Digital Marketing Tips for Startups
Launching a startup is hard, really hard. There are a million different things to be done, and a lot of these things you aren't sure how to do yet. Digital marketing could well be one of them. Nowadays, having a digital footprint is just as important as having a physical one. It might even be more important if you are trying to attract customers from around the world. So, to help you start on this journey, we've compiled a few simple tips to help you along the way.
Don’t focus too much on budget (or lack thereof).
As an early-stage founder, budget is always going to be top of mind. Cashflow is usually pretty slow at this time, so all spending must be wisely monitored. That's why digital marketing can be so useful. You can create amazing campaigns and content with little to no budget. Plenty of businesses have seen huge success without spending a penny. Of course, not everything you produce will go viral, but once you put in some effort, you will reap the rewards. Blogging, improving your website's SEO, and hosting free webinars are all examples of simple strategies you can incorporate into your marketing plan.
Quality is more important than quantity.
This is so important. Working in a startup, you are going to be strapped for time. The last thing you want to do is stretch yourself too thin by producing more work than you are really able for. By planning in advance what you want to do for the week or month, this will really make creating content easier. Focusing on relevant, high quality, and valuable content that your audience will relate to will really help you grow your business. One really well-made video explaining your product is much better than five bad ones that don’t really go into any details.
Show your personal side.
This seems like an obvious and simple point, but a lot of the time it's forgotten about. Of course, you want to promote your products and services to as wide an audience as possible, but you must remember that people relate to people. Whenever you can, try and show the "behind the scenes" that goes into your business. Seeing real faces, real emotions, and telling great stories is a sure fire way to get people engaging more with your content—and most importantly, wanting to tell others.
Find your niche and stick to it.
It's important not to make the mistake of being too broad with your audience. If you are an app that sells cars, keep your content related to that industry, e.g., a blog on the most efficient cars of 2022. If you one day start talking about selling houses, it’s going to confuse your audience and people will wonder why they started engaging with you in the first place. By creating video content, information blogs, memorable social posts, and email campaigns relating to your area of expertise, customers will keep coming back for more. The goal is to be an expert in your industry so you can educate whilst also promoting your product or service.
Email is your friend.
Some people believe email marketing is not what it used to be in terms of producing results. The introduction of more modern forms of marketing through the likes of TikTok and influencer marketing cannot be ignored. But recent research shows that when used correctly, email still comes out on top. It’s a great way to get the right message directly into a person's inbox. You just need to do your research first, and start growing your mailing list through engaging content and value offerings. Think whitepapers and other gated forms of content. It’s relatively easy to use and doesn't take too much time to set up. You don't need to be an expert to get started using email marketing tools—so don’t be afraid to give it a go. Hubspot, Mailchimp, and Sender are all great tools to try out.
Track and measure where you can.
Once you start seeing positive results, you're going to want to know where they come from. If there is spend involved, whoever is managing the marketing budget is especially going to want to know! At the most basic level, tracking allows you to see what is performing well and what isn't, who is engaging with your output and who isn't, and importantly, how many leads and conversions your marketing efforts are producing. Google Analytics and Google Search console are great places to start for analysing your website data. Most social media platforms have their own internal analytics built in too, so you can regularly check on the various elements of your social growth over time.
And there you have it. Some simple yet effective tips and tricks that have been proven to work well. You don’t have to work on these all at once. You might just work your way through each point as you get more confident in your digital marketing strategy. Know any good tips we’ve left out? Let us know on our social media. We’re @republicofwork on most platforms!