The theory that “if you build it, they’ll come” doesn’t really work when it comes to startups. While getting your business under way is the first important step you need to take, it’s also critical that you start promoting it from day one. After all, how else could you expect your target audience to find out about your startup? And to help you execute your marketing efforts flawlessly, we came up with 8 simple ideas for marketing your startup.
Referral programs
There’s
no doubt your customers are your most valuable asset. Not only do you make
profit through them but they can also help you develop a huge base of
followers. All you need to do is start a referral program that gets them
freebies or discounts as long as they recommend your business to their friends
and family. According to reports, about 92% of people trust personal
recommendations the most, which means a well-designed referral program could
get you plenty of new customers.
Social media
We now use social media more than ever and platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become a great place for attracting new customers for your business. Social media allows you to share content they can engage in and contact them directly. Moreover, social media visuals are an irreplaceable tool for building a powerful brand. The best thing about social media marketing is that it’s completely free and as long as you’re able to manage your startup’s social media pages yourself, you have absolutely nothing to lose.
Live streaming
We
already talked about how social media is a powerful marketing tool for your
startup to use. However, it’s also important to mention that there are some
social media features that have gained a lot of attention lately. One of them
is live streaming feature that allows you to provide your customers with
different type of content. Studies show that live streams are extremely
effective when it comes to attracting customers because they’re unedited and
unscripted.
Promotional
products
When
you give somebody something, it makes them more likely to remember your startup
and shop from you. This is exactly why companies in every industry have been
using promotional products for centuries. Turn to a company that can provide
you with quality promotional
products and come up with a list of events where you can hand these out. We
should also mention that there are some promotional product ideas such as
T-shirts, keyrings and USB flash drives that are guaranteed to work.
Influencers
You probably already know just how popular influencers are. The secret behind their success is that they build fan bases that trust their opinion and are willing to make purchasing decisions based on their recommendations. With that said, all you need to do is connect with influencers who’ll promote your product or service for you and you’ll have nothing to worry about. Just bear in mind that identifying popular influencers in your niche is the key to attracting large number of people to your startup.
Website
Many budding entrepreneurs don’t realize that their website is a perfect place for promoting their business. Fail to design a nice-looking and easy-to-use website and you’ll see potential customers turning to your competitors instead. Therefore, once you put up that “open for business” sign, it’s time to work on designing a proper website for your startup. Unless you’re good with codes, we recommend turning to a company that specializes in web design that’ll get the job done for you.
Billboards
Billboards
that stand out are still a perfect way to get your startup noticed. This is
especially the case if you’re running a local business and you want to attract
nearby customers. The only questions is – How do you make your billboard stand
out? Well, billboards with a good call to action do a great job and making sure
you come up with one is the key. Also, you need to opt for the right colour
palette and only choose billboards that are located in high-traffic areas.
Email
Reaching
out to your customers through email was and still is one of the best ways to
grow your business. Make sure you have every customer’s email address inserted
into your base and send them emails that’ll make them come back. Nowadays,
there are email
marketing automation systems that allow you to make your emails more
personal which should only help you make more customers shop at your startup
again. Keep your emails well-organized and you’ll have nothing to fear.
Marketing
a startup isn’t easy, especially given the fact that there are huge companies
out there that have way more money to spend on marketing. However, if you opt
for some of the 8 ideas we discussed above you should be able to get your
startup noticed and build a large customer base.
