Introduction

Startups have been the trending business happenings since the inception of the digital age. All the Silicon Valley giants have emerged as the byproducts of the technological revolutions of recent decades. While recessions like the dot com bubble had tested the endurance of these giants in the past, at present, the startup bubble is being tested with several hardships like an oncoming economic recession, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the post-pandemic crises in all the sectors of the business world. Digital marketing for startups seems to be the only viable solution in these hard times to reach a widget audience, establish a loyal customer base, and survive the onslaught of recession.

Granted, if and when the recession comes, it will take several companies down with it that are not innovative or adaptable. However, in this article, let us focus on the marketing problem of startups and some of the solutions and strategies.

Digital marketing for startups

While we have discussed several marketing strategies to help you grow your startup previously, we will discuss the steps involved in establishing a strong and resilient marketing presence in the business world.

1. Have a goal and objective

Every marketing must have a specific objective and goal. It is the same in digital marketing for startups as well. The "why" must get the higher priority for your campaigns. Goals and objectives are not the same though they seem similar. Goals are often long-term in nature while objectives are necessarily short-term and with a specific number of steps to reach a goal within a short timeframe. Objectives are clear, concise and neatly defined by the management and marketing team and planned out in advance for execution. Some goal-setting frameworks like the OKR framework or SMART Goalsetting help marketing teams quantify their goals and set them within a reasonable time zone. However, the framework is not yet popular enough. The objectives create a roadmap that leads companies to achieve their goals faster and more efficiently.

While goals might look like, “create an online business within this year”, objectives in this context look like  “create 50 YouTube explainer videos for my brand within this year”, the difference is in the intent and the results. It's the same with digital marketing for startups! Without clear intent and expected results, your goal is just another plan. However, this is easier said than done. Startup owners have a lot on their plates. They need to give their attention to all aspects of their business, especially in the starting phase of the business. Until it happens to be self-sustaining, startup owners need to have sleepless nights and more work in all aspects of their business. This leaves little to no room for marketing time. The easy way out is to outsource the marketing to other companies or experts.

As professionals, they know the industry inside out and understand the marketing process and what clicks through their experience. As a result, you can save a lot of headaches and time in return for your costs. If your budget doesn't allow you to hire a marketer or to outsource marketing, then you must take the harder path where you learn marketing yourself and learn it fast. Though outsourcing or having an in-house marketing staff is always a feasible solution, several situations force you to settle for the harder way. In such scenarios, either your experience or your education holds your hands.

If you are someone from a management background, you will know a thing or two from your experience, However, when it comes to marketing, especially digital marketing, everything from colours and fonts to equipment and models requires a deep thought process and deeper research, this is where startup owners find it harder for learning marketing in the digital age, while there are dozens of options available across the internet for digital marketing, learning and leveraging the platforms must be totally customer oriented and highly researched upon. Never neglect to learn foundational digital marketing skills like SEO, marketing KPIs, and tracking of the customer. Feedback loops can provide you with invaluable insights into the customer's minds and behaviours. 

2. Know how to reach your audience

Digital marketing for startups can be confusing provided that there are dozens of options in platforms, content types, strategies, and several other aspects of marketing. It can even be downright overwhelming for startups and others who have little to no marketing experience. Even for experienced marketers, the internet and technology along with changing trends of the internet pose serious confusion from time to time. This is why knowing whom to reach and how to teach them is crucial for digital marketing success. Here are some steps you can implement in your digital marketing strategy to target the right audience and reach them in time.

How to target the right audience in digital marketing for startups?

Knowing the right market for your product is service is the first and the most important step in your marketing journey. Without knowing your customers' intention of buying, and their mindset, there can be no successful marketing campaign. Hence, before you start anything else, research your ideal customer and their internet usage patterns. Creating a buyer persona can immensely help in this process. Different generations come to social media looking for different forms of content. Every generational individual is different from each other as their age groups normally produce different mindsets.

You can take a fairly easy guess if you know your end user. Do they belong to the younger generations who are more interested in imagery like photos, shorts, and memes? If so, then TikTok, YouTube shorts, and Instagram would be better platforms to build up your brand. Do they belong to the older generation who are keenly interested in articles, long-form content, and in-depth videos? Then YouTube, blogs, news, or Google pages would be better platforms than the previously mentioned platforms. However, it doesn't mean that someone from a younger generation is solely looking for quick and concise content. They might also be interested in long-form articles. This is just an example of his normal expected online behaviour.

To be successful in digital marketing for startups, you must be well aware of the generational categorisation of humanity. As was mentioned earlier, creating an ideal buyer persona can immensely help startups in digital marketing.

1. Baby boomers

These are the generation that was born shortly after World War 2 and before the mixed sixties. They are embracing technology slower than all other generations.

2. Generation X

This is the bridge between millennials and baby boomers. They have seen quite a lot of technological shifts like from radio to TV and then to the internet. 80% of the group uses Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace (Source: Business2community). This generation is not accustomed to online marketing but is happy to approve of the idea that the marketing campaign is directed towards them and understand their motivational points.

