21 Effective Marketing Strategies for New Startups
Marketing has existed since ancient civilizations. This means that marketing has long been an inseparable part of human life. Activities that occur in marketing activities involve the same elements, both in the era of ancient civilizations until now, where marketing is a process of creating, communicating and conveying the value offered to consumers. However, the more modern human life is, the wider the marketing mix involved in it.
25 years ago, we – especially Indonesia – were not familiar with online marketing via the internet. So the internet has not been considered as an important element in communicating a value in a product or service. Now, most of the companies that sell products are already actively using the internet as a marketing medium, and not even a few are focusing on this virtual world market rather than mingling in the conventional market.
In the early 2000s we also began to recognize the term Startup which is defined as a startup company that has recently operated and runs its business using software-based software. mobile devices or desktop with and website.
Like any business, startups need customers, they need conversions to stay afloat. This means, apart from the production department, there is also support from the marketing or marketing department whose duties are not much different from conventional business marketers. Then a new approach emerged in the world of marketing that was specifically considered the most appropriate to encourage the traction of a startup.
Here we summarize 21 effective marketing strategies for your startup.
Design a Referral Program
Program designing referral is the right decision to drive your startup traction. This is a strategy that departs from a simple approach, that more than 90% people trust more recommendations that come from other people than from product sales companies.
But building a referral program from scratch is also not an easy matter. To help speed up execution, you can collaborate with tools from third-party companies that are specifically engaged in this field. That way, you can focus more on product creation and marketing.
Marketing content
Marketing content is currently one of the easy steps that has proven to be successful in reaching more consumers, so make sure when the product is ready to be launched, create massive and educative marketing content. Decide what kind of content marketing is right for your product and who is the market you want to target.
No less important is the choice or option to enter (opt-in) or the option to leave (opt-out) should always be on the site or existing marketing content and emails to share. Do not let consumers feel annoyed and in the end become antipathy with your product because the two choices are incomplete. Make the right and smart strategy when launching a customer acquisition movement through email and content marketing.
Offline activities (community)
Currently, there are many communities that you can specifically target according to the products offered, for that try to organize or participate in various existing offline activities. Most potential customers, partner investors to employees like to gather or spend 'quality time' in various activities.
Make sure your brand has appeared in the event, from the 10 new consumers you have managed to get at least it is a positive step that you can achieve apart from relying on testimonials or comments on the site.
Online competition
Holding a competition or contest through social media is also an effective marketing strategy for startups that you can do regularly. By doing this activity, you can acquire more customers, increase your brand awareness and of course you can promote products by giving giveaway or gifts in the form of products you sell. It is highly recommended for all startups to hold this activity regularly, which has proven successful and is able to increase the number of consumers.
Marketing Content
A marketing strategy for this type of startup requires the consistency and dedication of marketers in creating content that focuses on what customers need, not just selling and selling. Content that is able to answer consumer needs can be a bridge for companies to create a sense of trust, dependence and closeness rather than a banner ad or television. When these three elements have been created, it will be easy for consumers to make purchasing decisions.
Beta Exclusive
It's part of human nature, that we tend to want what we can't get. Taking advantage of this property, you can design stages before launching your startup, for example by implementing an exclusive invitation system to certain people. Or for example by using the first in get first scheme, who registers first will be prioritized. This strategy was successfully adopted by PayPal and Pinterest when it first debuted to the public.
Join the Right Exhibition or Event
Even though it's labeled as a startup company, don't be afraid to occasionally get out of the zone by participating in offline events. Of course, it will be very good if the event that is followed is still related to the industry that your startup is in.
Focus
Choose the most appropriate market for your startup, don't try to reach everyone who will get you nowhere. Start small, then slowly expand the wings when you have enough fuel. Facebook used to be only offered to students on certain campuses, and see what happens now.
Building Image As Branding
Most successful startups were started by small teams. In fact, not infrequently only one founder. The most important key in starting a startup when you have such a limited team is not to hesitate to become a major player in it. When you can represent a startup well, then that positive energy will be a positive branding for your startup as well.
What was done by Adam D'angelo, the founder of Quore can be an example. That when the startup was young, he became the most active user in answering questions from other users.
Holding a Contest
This marketing strategy for startups can be one of the shortcuts to get traffic and branding in large numbers and in a relatively short time. The types of contests that can be considered include blog contests, article contests, SEO contests or contests that involve social media users.
