If you’ve landed on this blog post, you’re probably in search of digital marketing tips for startups. In this piece, we are going to be covering exactly that in order to help you & your business get started!

Digital marketing changes at the speed of light. There are so many digital marketing strategies available to businesses today that it can be difficult to decide which one’s are the most effective.

For startups with limited resources, choosing the right digital marketing strategies is crucial. You need to focus your budget and labor on channels that will be effective, providing optimal ROI as you grow your business. Keep reading for the Top 10 digital marketing tips for startups in 2020.

1. Don’t count out email marketing

Email marketing is an incredibly effective channel. While some are predicting email marketing to go the way of the dinosaurs, there are billions of email users in the world. The return on investment for email marketing is something startups cannot afford to miss out on. When done right, email marketing can provide an average return of $32 for every $1 spent.

It is inexpensive to set up and run email campaigns. Almost all consumers check their email on a daily basis, often multiple times per day. To get the most out of your email marketing campaigns, pay extra attention to your subject line. It is the element that will entice consumers to open and read your emails. 

For the body of your email, use bullet points and break up the content with subheadings. This format makes it easier for your audience to read and digest your information quickly. Above all, focus on the benefits you can provide your customers. And don’t forget to optimize your emails for mobile. Almost half of all emails are opened on mobile devices. 

2. Pay attention to social media

Social media is a great way to increase your exposure as a startup. You can drive traffic to your site and build customer loyalty by maintaining a consistent presence on social media channels. A reported 71% of consumers are more likely to recommend a brand if they have had a positive experience with them on social media.

Regularly posting on social media can also benefit your search rankings. You can regularly interact with consumers to answer questions and provide valuable content. Sharing industry information, product updates, and other relevant content can set you apart as a thought leader. 

3. Budget for paid ads

Pay-per-click ads can be very expensive, so it is important for startups to be strategic when running paid ads. The benefit of paid ads is that they can help you reach your customers at the right time and share your message. You only pay when an interested consumer clicks on your ads, so you have an opportunity to improve your ROI. 

Paid ads offer instant results, and they can drive considerable traffic for new businesses. You will also receive considerable insights and data, which you can use for your other marketing efforts. The important thing to remember is to control your budget. Start with a smaller budget to test your campaign and make improvements before spending more money on PPC ads. 

4. Focus on SEO

Search engine optimization can help set your startup apart from the competition. When you appear among the top results on Google, you can be seen as reputable and build trust for your brand. By paying attention to SEO, you can increase traffic to your site and grow your business faster. 

Conduct an SEO audit and find the areas where you need to improve. Don’t let your SEO efforts slack. Consistency is key to building trust and traffic for your brand. Consistently modify and update your site to move up in search rankings. 

5. Look into influencer marketing

On our journey of digital marketing tips for startups, we arrive at influencer marketing.

For startups, growing your brand is essential. Influencer marketing can be an inexpensive digital marketing strategy if you go after smaller, micro-influencers. Instead of shelling out your money on bigger digital marketing influencers, focus on niche micro-influencers. 

Word of mouth is one of the best ways to build trust with your target audience. For that reason, influencer marketing can be more effective than traditional marketing channels. Provide authentic content to engage your consumers with your brand. 

6. Optimize your user experience

It is not enough to spend money pushing content. You have to have a solid user experience to back up your digital marketing efforts. It is important that your audience is able to engage with your brand across channels in order to build brand loyalty. Unique user experience can draw consumers in and keep them coming back for more. 

Offer value to your audience in your user experience. Knowing your audience is essential to optimizing your user experience, so you should do considerable research into what will resonant most with your audience. 

7. Boost your content

A content marketing strategy is absolutely necessary to engage your audience. By providing unique content on a regular basis, you can communicate your brand message and build loyalty among your audience. Content can help you add value for your consumers and be useful. Write blog articles, share industry news, and post videos on relevant topics to build relationships with your target audience. 

Original content is a key element of search engine optimization. Target your content for your relevant keywords, but remember to write for your audience. Also, your content should be focused on your industry and your audience, not sales. 

8. Implement video marketing

Videos are becoming more popular and more effective for digital marketing. Videos are an excellent way to share content on your website or social media channels. When consumers watch a video, they retain 95% of the message whereas only 10% is retained when reading a message as text. 

Using video content for your social media ads can be an effective way to increase your ROI. Videos on social media are shared 1200% more than text or images. Launch a new product, answer questions from your consumers, or share information from an expert. Videos are a great way to build connections with your customers. 

9. Invest in a chatbot

Chatbots are quickly gaining in popularity. For startups, you have limited resources, but a chatbot can greatly increase your bandwidth. Using artificial intelligence can make it easier and more efficient for your team to handle customer inquiries. 

Instead of building a large customer service team, your employees can handle bigger projects. Automate customer service inquiries and handle basic processes through a chatbot. You can then provide a seamless transition to a real human for more complex tasks. 

10. Get personal

Personalization can help you appeal to your audience. Learn as much as you can about your customers and personalize your emails, ads, and messages to build brand loyalty. When you personalize a message, consumers are more likely to shop from you again. Strategies like adding a name to an email or subject line can help you increase revenue. It is also key to remain consistent with your brand, providing a reliable source your consumers can trust.