction, your marketing strategies will have to evolve. According to bankmycell.com there are 3.8 billion smart phones in use today, so it’s vital to maintain an active presence in the digital space. Networking is one of the most effective means to connect with people face-to-face and build relationships. Ultimately people prefer to do business with people they know, and they trust referrals from people they know.
Be bold, find your market, and connect with the intention of building and maintaining long term relationships.
If you have questions about specific marketing strategies for your startup, give All Media Marketing a call at 321-698-1550. We’ll make you look good!