3. Generation Y/Millennials

This is currently the largest generation with the highest buying power. Born in the 80s and the 90s, this generation has the largest number of entrepreneurs. It is driven by job satisfaction targets rather than paychecks. According to the Brooklyn Institute, about 64% of its members would rather make $40,000 a year at their preferred job than make $100,000 at a job they deem unattractive. It is the current economic force of the world and more tech-savvy than its previous generations. They read online reviews, and ratings, and seek recommendations from family and friends before making a buying decision. Hence your digital marketing strategy gave better odds of success in this generation.

Related Blog - How to Market to Younger Generations?

4. Gen Z

This is the generation born in the 2000s and it's still in their teens or younger. Digital marketers have started to focus on this generation in recent times due to their wide use of the internet and technological familiarity.

Related Blog - Maximising ROI with Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and More

3. An effective funnel boosts digital marketing for startups

Never forget the purpose of your digital marketing campaign which is to convert your visitors into sales. Often, startup owners get carried away in their social media management and forget the real intention of their posting and the efforts behind it. Perseverance towards the goals and continuous adjustments to the course must be the foundation of the entire digital marketing for startups. The main intention of digital marketing is to reach out to a wider audience on the internet and make them familiar with the brand which thereby increases the chances of closure from the customer.

At the top of the funnel are your digital marketing campaigns which include posts, articles, and videos. From there, the funnel brings the customer down into the brand and makes them consumers. Hence, creating an effective funnel through digital marketing needs a well-thought-out advertising campaign over relevant social media platforms or search engines. Here are the necessary steps you need to follow in making your campaign a success.

A. Outreach

The foundational assist of a digital marketing campaign is to target and reach potential clients. You can use Google ads, Facebook ads, online video ads, content marketing, and influencer marketing to teach your buyer persona and create brand awareness. With follow-up digital marketing strategies like retargeting, content marketing, email newsletters, and a consistent social media strategy, you can boost your online presence as well as your customers' brand engagement rates.

B. Conversion

If the previous steps create an interest in your prospective client, they may purchase your product or service. This is where the quality of your service or product appeals to your customers and devices if they come back for more or not.

C. Closing

In this stage, you will reach out to your customer through email, messages, or phone for their experience of your product or service. This phase may include questionnaires, reviews, ratings, or testimonials.

D. Retention

A company is more likely to survive on consumers rather than customers. Hence retaining first-time customers and converting them to consumers must be your top priority. For this, you can always keep them in the loop using digital marketing. Regular postings on social media, blogging high-quality articles to sending exclusive offers, discounts, and emails will help you through.

However, it is also important to note that the sales funnel shrinks from top to bottom. The number of prospective clients at the top of the funnel will always be higher. In contrast, the conversion and retention phases can see only fewer and fewer customers. This can also be seen in your digital marketing campaigns as well. Only a small portion of your followers will engage in your social media posts. Further, a smaller portion of these engaged clients end up buying from you.

Related Blog - Building an Effective Sales Funnel: From Lead Generation to Conversion

4. Create effective content

The age of clickbait, substandard content, and fake news is coming to an end. While this is still looming large over the internet, upcoming technologies and control measures taken by online platforms will make it harder for anyone who relies on these tactics. Hence, startup owners must rely on creating content that is effective, engaging, and informational. Modern internet users are motivated to consume content for entertainment, inspirational, and informational content. Understanding which type of content resonated with whom is the key to digital marketing success. Hence it is important to know these content types and the generational categorisation of the internet user base.

Related Blog - 8 Strategies for Successful B2B Marketing and Sales Alignment

Conclusion

Digital marketing for startups is a major challenge for startup owners. It needs a clear thought process and neat execution to boost its reach. For that, you must first understand your customer and their motives. For that, first, create an effective goal-setting framework and come up with long and short-term objectives. Understand digital platforms and their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, research which type of content your prospective customer is likely to consume. Then, create a funnel and execute each step of the funnel carefully. At the top of the funnel, create effective and engaging content. It must attract the right customers for your brand through digital content marketing.

In the further steps, convert the customer into a loyal consumer with the help of high-quality products or services. Further, great after-sales experience and follow-up through emails or social media can enhance your brand. On a side note, you can outsource digital marketing to agencies or hire a marketing team so that you can effectively engage in other aspects of your business. Alternatively, you can learn more about digital marketing for startups through certifications, diplomas, or degree programs. This can help you in the present and your future as knowledge is never wasted.

Finally, if you are looking for a practically relevant academic qualification to become a master in digital marketing for startups, SNATIKA's UK Masters degree programs and Diploma programs help you a lot. All of our programs are online and globally recognised. They can refine your industry knowledge by reinforcing your thinking and problem-solving skills. If you have industry experience at a managerial level, you may either join our Masters in Strategic Management and Leadership or Masters in Strategic Marketing and boost your industry expertise. Visit SNATIKA to know more!