Whether a startup has a revolutionary business model or offers the best product or service to its market, the key to its success will be its marketing strategy. Not only does marketing set up the brand for a company but will also help build the sales pipeline.
Customers look for trusted companies to do business with, which is why content it so important. Research material related to your brand that is reliable can make a world of difference on the type of leads that flow through your pipeline.
Making sure that resources are available to your audience is the other half of the battle. Choose the appropriate channels for your audience to find you without the hassle of searching. Let your clients find you by showing up where they are.
Branding
Start with the details. Define your product/service, place it in a category that it already exists in, and then connect it to its key benefits. Ask questions like, “Why should my clients buy from me?” and “What does my business offer that no one else can?” Your name, logo, and website all need to mean something.
To make things easier follow these steps to create an authentic brand:
- Tell your story – reflect on your personal beliefs/values that have brought you to form the startup. It is important for your audience to know who you are and why you do what you do.
- Find meaningful quotes – brands can sometimes inspire us to do something greater than expected. The most iconic brand logo being Nike is Just DO It. Fueling inspiration to your clients give them faith that you want them to reach their fullest potential.
- Find photos – a picture says a thousand words. Your brand needs to be visualized to evoke emotions you want your audience to feel.
- Know your competitors and know your strengths – research what your competitors are doing right and how they are succeeding. Understand their weaknesses as well as your own. Put it into writing and be able to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
Content
Digital marketing is a powerful tool. Used correctly will bring leads straight into your pipeline. Content made available through syndication or social channels allow your audience to be exposed to your brand. Blogs, infographics, whitepapers, and videos are the best type of content to drive B2B sales.
Having meaningful and relatable content will allow your customers to connect with the story you are trying to tell. Pairing all channels together will optimize the time spent on developing content. Create a clear picture that is transparent about your business.
Advertising
Promote the content created with online advertising. Monitor, test, and apply the best strategies for your product/service. Facebook ads and Google AdWords are great places to start. They are cheap and efficient. Their analytics are easy to decipher to make decisions on how to move forward.
Research what your clients are looking for when they do business with you. Did they come through an ad on Facebook, Instagram, Google, or email? Narrow down the audience to have a clear picture of your customer persona. This way you won’t be shooting blindly when purchasing ads.
Stick to the decisions you made when creating the strategy. Many founders have no experience or desire to create a marketing plan. On average, businesses have seen an average of 20% increase in sales opportunities from their marketing efforts. According to research by DemandGen Report, leads nurtured through marketing make it further down the funnel than without marketing in place.
Marketing is essential to a startup’s success. Be ahead of the game, spend time sooner rather than later developing it. Work on it constantly and find your startup starting to flourish.