Marketing is essential for all companies, but especially for small businesses to prosper in a technology-driven world. Overnight success stories are rare. It’s challenging to get your brand’s name out there when you lack the proper marketing tools. However, with time, dedication, and individuality, you can establish a fantastic marketing plan that aligns with your brand’s objectives. 

The most brilliant marketing ideas are extraordinary from their competitors, ranging from simple to unique concepts. Here are some insightful marketing tips for you to learn how to market your startup to develop a solid framework for future success. 

Define Your Target Audience

Before exploring potential business opportunities, it’s crucial to understand the market you’re entering and reach the target audience with the right message. When developing your startup marketing strategy, ask yourself who is your ideal client and who would you like your ideal client to be?

Take time to answer these questions as it will help you define the target market you need to reach:

• What are the products or services you’re offering to potential customers? 
• Would your product or service target a preferred gender, demographic, location, or interest? 
• Does your product or service benefit businesses of a certain size or within a specific industry? 
• Who has the money to afford your products or services? And what groups of people need them?

Identify the Brand’s Goals 

Every business owner has a story about why they started their company and what they hope to achieve with the brand. In the initial stages of your startup, outline your reasons for starting the business as it will form your marketing and business goals. 

The brand’s goals will usually fall under one of two categories: raising brand awareness and obtaining new clients. It’s necessary to prioritize the most beneficial plans for the creation and longevity of your business. For each category, ask yourself the following questions:

Raising Brand Awareness

• How do you plan on introducing yourself - who you are and what you do - in a memorable way that will set you apart from competitors?
• What about your business resonates with the audience? And how will you market that to raise brand awareness around your products or services?

Obtaining New Clients

• What  social media networks are essential for the company’s growth in obtaining new clients and retaining existing clients?
• How are we planning to generate traffic to our website and social media while also increasing the time spent scrolling on our pages?

Establish Social Media Presence 

There is power in social media marketing. However, most companies fail to understand the importance of utilizing the correct platforms to connect with their audience. All social media networks serve a different purpose that could potentially strengthen your business. 

• Facebook: An absolute powerhouse that involves all audience types. Nonetheless, it works best for brands to consumer products. 
• Instagram: It’s incredible for promoting visually appealing products and connecting with a younger audience.
• LinkedIn: This platform is vital when hiring and attracting new clients. It works best with the business-to-business model. 

Choose one or two social media networks and post applicable content to your brand consistently. Every morning, set aside 30 minutes to respond to any messages or comments, and interact with followers and people with similar interests. Remain active and involved. 

Publish Relevant Content 

Gain attention from publishing high-quality content on a regularly scheduled basis. Blog posts should be relative to your brand’s niche and the interests of your target market. Research relevant articles and SEO keywords surrounding your industry that people want to be informed about. It will help your blog rank higher than other blogs that are posting similar content. 

A great marketing tip is to reach out to fellow bloggers within your field and offer a collaboration to write a few guest posts in exchange for brand awareness. In all the articles you produce for the respective company, include a link to your site. Leverage a blogger's audience to your advantage. 

Set Up a Digital Existence 

Websites are crucial in communicating with your target audience, growing your business to new potential customers, and establishing a brand's presence. Don’t let finances hold you back from creating a beautiful website for your business; use free templates on content management systems like WordPress. If you have room in your budget, hire a professional web developer. 

Keep in mind that you’ll need to secure a domain name, set up Google Ads, and research SEO keywords. Each of these actions will increase the visibility and traffic of your website through search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Develop an Extensive Email & Lead List

Email marketing is a cost-effective startup marketing strategy that generates positive results. Start a record of your subscribers by creating a landing page or set of opt-in forms on your website. Afterward, begin segmenting your list into three categories: potential customers, current clients, investors. Then create a high-quality newsletter that tailors to that target market and sends them out bi-weekly. 

To continue growing your leads list, provide incentives for subscribing to your newsletter. There are platforms like Constant Contact that allow you to evaluate your email marketing campaigns and create content designed for everyone that wasn’t active in the campaign. 

Market Locally 

The easiest way a business owner can spread brand awareness is by telling all their friends and family members. Ask them to share your company’s website and social media networks with their community and social media platforms. 

Contact your local newspaper or magazine to place an ad or ask them to write a piece on your startup business. Speak publicly about your startup company at all the places and organizations you participate in, such as your local church or children’s soccer team. Just start speaking and sharing. 

Build a Referral Program

Word-of-mouth advertising is a powerful marketing tool for startup businesses. People trust brands that their loved ones recommend, and you need to take advantage of their networks to attain referrals. Incentivizing referrals will generate more clientele for your company. The referral program could be that every three people you refer and successfully purchase a product or service from the company will receive a $25 Visa gift card. 

Utilize Free Resources 

Utilize free marketing tools at your disposal! There are many credible marketing experts and agencies that offer great information for free. Besides adding your company to local directories, numerous sites are dedicated to getting more users on your website and social media networks. Choose valuable resources such as marketing guides from award-winning agencies to scheduling all content marketing on social media management platforms. 

Join Networking Groups

Networking groups provide you with an enormous source of connections and in building brand awareness. There is an exchange of details on clients, challenges, and experiences about the pertaining industry that wouldn’t have been required without the networking groups. 

Here are some of the benefits of networking for small businesses:

• Connections
• Increase of referrals
• Raising brand recognition
• Partnership opportunities
• Exclusive access to business resources 

For example, Cannon Connect is a startup community platform focused on developing the digital and social infrastructure required to support entrepreneurialism. They offer resources such as receiving startup funding, attending private industry events, connecting with experienced business advisors, and more. 

The Success of Your Startup Marketing Campaigns

Startup marketing strategies are integral components for a company’s growth and advancement as it establishes the brand’s identity and a pathway to cater to customer’s needs. While creating marketing campaigns for your startup, integrate these marketing tips to form a groundbreaking business. Still wondering how to market your startup? Reach out to The Cannon today!