So you’ve started your own business? What an exciting adventure! When all the pieces have fallen into place and you are fully immersed in the startup world, you want to make sure you have a solid marketing plan in place. After all, what good is it to have business if no one knows about it?
Some of the best advertising strategies play off the same concepts of running your own lemonade stand as a kid or selling Girl Scout cookies door-to-door. You have to first know your audience and second, know how to entice them to buy.
Need a little jumpstart? Make sure you have these tips added to your advertising to-do list.
Be personable. Whether it’s in-person at a networking event or reaching out to people via email or through social media, allow your personality to come through. Be warm, engaging and excited about your business. Focus on making genuine connections rather than being a cold calling sales person, so you can create the kind of professional relationships that will help you succeed. Don’t discount anyone you come across, even if you think that you might not be able to do business with them. You are at the relationship-building phase. Take advantage of all connections you make.
Brand yourself. Make sure you’re armed with new business cards to hand out at any function. Even if you are casually discussing your business in a non-business atmosphere, make sure that it’s easy for people to learn more about what your startup is all about. Sign up for conventions or business events related to your field and hand out “business swag” with your company’s name and details on them, such as frisbees, koozies, and car door magnets. It’s an inexpensive investment to get the good word-of-mouth out about your new startup. Try and have a unique and interesting logo designed to encourage people to use these items more.
Network. Reach out to other startups or join a couple of business networking groups that can help give you tips as you build your business and offer support along the way. Startup life can be tough, especially when first starting out. It’s nice to know that others have been in your shoes and have overcome the same kinds of struggles to get where they are today.
Build a website. Don’t worry if you’ve never built a website. Many services now have ways for you to create a fairly simple and clean-looking site at a low price point or in some cases, for free. The goal is to have up-to-date content and photos online to accompany your business listing. You can continue to improve upon your website as your business (and marketing budget) grows. But to begin with, simplicity still works if it’s done well. GoDaddy and WordPress are two options that offer free website templates for businesses.
Keep your info updated. Your NAP (name, address, phone number) is important to keep current and consistent along all online channels. Make sure your business listing is accurate. This is important in the eyes of search engines and necessary so that people who find you online have the right information for your business.
Encourage testimonials. As your company begins to grow and your customers are happy, invite them to leave you a review online. You can either use their testimonial for your website (with their permission, of course) or you can request that they leave you a business review on Yelp, Google+ or one of the many other online review sites. This will help boost your credibility and again help add to your online presence as a whole in terms of rankings.
The key to a successful business is consistency and quality. This quality does not only apply to the service or products you provide to others, but the quality in which you represent yourself. By incorporating these advertising strategies, you can help boost your business while keeping costs low. In the beginning stages, if you have a small marketing budget, referrals are key. You want to be the kind of company that people will refer to their friends and family.
As you have probably figured out, being a startup is not a “set it and forget it” type of undertaking. Everything you do only builds upon your business for the future. That’s why you want to make sure you are taking positive steps to put the necessary pieces in place right from the very start.
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