In the United States alone, there are over 30 million small businesses registered with the small business administration, a number that grows every year. With that in mind, you know that you have to do everything you can to stand out amongst the crowd. And as a small business owner, your content marketing strategy has to be excellent.
That said, this is easier said than done if you’re dipping your toes into marketing for the first time. That’s why we’ve put together this content marketing tip guide, to help startup owners like you put your company on the right track.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about growing your business with a top-notch marketing strategy.
Know Your Business
The first step in creating a content marketing strategy is to know your business. You need to be able to effectively communicate what your business is, what it stands for, and what you can offer your future clients.
This means you need to establish a clear identity, both with yourself and your customers. Start with a mission statement. Once you have that, you can move on to a name and branding (logo, colors, etc.).
Be sure that you’re in love with your logo before making your final decision, as it should then be placed on everything. Your logo is your calling card, a symbol representing you and your company. It should be on everything from your business cards to your email signature.
Know Your Customers
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the most effective marketing for startups. The strategy that works best for you and your business will depend on your customer base. Because of this, it’s essential that you get to know your target audience.
What age range do they fall in? Where are they located? Which social media platform are they most active on? How do they find new products?
By knowing as much as you can about your target customer, you can build a startup marketing strategy best suited to them. This approach will produce much better results than attempting to use a generic strategy.
Build a Website With SEO In Mind
In the age of the internet, having a website is a must. Keep in mind, however, that you’re in competition with millions upon millions of other websites.
Because of this, you can’t launch your business with just any website. It has to have an impeccable design and be built with SEO in mind.
A poor website design can be detrimental to the success of your business.
If a customer comes to your site to find a difficult-to-navigate, user-unfriendly corner of the internet, they’re going to be put off immediately. Your bounce rate, engagement, and conversion rate will suffer as a result.
If you’re inexperienced with SEO, it truly is worth it to reach out to a professional, such as those at https://seodesignchicago.com/services/content-creation/. The same goes for your web design. If you don’t feel confident in your ability to build a beautiful website, there’s no shame in working with a web designer.
Stay Active on Social Media
Social media is not only incredibly popular but also a highly effective means of marketing. As such, a social media presence for businesses is non-negotiable.
If you want to reach as many people as possible, and gain as much success as possible as a result, you have to be active on social media.
Now, this doesn’t mean posting to eight different platforms a day. As we discussed above, knowing your audience is key. Pick the two most popular platforms with your target customers and go from there.
Take Advantage of Email Marketing
With the power of social media, email might feel a bit obsolete. But the truth is, email marketing is just as effective as it’s always been.
Email is advantageous to you as a business owner in many ways. It’s easy to automate, free to use, and allows you to communicate with a large number of people at once.
On your website, invite users to add their names to your mailing list. With a mailing list, the trick is to provide valuable and interesting content to your customers. Sending out spammy emails is a waste of time, as it will almost always go straight into the trash.
The goal with your mailing list is to keep customers interested so that they’re more likely to return to your site at a later date to buy your products or use your services.
Create a Referral Program
Word of mouth advertising is and has always been the most powerful form of marketing. And it makes sense. If someone you already know and trust recommends a product or service, you’re more likely to use it than if it was recommended by a stranger.
One of the best ways to promote this type of advertising is with a referral program. The idea is to incentivize your current customers to introduce new people to your product or service.
Your reward will vary depending on your business, but free products and discounts are always a good idea.
Use This Content Marketing Tip Guide to Jumpstart Your Business
When you’re in the process of building a startup, two aspects of your business are paramount: your marketing and your customer retention. Before you can prove your worth by providing a stellar customer experience, you have to draw them in with marketing.
This is where using our content marketing tip guide comes in. By putting these tips to use, you’ll be able to draw new eyes and ears to your business today.
Interested in learning more about taking your startup marketing to the next level? Take a look at our blog!
