Startups differ immensely on the amount of capital they have for marketing available. Some startups with millions in funding do not have to worry about costs as they can throw money at a problem to solve it. Other startups might have a tight budget when it comes to marketing but this does not doom them. Often times those without big investors can be more creative in the ways that they market and even a bit edgier as they do not have executives that need to approve each decision. While they are going to have to be more creative and efficient than their competitors with larger budgets, they can still succeed. The following are how a startup can be marketed effectively without an enormous budget.
Conferences Can Be Huge
Conferences are hotbeds of brand recognition as well as deals being closed. This usually has a high number of decision making staff members that can talk shop and you can meet in person with multiple per day. The right brochures or posters can be huge and can allow an attendee to remember the business as well as the people associated with the business. Helloprint UK can handle these needs as using anything less than the best printer for these promotional pieces can reflect poorly on the quality of work the company does. This might not be fair but if a company cannot spring for a professional printing service they might be cutting corners elsewhere in some potential client’s minds.
Concentrate On Quality Content
Generic content is going to be a waste of money as a catchy title might drive traffic but once the reader realizes that the content is spammy they will click off of the site. They will not look for another article on the site due to the first article being generic and simply a waste of time to read. Quality content should be put on the site as a resource to educate, spark conversation, and establish a company identity. Off-site content should be used to showcase knowledge giving the reader actionable things that they can do about a common problem or issue they have been having. Do not compromise on quality of content as there is far too much generic content without things like data, studies, or resources to look further into the topic on.
Social Media To Promote and Handle Customer Service
Social media is free so it should be utilized to its fullest for a startup with limited budget. Every piece of content that is published on and off of the site needs to be posted. Other industry articles should be posted with a comment to help spark engagement from followers. Engagement with followers is important as drumming up conversation, comments, likes, and retweet can allow your post to trend in your space. Customer service via social media can also be done and it is a public way of showing how much you value your customer’s experience with your product or service.
Podcasting, Podcasting, Podcasting
It cannot be stressed enough as to how important podcasting can be to marketing a startup with a smaller budget. Podcasts that are streamed live can allow interaction with listeners through social media with Twitter being a favorite by using a custom hashtag. This allows listeners to comment and even ask questions on the topics being discussed. Hours of content can be used and certain snippets can be used as individual pieces of content on platforms like YouTube if there was an insight on something industry specific. With the right weekly listeners this can turn into something that everyone in the industry tunes into either weekly or monthly.
Startups with a small budget need to use the above tips in order to stay within their limited budget while maximizing results. Consumers are more educated than ever before so start a conversation with them via marketing rather than throw ad after ad at them hoping one will catch their eye.
