Best Practices to Boost Your Startup Marketing 

Marketing

Customers today have more expectations from brands than just high-quality products or services. They seek personalized experiences – 86% of customers are ready to spend more for the same. 

While launching your startup brings so much joy and excitement, it also comes with challenges, especially those of making your brand known and trusted. 

No matter how amazing your product is, it won’t succeed unless people find you. Your startup must capture the audience’s attention to stand out in the marketplace. For this, startups need a clear and smart marketing strategy.  

In this blog, we will explore 5 top startup marketing strategies to boost your growth quickly.  

Top 5 Digital Marketing Strategies for Startups 

Wondering how to start digital marketing for your start-up? Here’s a list of the best strategies! 

1. Building a Strong Online Presence 

Digital marketing strategy for startups begins with building a strong online presence. Branding is essential for an online business to rank high on search engines. Besides, users like connecting with brands on social media. 

Dollar Shave Club, known for its viral video content, is one of the best examples of branding done right. They built a lasting online presence by engaging audiences with humorous and relatable marketing- a technique worth noting! 

To get started with branding your startup business online, follow these tips: 

• Create an attractive website that expresses your brand’s values and vision like the Dollar Shave Club.  

• Improve your website’s load speed and make it mobile-friendly. 

• Craft a logo that represents your brand. 

• Optimize your social media profiles and online content.  

• Improve your website’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO). 

2. Using Paid Re-targeting Ads

Re-targeting your interested visitors is a key to driving more conversions. It is a crucial strategy for new startups aiming to expand their customer base. Keeping your small community of customers interested in your business and products can help to build a loyal community. 

For example, Airbnb used personalized paid ads to re-engage users who searched for listings but didn’t book. They specifically showed similar or recently viewed properties, for targeting visitors at the right time, and shaping their decision.  

To run retargeting ads for your startup, you can:  

• Use Google Ads to reach your target audience. 

• Analyze your website stats to keep a record of visitors.  

• Built-in analytics tools available on your respective advertising platform. 

3. Boosting Influencer Marketing

Another great way to attract an audience is collaborating with a public figure and tapping into their audience base. While celebrities can promote your brand and bring traction, startups with limited resources can go for an alternative – influencer marketing.  

Gymshark, for example, is a fitness apparel startup that effectively used influencer marketing to grow its brand. The startup partnered with fitness YouTubers and Instagram athletes who matched their young, fitness-focused brand image. 

A well-thought-out influencer marketing can help boost the customer base of your business and support exponential growth. 

To get the most out of the influencer marketing, use the following tips – 

• Find influencers relevant to your niche. 

• Reach out to influencers using Instagram accounts/Mails/References. 

• Monitor your influencer marketing metrics like engagement rate, number of likes and comments, and website traffic.  

4. Revamping Email Marketing

Email marketing is a highly cost-effective digital marketing channel that can benefit in generating leads and brand awareness. Consider the case of Casper, a D2C mattress company that uses email marketing to connect with customers.  

From welcome emails to product launches, they used it all to stay in touch with potential customers throughout their purchase journey. They also personalized their email content to ensure their messaging is engaging and relevant to the customer. 

Here are some tips on effective email marketing: 

• Personalize and automate your brand message to smoothen out the buying journey for customers- they refrain from clicking random emails and may unsubscribe from newsletters. 

• Segment your audience to send targeted emails to your existing and potential customers. 

• Include CTA (call-to-action) in emails to encourage customers to take desired actions. 

5. Referral Marketing

Referral marketing is a word-of-mouth-based strategy that delivers unbeatable results for startups. A well-known brand built on referral marketing is Dropbox.  

In their initial years, they offered free storage space with bonus free space for referrals which drew a lot of attention. Giving 500 MB of extra storage space to new users and their referrals allowed the company to grow in popularity.  

Incentivizing existing customers to bring their family, friends, and connections on board is a great way to expand your audience base. Thus, referral marketing creates a win-win scenario for both the company and the customer.  

Here’s how you can use referral marketing to your benefit:  

• Personalization: Create a relevant and tailored referral program. 

• Content Creation: Craft sharable content for social media and other channels.  

• Simplification of Process: Ensure creating a smooth and easy invite process to attract more referrals. 

Common Online Marketing Mistakes 

Startups might have a breakthrough product or the best team, and yet not gain results. What might be overlooked in such cases, are some marketing mistakes that lead to mediocre responses.  

