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Marketing has been present for ages, in various shapes and forms. However, in the past few years, we saw more changes in marketing for startups than in the previous decade.
Digital marketing has taken over the marketing scene. No strategy can be imagined without it.
Most startups have adopted digital marketing. New technology-oriented companies tend to be more creative, finding clever ways to scale and expand. But, some digital marketing techniques are more effective than others.
..Here are four digital marketing activities that every startup should include in its strategy:
Email Marketing
Email marketing isn’t dead, although many marketers predicted its end. Companies who know how to use it cleverly mark very high returns on investment. In fact, according to the DMA, the average ROI for every $1 spent in email marketing is $32, which was four times higher than the other marketing channels that were analyzed – direct mail, social media, and paid search.
Moreover, Emarsys research states that 81% of small and mid-sized enterprises still rely on email as their primary customer acquisition channel. This means that startups still believe in email marketing, seeing its positive effects on their company growth.
If we add the fact that 99% of consumers check their email every day, there’s no place for hesitation.
However, not everyone has mastered email marketing. There are some things that you need to be careful about.
First of all, make sure you target right. Only people who have expressed interest in your products and are truly relevant should be on your recipient list.
Second, pay really good attention to your copy. Your message should be clean, clear, and catchy. Support it with a nice and simple design template.
Finally, track your data. Check which expressions are more effective, what colors work better, and as long or short content better for your target market. When made right, all these small things can bring you the conversions you want.
Here are brilliant examples from Hubspot.
Search Engine Optimization
Page visitors don’t really come by themselves. You may have great website design and products, but you need to be highly-ranked on Google so that people would actually notice your company.
And, that isn’t easy at all, especially if you’re operating in large markets. The competition is harsh, and only getting up on the top can make you visible to your potential customers when they search for relevant keywords.
When starting with SEO, make sure you know your goals first. Yes, you can wish for more traffic, but is it the right traffic? That’s why you need to be precise and clear. For example, your goals can be higher profit, revenue, or ROI, brand awareness, increased customer loyalty, etc.
Next, make sure your content is consistent and posted regularly. Define the topics you’ll be posting about and stick to them. I expect you to research what your target customers are searching for before you decide your topics 🙂
Blog posts are definitely the most important part of SEO. But, you should also pay attention to guest posts, relevant images, videos, podcasts, and additional tools. They can all be useful for higher ranking.
SEO won’t only increase traffic on your website. It will also create a picture of a strong and present brand. If your potential customers see you often in their search results, they create a perception that you’re a company with a reputation. That’s very important for you as a startup, so make sure you DON’T ignore SEO.
You should be aware that there are a number of things that can make or break your SEO results. How long it takes to see real results depends on your site’s age and authority, any penalties that hurt your ranking, and whether or not you want long-term or short-term results. Find out exactly how long does SEO take.
Pay-Per-Click Marketing for Startups (Google Ads)
PPC is a method that uses search engine ads to bring website visitors. PPC marketing has many advantages, including targeting customers at a specific time, with a personalized version of the ad, high ROI – you only pay when a person clicks on your ad, you’ll always have control over the amount you spend, you get results pretty fast, you can modify your campaigns at any time, and you get a lot of valuable data that can help your overall marketing strategy.
There are some tricks you should learn before starting with PPC. PPC can bring a lot of irrelevant clicks, so make sure you use negative keywords to cut them and save some money. This option allows you to exclude keywords you don’t want to be found after.
Next, make sure you monitor your campaign every day. The data analytics platforms provide can be very valuable regarding all aspects of your marketing campaign and you shouldn’t miss it. Regular monitoring can also help you to discover what it is in your campaign that’s not working, so it can save you both money and time.
However, PPC campaigns sometimes require a lot of investment. That’s why you need to make sure someone experienced is performing them.
Content Marketing for Startups
I can’t stress enough the importance of content marketing. As much as it’s important for SEO, it’s also important for you to remain relevant and show that you have expertise.
Content can collect subscribers for your email list, it gives you something valuable to offer your website visitors, it can serve as resources for your social media posts, and you can link your paid ads to it.
Before you start anything, you need to research your target market. Develop buyer personas and find out what they want to learn. Figure out the channels they use and create strategies for each of them.
Then, map out the buyer journey and create content for each stage. At the top of the funnel, you should have light and informative content. The next stage should have content with higher value, while the final stage should show the exact benefits your product provides. Also, don’t forget to create content for people who’ve already converted.
After posting the content, don’t forget to measure. Data is important for whatever you do.
Building a successful company has many ups and downs. But, choosing the right digital marketing activities can help you have more ups. Email marketing, SEO, PPC, and content marketing are the right choice for almost every startup. Create different campaigns, test, and measure the results. You’ll eventually get to your recipe for success.
