The basics of starting and promoting a business today are no different than they were 30 years ago. You still need to create a business plan, study the competitive landscape and market a desirable product or service. And because of the Internet, you need a highly functional website to share information and interact with prospective customers. If you've accomplished all this and are ready to launch your company, following are five tips for successfully promoting your startup in 2016.
Know Your Target Audience
Before you sink thousands of dollars into advertising, make sure you know who's most likely to buy your product. Determine whether you're defining your customers by demographic groups, such as age, gender or income, or by lifestyle or personality? To verify your hunch, conduct some focus groups in advance to get feedback for those in your target audience. Quantify your results by doing phone or Internet surveys and then promote to the appropriate buyers.
Leverage Social Media
To start your digital branding campaign, set up business profiles on Linked-In, Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Create informative descriptions of your business and offerings on these sites and link them to your website. Also, join and link as many other social media sites to your web pages as you can, including Instagram, Pinterest and Vine, and start following others. This will create a huge potential audience for what you're selling.
Use Reciprocal Links
Go to forums or online discussion groups that cater to your products and target audience. If you sell electronics, for example, join forums read by electronics buffs. Contribute to discussions on a regular basis. Link your URL with other business sites who market to similar customers, then provide them with a reciprocal link. You can develop massive exposure this way, and it's free.
Start Networking
Join several professional associations where you can find potential clients. Attend at least one luncheon or event per month. A marketing specialist with a public relations degree recommends offering to speak at one of the events, if you have expertise on the subject matter. The key to networking is building awareness of your company and brand and establishing credibility in your industry.
Create An Impactful Offline Advertising Strategy
Whether it's the online yellow pages or cooperative mailings, find the best advertising mix to reach your target audience. Track your ads to see which media generates the most leads and reallocate your expenditures accordingly.
Start with two or three of these strategies and implement the others over time. You'll be surprised at how effective they are in building brand awareness and sales.