4 Cost Effective Tips for Promoting Your Start-up
If you’re a new start-up and have a limited budget, you shouldn’t beat yourself up about promotion! There are a wide variety of ways for you to finance your business ideas. Having limited funds is an automatic excuse for you to get creative and think outside of the box instead of relying on the same old Google reviews and PPC ads. Here are a few tips for you to consider when you’re thinking about how to promote your start-up company with limited funds.
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Share Your “Why.”
When someone asks what you do for a living, try to stay away from out of the box responses like “I’m an entrepreneur” or “I run a small business”. People will generally think of a typical bricks-and-mortar store, this is your opportunity to come up with a more creative response and you should look to develop your narrative so that it differentiates your company from others and sparks a conversation.
Do you support a certain cause with every sale? Talk about it. Were you inspired in a moment of greatness to start your business? Share your story. If you start to reveal your ‘why’ it will help to make your business more memorable to others.
Don’t Just Sell
Naturally, as an entrepreneur, your instincts will be to try and sell to almost everyone you meet. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s important to give your company relevance. You can do so by participating in discussions within and outside of your sector. Social media is a perfect platform that makes it super easy to engage with your target demographic without looking like you’re trying to directly sell.
Engagement is an important part of your brand exposure. If you’ve set up your social media profiles, utilize them! Interact with people in your demographic and network, and look to reach people further afield as well. Comment on people’s pictures and posts, re-post other people’s photos and share content across your channels that other people have created that your audience will still interact with.
Find a Niche and Build Credibility
Find a niche for your start up and carve your own path through it. If you create a culture around your business by offering an insider’s perspective to your followers/potential customers, it will more than likely peak interest in your offering. Something like a company blog or a news page would offer someone the chance to understand your sector with a slightly new perspective.
Having a regular webinar or a podcast or YouTube video will also give your listeners/customers/potential customers another avenue into the ins and outs of what you’re required to do on a daily basis to run your business. Also, networking is a big thing! This will help you share your expertise with your community and prove your abilities.
Market Your Company and Help People to Discover Your Content
If your start-up is 21st Century ready, you’ll have some kind of online presence. That includes a website, landing page, profiles on social media platforms, or all of the above. However, just because your content is online doesn’t mean that it’s easily discoverable by your target audience.
If you offer some form of marketing service, such as financial marketing, for example, you already have your niche there; it’s ready and waiting for you. The finance niche is a tough one but if you align yourself right within it, you could reap the rewards. The same goes for whatever niche you’re currently in. If you position yourself as a leader, a thought provoker within that industry, you’re more than likely going to see the benefits of that work very quickly.
The same goes for whatever niche you’re currently in. If you position yourself as a leader, a thought provoker within that industry, you’re more than likely going to see the benefits of that work very quickly.
