Digital Marketing solutions for Startups now at your fingertips!

Have you just launched a startup and need to get your brand in front of as many eyes as possible? And the problems don’t end at just competing in your industry, your bootstrapped startup does not have much funds to invest in digital marketing either.

Does this sound like you? If the situation above is relatable, then most of your digital marketing problems are going to be solved in this article!

Let’s talk social

Social media is one of the most cost effective ways to market your startup.  In addition to providing a platform for growing your brand, it offers an easy medium for promotion and customer service opportunities.

• Always be consistent- Social media is a way for you to build your brand’s voice. You should not only post regularly, but there should be a uniform identity to your posts. Additionally, do not over post or deviate from your brand’s message, the ideal number of posts to Facebook is between 5 to 10 times a week, Twitter is 5 tweets a day, whereas LinkedIn and Google+ are tied at 1 time a day.
• It’s always about your customer– Most brands use their social media accounts only for promotional purposes. This strategy has proven to be a failure as it provides no value to followers. Instead, find and share information that your customers want to see and occasionally mix in your promoted content.
• Build engagement with your followers- Social media is a way for your startup to interact with current and future customers. Leverage your followers and make them feel like valuable members of your brand. Also, do not be afraid of social confrontation, approach any complaint as an opportunity to show your brand’s customer-service capabilities.

• Try small investments into the platforms- There are a number of different social media opportunities that you can invest in – all of which have merit depending on the industry and your unique selling proposition. Experiment with the following options and see what warrants the best ROI for your startup.

• Facebook: Facebook is steadily becoming a pay-to-play platform and if you want to see any engagement you will need to invest into promoting your Facebook posts.

• Tweeter: While Twitter still provides a good amount of organic engagement, the micro blogging platform also has paid solutions for businesses, with one being a sponsored tweet which ensures higher engagement with followers.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn has a number of extremely valuable paid features, including a Sales Navigator that makes finding leads and contacts seamless. Best of all, you can try the service free for a month.

But Content still rules Social Media!

Content marketing is one of the most overlooked investments in launching a Startup. It is the vehicle for conveying your brand’s message. If your message is unclear, not properly frames or used too many vague claims then you will undoubtedly struggle to succeed.

• Think about your message beforehand– Content marketing should not be a process of throwing messages against the wall and seeing what sticks. To effectively brand your startup, you should engage in industry research and formulate a unique selling propositions. Your message then needs to keep these USPs as the focal point.
• Find affordable and creative ways- Creative content does not have to be expensive. You can find affordable and high-quality content on sites like Elance, Craigslist or Fiverr. For instance, on Fiverr you can have an animated explainer video made from a top seller for a fraction of an agency’s price. These videos are perfect for startups, because they quickly and effectively convey your new product or service to potential customers.
• Optimize your website- What do you want visitors to do when they land on your site? Your entire content strategy should be built with this question in mind. Once you know the action you want users to do then you can find affordable tools for perpetuating those actions.
• Find free plugins for capturing emails and then leverage affordable services like MailChimp or Constant Contact for drip campaigns.

• Use free tools like Google Analytics to monitor visitor’s paths to the website and once they are on it, find opportunities to create a more user-friendly experience.
• Optimize forms on your site to build a stronger inbound lead funnel.
• Find inexpensive and reliable cart services to sell products directly through your site.
• Whatever your objective, there is a cheap and often free solutions available.

• Effective promotion– One of the most important steps to an effective content marketing strategy is the content promotion. After you produce an incredible piece of branded content you need to amplify that piece of content as much as possible. Leverage your social media profiles, email industry experts, reach out to LinkedIn groups or industry forums, and contribute to other popular sites that your consumers might visit. Invest a few hours a week to outreach or off-site writing and your startup will begin to gain traction.