Marketing is a daunting task when you’re on a shoestring budget. According to Entrepreneur, you can calculate a reasonable advertising budget by taking 10-12% of your projected annual gross sales markup… and deduct your rent. One benchmark study found marketing expenditures as high as 25% among startups. The bulk of a startup’s marketing is spent on advertising, followed by press releases, trade shows and loyalty programs. Offline advertising is good at drumming up leads, but poor at converting sales. The landscape is very different online, which provides better bang for your buck.
Here are 8 recommended marketing strategies for startups…
1. Business Branding Consultant Packages
A package is one quick, easy way to get the marketing end of your news business going, while you focus on building your core company and clinching sales. We can set you up with a website, blog, social media sites and PPC ads. We can also help new sites that aren’t gathering as much traffic as they should.
2. Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization includes keyword research, linking, website structure and coding. A few basic tweaks can take a website from virtual obscurity to the first page of Google results. We haven’t met a site we couldn’t get up and running among the top results within six months. Whether it’s a blog, social media page, video, article or website that needs attention, our expert team of white-hat SEO gurus can help!
3. Social Media Management
Over 1 billion people are on social media sites these days. It can be a full-time job to post regularly on these sites, which is why many startups delegate the task to us. We can develop content, schedule posts, monitor brand management, and alert you to the most important questions or feedback people leave in these public forums.
4. Pay Per Click Management
You know those “sponsored ads” on the top and sidebar of Google search results? This is referred to as a “Pay Per Click campaign.” It’s free to put your message here; you only pay a few cents when someone clicks on your ad to visit your page. PPC ads can drum up immediate leads. It’s very inexpensive to get started strategically placing ads on internet sites, but it can be expensive if you do not choose the right keywords that convert to sales. Certified Adwords Specialists can test and optimize your campaign for the best possible results.
5. Local Marketing Services
For local start-ups, developing a local marketing strategy is key. One study found that 88% of the people who searched a business on a mobile device either called or went there within 24 hours. These days, consumers expect to find you established on sites like Yelp, City Search, Google Maps, Merchant Circle, Groupon and FourSquare. Linking these pages back to your homepage is an excellent source of leads. Once your listings are established, it’s free publicity!
6. SEO-Friendly Web Design
Successful web design brings your ideas to life and tells your company story. It provides valuable information and solves a problem for consumers. The best web pages are easy to manage and update, which is why we build sites on WordPress, allowing your team full access. We also make sure your page is 100% optimized to start drawing search engine traffic.
7. Content
According to INC.com, content creation is where startups excel. Startups tend to be creative and dynamic by nature, which automatically lends itself to amazing content. They advise: “Use your creativity and expertise to create guides, white papers, eBooks, blog posts, social media updates and other digital content that solve problems, entertains and engages sales prospects in your marketplace.” INC says that content is a challenge for large corporations because all the bureaucracy stifles creativity and makes it harder to get things done.
8. Press Releases
New businesses often have a lot going on. Press releases make the perfect vehicle to share your company news with the world. Best of all, lots of journalists search these feeds, looking for relevant news stories. Getting one mention from a mainstream media source is pure gold for a startup!
Ready To Develop A Rock-Solid Marketing Strategy?
Here at Mod Girl Marketing, we offer full marketing automation — tapping our vast arsenal of resources to make a successful strategy come together for your fledgling business, all within your specified budget. Or, if you prefer, we also offer consulting services to help your startup accomplish all of these tasks in-house.
Contact us here or call us at 800-388-7732
