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TOP 5 Ideas for Marketing Based Startups
Who gets the client – wins the game. Agree? Sms software, social media, referral programs…or even going offline! What should a startup pick to build a vast loyal audience?
If you’re running a startup, you need to draw up your relationships with potential clients, predicting their desires a step ahead and gaining their love for your brand.
Stop, but how do your potential audience actually manage to get to know about you?
We promise that the answer definitely won’t cost you thousands of dollars. Instead of huge spending we offer some out-of-the-box thinking.
Idea # 1. SMS software is your key to reaching out an umpteen audience
What can be more effective in your marketing mix than sending a targeted message directly on your client’s smartphone in a world where nobody gets a smartphone out of hands?
Text marketing is extremely easy to use since there is special sms software that can be integrated into any business. Just imagine that 98% of sent messages are opened by your potential clients within 2 minutes! What would be your first sms then?
Email marketing vs. SMS software
It’s an unequal battle from the start because emails’ open rate is below 10%. While sms is opened in 99.8% of cases! Personalize and customize your message and multiply your ROI immediately.
You also can combine sms software with your email campaign to increase the open rates of your emails as well. Just send a simple sms asking “Have you seen our secret offers in email?” and get 20%-30% more email openings.
Idea # 2. Build up a social media presence and tell your story
The determinant – is the right choice of a social network for your startup’s audience. All the B2Bs go to LinkedIn. If you’re a classical B2C startup – Facebook is your choice. Instagram is powerful for promoting products and services for ladies. And if you are aiming at young clients, try Snapchat.
It’s important to start building your reputation in social media before you actually launch your product. This way you’ll gain loyalty to neutralize any possible failure at the launch.
Choose the influencers in your industry and collaborate
Not the fastest way but the most efficient – make friends with the key influencers in your niche to access the base of their subscribers, who are most likely familiar to your potential clients.
You can also partner with a brand having a cross audience or contact some popular publications and get featured.
Idea # 3. Referral program is a way to motivate people to talk about you
Never underestimate a good old word-of-mouth! As all of us are social creatures we love to share our opinion if something good happens to us or something new and wonderful comes into our lives. But if you don’t give a reason to tell about your startup, even the most impressionable and kind-hearted people will stop speaking of you pretty soon.
More than 90% of people trust personal recommendations more than other types of marketing. And a McKinsey survey shows that people’s referrals become the reasons for purchases in 25-55% of cases.
So how to keep a positive word-of-mouth going?
The hard part of work is already done by other startups earlier! Using a tool like referral software you can easily create referral programs for your startup’s users and track all your referral traffic.
Referral software takes over integration, launching, automatization and scaling of your personal affiliate, referral, influencer or partner programs. And all the processes can be updated in real-time within minutes.
Idea # 4. Turn your startup into a kind of challenge
What is the main idea we always try to inform our potential clients? It’s usually about how our product works or what problems it helps to solve. But instead of trying to explain it in words create a challenge where your startup becomes an efficient and easy-to-use tool for solving a potential client’s need.
What is the easiest thing a person can do with your startup?
Yes, begin with this question to find your idea of an appropriate challenge. For example, if your startup is about online lessons, challenge people to gain a new skill as their New Year’s resolution.
This smart way of marketing will definitely multiply your current user base and involve new users too.
Idea # 5. People aren’t online constantly. Go offline and do traditional marketing
Opposite to sms software traditional means of marketing is useful when your customers leave their smartphones. Modern people are all day long attacked by promotions, news and offers by digital means of marketing. And that is why traditional marketing can be effective as ever before.
Most startups have already forgotten about offline marketing. But you haven’t! This brings you a cool opportunity to remind customers about yourself.
Traditional marketing methods that still work in 2022
Invest in quality and unique design of business cards for you and your team. And when it comes to offline networking at a conference or some other sort of event (visiting events is also a good tactic of traditional marketing) hand your cards out to remind your potential clients about your contact. Likewise, giving your prospective customers customized pocket folders with sales materials is a good option as your folder recipients can continue to use them afterwards, leading to increased exposure and putting your business in a professional light.
Promotional brochures are also very powerful as they provide a visual of your startup in an offline world. Leave them at public places to gather attention of your potential audience.
Mind of becoming a speaker on a specialized event or conference in your niche. Public talks and workshops give an opportunity to successfully deal with doubts and objections of your future customers. Speaking on such events personally you can promote your startup and its benefits, educate your audience how to use your product or service.
Cold calls, cross-promotions and creative free T-shirts also do not lose their efficiency. So, choose an opportunity which is not about much money to spend but contacting your potential customer as much as possible.
In the upshot
Growing your startup isn’t always about spending money. Building meaningful connections with influencers and other brands can really help you bootstrapping from nothing.
To boost your startup, use every tool that involves the audience: from sms software to referral automated platforms.
Don’t underestimate the proven ways of offline marketing. Though it is a traditional promotion, only few startups show their offline presence. And that’s where you can stand out.
Grow your business smartly, mind cost-effective tools and choose creative ways of reaching your clients.
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