5 Digital Marketing Best Practices for Startups

Startups have tremendous growth potential, but they won’t last long if you don't have the right strategy. Thus, here are five simple marketing tactics that can help increase your customer base and possibly achieve long-lasting success. 

1. Focus on One or Two Channels

This strategy is especially crucial in the early stages. Trying to grow your company’s presence by using multiple tactics may bring more harm than benefit. Instead, it's more efficient to focus on two channels that complement each other.

Here's a little list of combinations that work particularly well:

• SEO and SEM. Dominating the SERPs can have a significant impact on your business. SaaS companies that rely on their website to make sales can take great advantage of this tactic.
• SEO and content marketing. This combination is organic, but it is a much slower process. However, organic traffic can help you reduce your CAC considerably in the long run.
• Social media and influencer marketing. If your product or service is highly visual, you should use social media to showcase what you're offering. Moreover, working with influencers can boost brand awareness and build customer trust.

2. Establish S.M.A.R.T goals

Without clear goals, you can't measure whether your campaigns are working or not. Thus, it is essential to define your goals from the beginning and create your strategy accordingly. When creating your goals, make sure they satisfy the five SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

3. Outsource Production but Keep Strategy In-house

If you don't have much time to create your campaigns' assets, outsourcing can save you a lot of time. If no one on your team is an experienced writer or designer, you can save both time and resources by hiring a professional. However, you should keep your strategy in-house if you want to maintain full control over your plans.

4. Consider Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is performance-based marketing that gives affiliate marketers a commission when they market a company's products or services. It's similar to influencer marketing but is more personal and long-term. However, you shouldn’t use this strategy if your company is still in its early stage. Be selective about the people that will promote your business and make sure they care about your company and its mission.

5. Create a Referral Program

A referral program is a cost-saving advertising method that motivates customers to promote your brands to others. Dropbox took advantage of this tactic early on, bringing in thousands of new sign-ups. The trick? For every new "friend" a customer brings to the platform, he or she would receive extra storage. While it is not entirely “free”, it can still help companies save a lot of money while providing beneficial results. 

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