As the media keep telling us, more and more entrepreneurs are taking the plunge and starting their own company. Unfortunately, if you are a firm believer of statistics at least, many of these are at risk of going under in the first year or so of trading.
One of the biggest reasons behind this is that they simply can’t get customers through the door. Whilst perhaps one of the more interesting departments, few would disagree that marketing can be one of the most challenging. Bearing this in mind, let’s now take a look at some of the best marketing approaches for those businesses who are looking to get off the ground.
The power of email
In comparison to some of the other channels we mull over, there’s no doubt that email is a lot older and some people therefore look down on it somewhat. However, they should do this at their peril.
Email marketing is one of the most tried-and-tested methods out there. It’s something which converts higher than pretty much every channel out there, so if you can build an email marketing list it should be at the top of your priorities.
Search engine optimization
If you are all for playing the long game, this next suggestion might be something that you tap into. Sure, SEO isn’t quite as simple as it once was, but in some industries you don’t need to possess huge budgets to make a real go of it and ultimately drive customers to your website.
There are now plenty of guides on how to carry out SEO, and the basic premise tends to be making your website as simple as possible for crawlers, like Google, to go through. If you can obtain some good backlinks as well it can help your cause, and help you tap into the huge market that Google has created for businesses.
The paid alternative to SEO
If you are looking for faster results, albeit at a cost, consider the paid alternative. Going by the name of PPC, this allows your business to immediately appear above the natural listings on Google’s platform. You will be paying on a per click basis, and those businesses who pay more will tend to find themselves at the top.
Considering how much money you could spend with this, you will certainly need to keep an eye on things and you can’t leave it to work by itself, so to speak. However, it can work out to be very effective and some businesses make a very good return on their initial investment.
Traditional marketing can still work
Following on from the above online options we have mulled over, let’s now turn our attention to traditional marketing. It might not be as effective as it once was, merely because it can’t target users in the same way as online alternatives, but it can still work to some extent. If you are a local business, the old tactics like handing out leaflets or posters can pay dividends – at least getting your new brand out to the local community.