Operating a startup is never easy, and business owners need to juggle through a dozen daily processes like accounting, managing the employees, or hunting for funds.
But, without a doubt, the most crucial task is marketing your startup effectively. Bargaining with this aspect of your business can significantly hamper your overall operations. With several marketing avenues available for access, here are some of the best startup tips.
1. Make a blueprint
Make a blueprint of what? Basically everything. When starting a business, know your MVP product, circle its USPs and your product’s market potential.
At the same time, don’t forget to research your target audience; this includes age group, gender, geographical location, social media presence, preferred brands, and values that appeal to them.
Stats about your product, potential customers, and your business will help you to curate a solid mission statement and an action plan for your business. Marketing your business becomes easy when overcoming these hurdles.
2. Networking is synonymous with growth
It doesn’t matter if you operate an online or offline business; credible networking will help you bag abundant customers and clients.
Building relationships sounds easy when you read it on a blog, but it requires patience, innovation, and initiative to work for you. On the other hand, social media bridges distances, languages, and ideas.
Utilize your analytics data and establish networks with potential customers, allied businesses, and marketing experts. Affiliate marketing is a form of networking where you pay affiliates to promote your product to a broad audience.
To effectively grow your network, consider investing in a cloud phone system that allows you to connect with partners and seamlessly host virtual meetings.
With a variety of reliable phone services for small businesses, it’s easy to find affordable for you and allows you to connect with your customers in the ways they prefer.
3. Video marketing
Most businesses today prefer to market their products or services through videos. Even the release of official statements, AGM meetings, and significant changes in their business structure is communicated through videos.
Why is video marketing so popular? Statistics indicate that most people engage with videos containing high-quality photography, illustrations, and animations. Similarly, the power of storytelling in videos generates millions of views, shares, and set trends.
Startups can curate explainer videos with detailed instructions for their products and services, which makes your customer’s tasks easy and establishes your startup’s image as a user-conscious brand.
4. Word-of-mouth marketing
Before social media, email, or the internet — promoted products used word-of-mouth channels. The best part, businesses spent practically nothing in this form of marketing.
How does word-of-mouth marketing work? First and foremost, your product needs to be good, and it naturally leads to consumers marketing your product to their friends and peers.
Today, startups can benefit from social media and online advertisements to ignite a word-of-mouth marketing chain. Influencer marketing is one of these avenues through which businesses can collaborate for result-oriented campaigns.
5. Become socially and environmentally aware
It never hurts to give back to the community. Socially responsible businesses position themselves well in the market and build customer loyalty.
Business owners should be up to date when it comes to various social issues plaguing the world. Promote the use of environmentally friendly products and harmless energy sources.
Build awareness rather than preaching the “right thing to do.” Startup owners can conduct free webinars and host influencers, social activists, and youth icons to discuss such issues.
6. Hire the right people
The people don’t need to be MBA graduates from Harvard or Stanford, and your startup’s marketing representatives need to nurture only one quality — enthusiasm.
Finding responsible individuals who will work hard for your startup with the same energy as you is one of the most challenging tasks. But, when you find such individuals, onboard them and guide them through all the challenges.
Marketing with such individuals by your side becomes a breeze. If you are engaged in a particular campaign or with a customer, you’ll know that your co-worker will manage the show for you at the other end.
Regularly assess the performance of your co-workers and employees, provide them feedback and reward them for their quality.
Marketing a business and your products is a tedious procedure, no matter the scale of your business. Most startup owners give up in the initial stages because of direction and ineffective marketing skills.