Here are some common mistakes to avoid, for preventing marketing failures: 

Neglecting the Value of Quality Content  

Content helps inform, educate, and capture your audience’s attention. It draws your audience in and helps them connect with your brand. Quality content has the power to turn potential customers into paying ones.  

Many startups, however, make the mistake of not opting for content marketing as a main marketing channel. Avoid making this blunder and use content to establish your brand’s position by investing in an efficient content marketing strategy. 

Going Overboard with Marketing 

Spending a major chunk of your budget on marketing without any direction won’t bring results. When startups raise investments, often they splurge money on large and unplanned marketing campaigns.  

In fact, only 40% of marketers have a content marketing strategy. This leads to incoherent and uneven marketing outcomes.  

Underestimating SEO in Marketing 

Search engine optimization focuses on the search intent of the customers. Startups may underestimate the SEO and focus more on promoting their brand or products. Even if you have the most exceptional product, you must target the intent of the people searching on the internet. 

After identifying the user’s purpose, you can optimize your website and content for informational, navigational, transactional, or commercial intent. 

This will help you attract relevant potential leads who are ready to convert.  

Here are some actions you can take to avoid the above mistakes: 

• Clearly define your target audience and understand their pain points. 

• Optimize your website or landing pages for conversions. 

• Track and analyze metrics or adjust campaigns accordingly. 

• Create an efficient marketing strategy and stick to it, to avoid unnecessary expenditure. 

• Offer more value to customers than promotional messages. 

Marketing Strategy for Startups – Partner Up with WrittenlyHub 

To build a solid foundation for growth, you must prepare your marketing strategy focusing on content marketing, social media, SEO, email marketing, influencer partnerships, and referral programs.  

The key lies in constantly adapting to new trends and demands. Monitor metrics closely, change tactics when necessary, and prioritize your audience. Use a cohesive brand message, stay agile, prioritize customer relationships, and make data-driven decisions.  

Your unique value proposition with these strategies will help you attract ideal customers and achieve lasting success.  

Need help with your startup’s content marketing? WrittenlyHub comprehensively covers digital marketing for startups, from social media to SEO-friendly articles and guest posts.  

Learn about our content writing and marketing services to increase your digital presence now! 

People Also Ask 

1. What are the 4 pillars of a marketing strategy? 

The 4 pillars of a successful marketing strategy are: 

• Market research: You need insights into your target audience, competitors, and industry trends for informed decision-making.  

• Clear and consistent branding: Create a consistent brand identity and keep it clear for the audience to get familiar with your brand.  

• Communication and engagement: Focus on building customer relationships with the right message and engagement strategies.  

• Evaluation and improvement: Track all KPIs to learn about the performance and adjust for better results.  

2. What are the 7 steps of marketing strategy? 

The 7 steps to create a successful marketing strategy include: 

• Find your marketing goals. 

• Perform market research to identify target audience. 

• Conduct a SWOT analysis. 

• Create your branding message. 

• Select preferred marketing channels. 

• Set your budget and timelines. 

• Review progress and improve. 

3. Which digital marketing strategy has the highest ROI? 

Search engine optimization (SEO) delivers the highest ROI. When done right, SEO generates substantial organic traffic from search engines. This can bring increased conversions without the cost of the pay-per-click ads.  

It offers long-term benefits by improving search engine rankings. 70% of marketers consider SEO to be more effective than PPC for long-term traffic.  

4. How do I start digital marketing for my business? 

Start by setting clear goals, knowing your audience, and crafting a content strategy. Invest in a user-friendly website and utilize effective SEO tools. Explore social media, email marketing, and PPC campaigns. Measure and analyze your results to refine your strategy over time. 

5. What is the cheapest form of digital marketing? 

Content and social media are among the cheapest channels for digital marketing, if used organically. They rely on creating valuable content and leveraging platforms where your audience naturally congregates. While they require time and creativity, the financial barrier to entry is low. 

6. Organic vs. paid marketing, which is best for start-ups? 

Organic strategies such as SEO and social media marketing are great for generating brand awareness, but the results may take time to show up. 

On the other hand, paid strategies like PPC advertising, social media advertising, and influencer marketing deliver quick results and are targeted. But they may require a higher upfront investment. 

It’s best to use a careful mix of both organic and paid marketing efforts to witness the best results in digital marketing for startups.