Startups lack the sales momentum enjoyed by mature businesses. Starting from ground zero is a ‘tough ask’ of any new business, and it’s made worse when you add a small marketing budget.
So how can new businesses get the word out, and secure new customers quickly? Well, it can be done when you use a two-pronged approach, one that is fee-based and the other that’s free.
As a startup, when you hear the word ‘free’, it’s exciting as you get to hang onto your money a bit longer. With marketing and in particular digital marketing, some tasks cost next to nothing and that’s great news for your marketing budget.
However, there really is no such thing as free. Until AI is fully embraced in marketing to do mundane and repetitive tasks, like data capture and analysis a human is required, and it’s likely to be you. Are you free? No, so consider what you task yourself to do carefully as you could be using your time more productively working on the business rather than in it.
For example, hiring someone to do the repetitive tasks while you receive input from a new business development agency is a more efficient way to use your budget. You get to work on the business, while the repetitive tasks are carried out by a worker to get fast sales for your business.
Initially, you may baulk at this paid option, but it will save you lots of time and expense trialling marketing strategies directly. With a custom-made new business development plan, you can make use of the following tools and strategies to build a robust marketing and sales pipeline.
Índice de Negocio
Facebook is said to have small organic reach, which puts many people off the idea of using it as a means of securing new business. However, Facebook certainly has its uses, commercially speaking, as it can be used as a fantastic platform for finding potential customers as well as be used for growing brand awareness.
Groups
When you join the Facebook groups, your target audience are also members of, you have made a connection. Seek to understand their issues, needs and wants and provide the solutions. Your helpfulness won’t go unrewarded.
Your profile will be viewed and shared, and before you know it, prospects are buying from you. This process does not cost anything but your time and before you know it you’ve created FAQs, and you’ve worked out it’s now a job for someone else in your business, so you’ve got your time back for other initiatives.
Advertising
You could also look at the traditional Facebook advertisement too as it’s also highly effective when targeted using personalised data collected from members.
Have you heard of Facebook quizzes marketing? Businesses use the quizzes differently from the notorious Cambridge Analytica, so give this feature a go. Your business can create a Facebook quiz that’s within the rules, and it’s a strategy that works well in monetizing data.
Active Social Media Presence
Now you’ve perfected Facebook, move on to building an active social media presence, on other platforms that have a large volume of targeted prospective customers. Social media is for communicating, not just selling. Focus on creating relationships with current and potential consumers through interacting with their posts, i.e. adding comments and liking. Using this strategy will also help to retain clients as they value your availability over a competitor’s aloofness.
Creating Blog Content
Everything starts with content, and it’s why marketing agencies are so busy. Content is on websites, in adverts, social media, and it’s always changing, so it’s worthwhile getting involved and writing blog posts and articles on topics your visitors will enjoy and share.
Writing articles aka blog posts is time-consuming, however, once you’ve honed the skill of putting your thoughts into words succinctly, i.e. in a few hundred words, this strategy will provide your blog, visitors, with tips and advice, all the while presenting your knowledge about your products and services and how they meet customer needs.
Blog writing is also perfect for creating a reputation as a trusted advisor, and it can become a KPI that differentiates you from your competition. Our blog has tips on content writing. Include other types of content, too like infographics, videos, quizzes, and games.
Follow Up Old Clients
You can never be too sure where your new clients will come from, i.e. which sales strategy tipped them to make a purchase.
Perfecting the entire client process is the first important step, so you can ensure that it can go as smoothly as possible each time. You can include following up with potential clients that never completed a purchase.
If you don’t have a restraint of trade, from your earlier occupation, follow up with past clients. You may be pleasantly surprised how receptive people who have dealt with you in an earlier role can be, and there’s no harm in asking the question. Your business needs sales, and in this new business phase, where you’re starting from scratch, you need to call on all your resources and a prior occupation and people network to find new customers.
Check your email marketing responses. You may have some emails from potential leads who had inquired but did not email you back following the initial contact.
Create An Email List & Do Email Marketing
Building a new email list is another fantastic way of helping to gather leads and building new business. Start with sign up pages to invite your website visitors to join your email list, let them know why you want to stay in touch, i.e. to share news and informative articles, as well as share product and service updates.
What’s worth noting here is, social media has not replaced email. Not everyone is or wants to be on social media; therefore, your business needs to do the lot, i.e. write blog articles, post on social media and send out email marketing messages.
Email is a trusted communication channel, and it’s ideal for promoting new products or services, offering discounts and freebies to secure new business.
A regular email newsletter is also an excellent way of keeping your business at the forefront of people’s minds.
Guest Blogging
Another effective means of gathering leads is guest blogging. You can share your expertise with another website’s audience, which can bring more visitors to your website. You should look for blogs that have an audience that would be interested in your services. Then include a link back to your website within the post and if allowed, include an author bio, mentioning your services.
Summary
Get guidance from a new business development expert or agency to get your startup off on the right path and look for opportunities to use your time wisely. Blogging is the perfect way to gain a reputation and broaden your visitor reach. Social media and email are both proven marketing functions not just for startups but for mature businesses too.