Burn Money
No one said that burning money was haram. Or burning the money is prohibited by law. However, you can do it in a different way. In general, companies burn money to pay for advertising spots and then hope to get consumers from the campaign. Often the feedback obtained is not as expected. Then, why not try to give the money directly to consumers with a more certain guarantee? You do this by promising a certain nominal bonus when a user registers an account with your service.
This marketing strategy was successfully executed by PayPal which at that time offered $10 for every new customer and an extra $10 for every referral. You can also apply a strategy like this. PayPal also often offers cashback with a certain nominal for transactions in merchants certain.
Collaborating with Other Brands
It's not always fun to walk alone. In the context of starting a startup, if you don't have big fuel, you can partner with other companies or startups that are already established. There have been many collaborations of this kind, one of which was by Google, which collaborated with KitKat to popularize Android 4.4. KitKat is helped by the Android branding, and vice versa KitKat fans are also encouraged to try Android instead of iOS.
Social Media
Direct interaction with customers and potential customers through social media is one of the most effective techniques today, and startups that have just stepped on the gas are no exception. This type of marketing method is relatively inexpensive and even with certain techniques can be enjoyed for free. In Indonesia alone, more than 90% of internet users are active users of social media.
Noted, according to We are Social via Okezone At least now there are approximately 130 million Indonesians who are active on various social media, ranging from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others. The total population of Indonesia is 265,4 million people. Meanwhile, internet usage penetration reached 132,7 million users.
Remarketing
The HeroSoftmedia Digital Marketing Agency website illustrates the correct definition of remarketing which is an advanced feature in Google AdWords especially for the Google Display Network. When used properly this feature is very powerful for increasing sales conversions. Because this remarketing feature will show Google AdWords ads to those who have visited the site. Remarketing is the most basic way that must be done to increase awareness, traffic and ultimately sales.
One way that can also be used for an effective marketing strategy is to useinstall Facebook custom audience pixel. This is important so that you can target consumers who are already aware of your product through ads on Facebook. The method is fairly easy, you simply upload a list of emails and mobile numbers of at least 20 people, then the custom audience will automatically send the ad. You can also reach more consumers by taking advantage of the number of visitors viewing the site and mobile applications.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Websites and social media are the most effective digital mediums for content marketing, but for better content visibility – considering that there is already so much content on the internet – it is necessary to take an SEO approach. The SEO approach is carried out to ensure that the content created has a good ranking when searched on search engines based on certain keywords, according to the problems that users are looking for.
“Customer Journey” Content Approach
Most digital consumers do not seek or consume information in a single channel. One person can access many platforms with different characteristics. Not everyone always reads a blog every day, nor does everyone watch YouTube videos every day. This is a consumer digital journey, which needs to be considered, how marketers can produce relevant content on various channels, so that when consumers are present on certain channels, they will get the right information, both in substance and time.
Don't Force Promotional Content
Currently advertising models that highlight sales (hard selling) get a negative stigma among digital consumers. Marketing must be more creative in producing a marketing content. To overcome this, you can again refer to point number 5.
Email Marketing
This marketing method is the most personalized way to connect with potential customers. But to build a potential and loyal list, you need to first design how to bring in leads so that people are happy to sign up. Ethics plays a big role in determining the success of your email marketing, so don't occasionally send an email offer to an email address that doesn't voluntarily sign up on your form.
Inbound Marketing
Inbound Marketing is a marketing strategy for startups that is strong but requires sacrifice, consistency and time. This method is effective for building quality and long-lasting relationships with potential customers.
Instead of running advertisements on television or using PPC advertising campaigns, this method uses a more high-tech approach, for example by creating email listings, publishing free content through blog or media platforms, building image and a strong presence on social media platforms and even ask potential customers for permission before contacting them.
Influencer marketing
The marketing strategy for this last startup is more commonly known as endorse marketing, where marketers screen a number of influential and popular people to help introduce their startup. In some cases, this marketing strategy is still effective, even though more and more users are becoming aware and starting to select whether the recommendations from influencers are purely testimonials or based on orders.
Marketing Podcasts
If blogging focusing on content that is delivered through the visual side, Podcasts are complementary because this media focuses more on the audio side. In the context of marketing, startup owners and marketers are starting to use podcasts to communicate their products. Delivering useful and informative podcasts helps shape image company as a source of expertise in a particular industry that can be useful for growing brand awareness.
*Some of the article content is taken from:
Content Marketing for Startups
Five Strategic Steps to Startup Marketing
Header image source Pixabay.
