You've started your own business; congratulations! Once the excitement of flying the nest and going solo has settled down, it's probably time to think of your marketing strategy.
Many startups have an initial flurry of business, leading you to believe marketing may not be as crucial as you once thought. However, banish that thought! You need to ensure that you're retaining custom and bringing in a steady flow of new business. Marketing will help you to define your product or service, target your audience (the right audience) and get your brand name and message out there in your own way.
Simple business marketing tips for startups
We know, as a startup, you may not have the funds to hire someone to do this for you (marketing isn't cheap!), but there are ways to market your business yourself until you build up the funds to consider taking on a 3rd party. Or, you might not, you might fall in love with it and decide to take on this role yourself, but you need to start somewhere!
This informal CPD article will give you some hints and tips for kickstarting your marketing strategy as a startup.
Startups Tip 1 - Enrol on a marketing CPD course
Taking a beginner's course in marketing is a great place to start. It won't cost you the earth (a lot less than hiring a marketing agency initially), and it'll equip you with the knowledge and confidence to give it a go yourself. We host thousands of courses on behalf of our CPD providers, from beginner's hints and tips to workshops for those with basic knowledge.
Startups Tip 2 - Take to social media
Putting your brand on social media is a quick, accessible and easy way to connect with consumers. First off, it's free to open a social media account such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You'll need to do some initial research - competitor analysis, audience research and development of your brand identity.
This will give you a starting point for posting and positioning yourself on social media. There are thousands of guides online about building a consistent, compelling brand on social media and how to target your audience. One great thing about social is that users love authenticity. You don't have to worry about everything being polished or executed perfectly to tell your story.
Once you're up and running, you can use the handy 'insights' tab to find out what's working, who you're talking to and what to do more of. It's a great way to trial and error content and gauge performance. You also can directly speak with your audience and build relationships, which is invaluable.
Startups Tip 3 - Using paid advertising
Whether paid search or paid social ads, investing in paid advertising is a great way to target a specific audience using your unique, designed brand ads. You can choose how much money you want to put behind the ads, so there's the option to start small and increase as you build up your income. Or, if you choose CPC paid search, you'll only pay when someone clicks on your ad, meaning you've got more chance of getting a return on the money you put into it.
Startups Tip 4 - Create a basic website
Especially if you're using paid advertising, you'll want a basic website for your customers to be directed to. Many people still hop on to Google to do a search and to cross-check businesses with a social presence or ones that they've heard about. So, having an online presence is good for adding credibility to your services and making you more accessible.
A website also allows you to showcase essential information such as contact details, location and exactly what services/products you offer.
Importantly, when we say basic, that still means something user-friendly and simple to use. If customers come on to your site and can't navigate their way around or loading speeds are too long, it could adversely affect and drive people away. So, you're going to want to make sure you're keeping it simple and easy to use.
We hope this article on business marketing tips for startups was helpful. Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service has over 27 years’ experience providing CPD accreditation. With members in over 100 countries, our CPD providers benefit from the ability to promote themselves as part of an international community where quality is both recognised and assured.
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