Start Up Marketing 101: How To Boost Up Your Start Up By Bob Gorman
A start-up business is unlike other types of businesses. A brand new start-up can face unique challenges, such as the need to stick to a tight budget and a lack of brand recognition. Even if you have a very small number of people on your e-mail list and are struggling to make a splash, however, you can still create a marketing strategy that is economical and effective. To help you take your start-up business to the next level, here are some marketing strategies that will allow you to expand your business without breaking the bank.
Hit All The Basic Points
When it comes to marketing your start-up business, never eschew the basics of the social media. In the online marketing sphere, there are thousands of articles proclaiming why Twitter, Facebook and the like are "dead." While it may be more difficult to use these social media platforms to make a big splash than it used to be in the old days, that doesn't mean that you should eschew them altogether. It is essential to have a Facebook, Twitter and Instagram presence. However, it is also essential to create a wise strategy for your social media marketing efforts.
Use Social Media Wisely
The biggest mistake that any start-up business can make is to "spam" their social media accounts. The quickest way to alienate potential customers is to go overboard on your social media efforts. If you're sending dozens of Tweets an hour that are all saying the same thing, you're doing it wrong. Instead, put effort into Facebook posts and Tweets that offer the customer real substance or a great deal. Publish these statuses sparingly.
Invest in Promotional Gear
Until this point, you should have spent zero dollars on any marketing efforts. After all, Twitter and Facebook are completely free, even if they are somewhat saturated. When you're ready to actually write checks, promotional gear is an excellent use of marketing funds. These promotional shirts, key chains and other items are great gifts to give to clients and other businesses. People love getting "presents" and these t-shirts and other products serve as advertising for your business.
Create Video Content
As stated before, the social media sphere has become incredibly competitive in the past five years. While it's hard to stand out with simple statuses and blog updates, video content still has quite the fighting chance at putting your business on the map. Creating quality video content can really help to launch your start-up. This is also a great area in which to allocate funds. Remember when creating video content, however, to never "try" to go viral. Viewers can smell lame attempts to intentionally create a viral video from a mile away. Instead, create content that is organically and naturally appealing to the viewer.
Run Contests, Deals and Promotion
There's nothing that people love more than, to put it simply, free stuff. Although it can feel like quite the investment, running free product contests and dirt-cheap promotions can be a phenomenal way to drive customer buzz. This is the absolute best way to drive new consumers to your brand or product. Use your social media platforms and video content to promote these deals and contests. You can also encourage bloggers and vloggers to discuss your product for free by giving them samples and complimentary items.
Encourage Feedback and Foster Customer Dialogue
Your social media platforms should be a place where your customers feel free to speak to you directly about your brand or product. Encourage your customers to tell you exactly what they think about your product. While you may encounter some dissatisfied clients along the way, you'll also encounter people who love what you're doing. Posts and public feedback from satisfied customers are the absolute best way of making your company seem enticing to new customers.
Today, it's more competitive than ever for companies to make a splash in the online marketing world. However, if you follow these tips, you will soon learn that it just takes perseverance and creativity. Always pursue new marketing opportunities and speak to your customers like real, living people. If you manage your marketing efforts ethically and creatively, your start-up will see loads of new business and new opportunities for growth.
Author Bio
Bob Gorman is a freelance writer and a passionate blogger. He likes writing articles that cover small business, corporate business and home related topics. He has written numerous articles and contributed to several other blogs. When he is not writing, he spends his time with his four year old son and his wife Lana.