There are numerous risks that come with creating a startup. While taking the plunge and succeeding often nets major rewards, entrepreneurs stand just as much of a chance of incurring losses. Risk covers such areas as finances, technology, and market entry, meaning that there is ample planning that must take place beforehand. To this end, startup company owners need to embrace the services that digital media agencies provide, allowing them to get a leg up on the competition. When it comes to digital marketing for startups, here are 7 rules that should be followed.
1. Set clear, obtainable goals. A startup company is inherently new to the industry it’s part of, which makes it all the more important for goals to be set. Not only should these be as clear as possible but realistic to obtain. For example, if you set an objective to reach the top of Google within a month, you’ll quickly find that this isn’t feasible. Start by creating more modest goals that, based on your capabilities, can be reached. While it’s important to be ambitious, this shouldn’t come at the cost of overpromising and underdelivering. Keeping this advice in mind will allow your startup to begin on the right foot.
2. Create a digital presence across different platforms. When it comes to digital marketing for startups, a universal presence can’t be ignored. Many companies have, and should possess, their own official websites that serve as extensions of what they offer. However, they can go many steps further by embracing social media, utilizing platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to create accounts, share content, and connect with users. These steps help startups establish their brands, which is critical to long-term marketing efforts.
3. Build a unique brand that stands out from the rest. Branding is another factor, not only in regard to social media marketing but digital marketing as a whole. Branding is meant to create a long-lasting image in the mind of a user, leaving a positive impression on them. By doing so, in theory, this will motivate them to either learn more about a company or invest in a product or service. Even though branding is often linked to a graphic or logo alone, branding is an all-encompassing, multilayered practice.
4. Use digital content to your advantage. “Content is king” is a statement that’s been repeated throughout the digital age, and while it can be argued that it’s become a cliché, its importance can’t be denied. Simply put, a user is more likely to consume high-quality content than a blatant promotional effort. For this reason, digital content should be prioritized, whether it’s in the form of a blog post, a press release, or even written copy that’s meant for a website. Content is integral to digital marketing for startups.
5. Use solid messaging. This is another area where digital marketing for startups shows its potential. Messaging is prevalent across various digital efforts, including outreach on social media and email newsletter campaigns. For these efforts to be as effective as possible, the messaging in question should be rock solid, grabbing a user’s attention from the onset. Not only should this aspect of your marketing strategy be compelling to the reader, but it must be informative, providing the utmost value.
6. Implement search engine optimization. Otherwise known as SEO, this will help you not only optimize your content and website, but just as importantly, get your startup to rank on different search engines. SEO is an incredibly granular marketing strategy and there’s no one strategy that works for every case. However, there are certain practices, such as high-quality content creation and keyword research, that remain tried and true. It takes time to see noticeable results from your SEO results but rest assured that your efforts will be worthwhile.
7. Create reports on a regular basis, detailing your progress. Finally, as a startup owner, it’s important to know how your digital marketing efforts are performing. This is where reports come into play, as they provide statistics, charts, and progress made during specific time periods. For example, you may wish to illustrate how your social media engagement improved from April 2020 to April 2021; this is where a detailed report comes into play. With this information, you can highlight what’s working and areas in which improvements can be made.
About fishbat: fishbat is a full-service social media, SEO, and email marketing company that takes a holistic business approach to their clients’ digital marketing programs. The fishbat team understands the importance of business principles just as well as the nuances of the latest digital technologies. fishbat offers every digital marketing service available from digital marketing research and planning to brand development to website and asset creation through social media management and search engine optimization programs – all custom calibrated for both B2B and B2C businesses.
