If you’ve decided to go after your self-employment dream this year, you’ve likely fixated on the early elements needed to launch a venture. For example, you may have focused on what type of business to set up, devising a cool name, researching the market, sourcing supplies, finding staff members, and more.
However, don’t forget that as the owner of a brand new offering, you need to invest plenty of resources into how to get people to learn about your business and what you sell.
Many startup entrepreneurs don’t commit to marketing enough and struggle to turn their venture into a profitable one as a result. To help you on your way, here are some of the top marketing strategies worth testing to help you build your startup in 2021.
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Email Newsletters
One affordable yet effective marketing strategy is sending out email newsletters to a database. These communications only cost a few cents per email or less and provide an excellent way to promote your startup and what it is you sell and why.
Start by collecting the email addresses of as many prospects as you can. Place a newsletter signup form on your website to build your list, and ask clients or potential leads directly for their contact details. Make sure all the emails you send out provide value, too. For instance, include helpful information and tips, deals and special offers, and entertaining content.
SMS Marketing
SMS marketing is another tactic that fits within even a small startup budget but can lead to remarkable results. Like email newsletters, you need to build a database of people you can send text messages to. Often, you’ll find customers who purchase from you will be happy to receive SMS communications provided you keep messages short and sweet, relevant to your target market, and easy to understand.
SMS works well because most people have their phones on them all the time, meaning messages get seen more often than not and typically opened quickly. Always include a call to action in every text. For example, this might be getting people to click on a link to learn more, a “buy now” link to your website, a code they can present in-store or online for a great deal, or responding with an answer to a poll question or for a competition entry.
Utilize a feature-rich mobile marketing platform for your text messaging program so you can automate communications to save time, and get access to handy data from responses, opens, and click-throughs. Such information will help you better understand your client base and how you can best serve them.
Referral Programs
Referral programs can help you build leads and customer numbers and generate more sales. Encourage current clients to spread the word about the products or services you have available. This is a low-cost way to increase brand awareness. Sometimes people are fine with making referrals of their own accord, especially if they’re happy customers. You’ll generally need to ask and remind them to do this, though.
Often, too, you’ll need to incentivize people to put in the time and effort to refer your business to their contacts. Make consumers more interested in referrals by setting up a program whereby they get something out of it, too. For instance, you might let people earn loyalty points or receive discounts for everyone they refer.
Paid Advertisements
While years ago paid advertisements occurred primarily through newspapers, magazines, or TV, today digital paid promotions tend to be more popular. For new businesses, online ads are affordable and can work for many budgets. You might want to buy targeted traffic from search engines such as Google or Bing, or, alternatively, Facebook advertising is appealing to many and could be an option for you.
Whichever platform you use, ensure your advertisements revolve around relevant, popular keywords people search for. Get as specific as needed and test different graphics and text to see what works best for your business.
Some other marketing strategies that can work well for startups include:
- Getting involved in events through sponsorships, display booths, guest speaking, etc.
- Social media content and networking
- Loyalty programs
- Competitions
- Joining affiliate programs or partnering with other businesses that target the same clients
- Giving away branded promotional products
- Pitching to the media to get reviews, interviews, or mentions in publications
There are more marketing opportunities than you’ll have time, energy, or money to invest in right now. However, pick a few to trial as you build your startup and test new things as the months go by. This will enable you to learn what types of strategies work best for your specific offerings and customer base.
About Carson Derrow
