7 Marketing Strategies to Give Your Startup More Exposure
By Patrick Smith
As a startup, your funding is minimal and your brand has low recognition. So how do you get your startup the exposure and attention it deserves? Consider these seven basic marketing strategies.
1. Conferences
Depending on your vertical, conferences may offer huge opportunities to rub elbows with the right crowd. Some of the best opportunities start with conversations in the hallways and during networking happy hours. Oftentimes, many of the folks you would love to talk to about your startup can be found hanging out at the bar at night and getting face time then can be much easier.
2. Local Networking Events
In local markets, it’s always who you know. Try to go to as many relevant local networking events as possible. Attending several events each month for six months or more will turn you and your brand into a recognizable local fixture. Networking can also offer valuable referral opportunities.
3. Press Releases
Most entrepreneurs are already aware of the value of the tried and true press release. Press releases offer additional reach that budding startups need. But don’t just send your release over the wire and call it a day. Also submit your release directly to news sites that accept press release submissions and earn additional links and exposure.
4. Guest Posts
Guest posts are a great way to share your expertise and get your brand in front of new audiences while earning valuable inbound links. Submitting guest posts should be an important part of your content marketing strategy. Write for sites that have audiences that match your target market. Also, try to post at least two new guest posts per month. Every post that gets published gives you essentially free advertising! Your brand will receive more exposure and you will earn recognition and authority.
5. Linkbait
This is your opportunity to think outside the box and get creative. Well-researched infographics that present data in interesting ways are highly shareable. Be sure to have them professionally designed and include your logo at the bottom. Videos are very powerful as well. Consider the example of what a video did for the startup Dollar Shave Club. One video put the company's brand on the map and generated more traffic than their website could handle. It also generated loads of business. They also received more business than they could handle after the video went viral. All great problems to have!
6. SEM
Paid search ads are a fast way to send targeted traffic to your website. The trick to paid search is to track and measure everything to ensure your investment is money well spent. Channels like Google AdWords can be great tools to generate leads and sales quickly with an attractive ROI. However, if not managed properly, it can also be a fast way to blow a bunch of money with little to show. If you don’t know what you’re doing, this is where it would behoove you to hire a professional.
7. Remarketing
While all of the above ideas can send traffic to your website, you won't convert all those visitors to leads and sales from their first visits. Start a remarketing campaign for visitors who visit your website and do not convert. Remarketing allows you to “follow” those visitors across the web with your ads. Display ads are a great way for doing this since they allow you to display your logo and message. You’re only charged for the click which means all the branding impressions are free. The clicks you do pay for are worth it as you’re bringing visitors back to your website for additional chances to convert.
Startups face many challenges, but there are opportunities to gain more exposure. Be creative with your marketing. Work smarter, not harder. Take these marketing ideas to grow your brand's audience and take your startup to the next level.
