Digital marketing is a crucial ingredient in a success recipe for any business. If customers don’t know who you are, what you can do, and what outcomes you offer, they’ll look elsewhere to fulfill their needs.
Startups are particularly vulnerable during their first operational days. Word needs to get out about that business, and digital marketing is the most accessible option. It works for companies of all shapes, sizes, and budgets.
It’s common to feel lost because of digital marketing’s scope in the current marketplace. When you’re first getting started, it is better to understand and master the basics of this investment than to specialize.
Good to Great
by Jim Collins
⏱ 14 minutes reading time
🎧 Audio version available
What Are the Digital Marketing Basics for Startups to Master?
While every startup has unique marketing needs, everyone begins their journey from the same foundation. That’s why these basics should be the first focal point when reaching out to customers during the early days of a business.
Optimize Your Content
Organic traffic converts at a much higher rate than any other form of digital marketing. That’s why it makes sense to focus on this essential investment.
It also takes time for an optimization campaign to gain traction. Some startups need 6-12 months of ongoing development before their information and value are noticed.
How do you begin optimizing your content as a beginner?
- Use Keywords Effectively. Long-tail keywords have clear intent, low competition, and high search volumes. Customers that use these terms are often ready to purchase.
- Write for the customer. If your content sounds like a robot wrote it, you won’t get the same results as a conversational piece that demonstrates expertise.
- Show the benefits instead of telling them. Let your customers see the value that you offer within the content posted. They want to know if your goods or services can solve their pain points.
Most keyword queries are four words or longer. Instead of focusing on the term alone, you can optimize your content by thinking about the specific questions people ask when searching for results in your industry or niche.
2. Use Personalized Emails
When you want to reach your startup’s audience personally, email is one of the best digital tools in your toolbox. Brands that invest in this marketing effort see a return on their investment of up to $42 for each $1 spent.
Although it is easier to automate this process, people want authenticity when interacting with startups.
That means investing in a service provider that lets you create personalized content while automating as many steps as possible. When you master this step, you’ll send messages to different subscriber lists based on their interests, while connecting on an individualized level.
How do you create a high-performance email?
- Be brief with the subject line. Try to keep this information to 30 characters or less to ensure the entire sequence appears on mobile or desktop devices.
- Create a compelling preheader. Offer a summary of what to expect in the email to encourage people to click on it. This technique is similar to the meta descriptions used for posts and pages for Google.
- Keep it simple. Excellent email writing clearly explains what you offer. It doesn’t involve any magic tricks.
Don’t forget about optimizing your call-to-action button! It should describe the exact action the reader needs to take to complete the next step if they’re interested in the value proposition from your email.
3. Invest in Social Media
If you want to expand your customer base, you need to go to where the people are to see a positive result.
When you look at the world through digital eyes, the place to find most people is social media. Over half of the people on our planet use this resource for various purposes.
Facebook has billions of active accounts that could turn into potential customers. Additional platforms include, but are not limited to, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Once a startup creates a social media profile, it needs to implement these steps to connect with potential customers.
- Use visual content. Images and videos provide evidence of value because they allow customers to see the benefits of specific products or services.
- Interact with the audience. People buy items because of the relationships they form with businesses. Prompt replies can help to develop the trust needed to start this process.
- Use paid advertising. Startups reach a larger audience by investing in multiple digital marketing solutions on the same platform simultaneously.
Over 70% of marketing professionals find social media to be a compelling investment. Startups need to take social media seriously.
Focus on Customer Service
Digital marketing and customer service happen in the same online arena. News spreads quickly on today’s Internet, which means you’ll see every negative experience someone has with your startup immediately.
It doesn’t take long to establish an online reputation. That’s why your initial focus should be to provide world-class customer service for every digital interaction.
Almost 90% of buyers say they’ll pay more for a better customer experience. That means this investment can also help your bottom line!
Creating an excellent customer service experience isn’t complicated, but it does require a solid foundation.
- You need to know what you sell. Your startup’s job is to help consumers get the most out of each purchase. When you fully understand what your product or service provides, it’s easier to make timely recommendations.
- Keep a positive attitude. Positivity can change a negative customer experience into a positive one. Since most online interactions don’t involve face-to-face communication, your tone and language should reflect this attitude.
- Be creative. After responding quickly to concerns, be willing to get creative to solve problems. Startups that get this right create life long customers.
When startups master these digital marketing basics, they can grow quickly and efficiently. Even if internal expertise isn’t available for one particular area, numerous freelancing platforms and white-label providers can fill in the gaps to maximize this outreach effort.
What Is Snapreads?
With the Snapreads app, you get the key insights from the best nonfiction books in minutes, not hours or days. Our experts transform these books into quick, memorable, easy-to-understand insights you can read when you have the time or listen to them on the go.
