How Can Digital Marketing Help Startups In Fort Worth Overcome Their Losses During Covid?

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Intro

COVID-19's impact was felt across the globe and affected companies of all sizes. A ray of hope in these troubled times is the emergence of digital marketing as a powerful medium for growth. It is giving companies in Fort Worth a chance to bounce back.
Companies with no prior digital presence embrace it to reach their audience in creative new ways.

12 Best Digital Marketing Strategies for Startups

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1. Social Media Marketing

Social media has changed the face of how companies connect with their audience. Every company, no matter its size, has embraced it. Its power is unmistakable in getting more sales and a loyal customer following.
There are multiple benefits of using it as a digital marketing strategy. Some of these are:

• Increases brand awareness and site traffic
• Generates leads
• Engages customers through great content

Social media marketing requires careful planning and execution. Without it, no campaign can be successful.
Here are our top tips to ensure a winning social media campaign:

• Choose your platforms carefully. For example, if you're a product company, Instagram or Facebook is better than LinkedIn for reach.
• Plan a content calendar. Schedule posts in advance to keep a steady rhythm of engaging posts.
• Use powerful social tools like Hootsuite and SocialPilot to empower your campaigns.

Here’s an example of how Hootsuite helps analyze your social media strategy:

2. Influencer Marketing

Certain people are more influential than others. Celebrities, media gurus, and models help brands with that extra push to drive sales. It's been proven as an effective marketing tactic. The reason why it works so well is that people already love and trust these people.
Influencer marketing needs research and planning. Not every influencer is a good fit for your brand. Luckily, there are plenty of great tools out there that can help you find the right people.
Our top picks are:

• NinjaOutreach:
  
• Access millions of famous bloggers and influencers worldwide. Search with any keywords or niche to get a list of influencers.
• BuzzStream:
  
• Search for influencers based on keywords and filter by country, language, and more.
• YouTube BrandConnect:
  
• This tool connects you exclusively with YouTube creators who can share your Ads in their videos.

Here’s an example of how you can reach out to influencers in your niche using NinjaOutreach:

3. Using Chatbots and AI

Digitization is everywhere. It's no surprise that many aspects of roles such as customer care have been automated. AI and chatbots are here to stay. A chatbot is a program that uses natural language to automate chats with a user. They save costs, reduce manual work, and are available 24x7.
Chatbots can help a customer with many common queries. This includes billing queries, general product usage, troubleshooting common issues, and more. Chatbots are great as a digital marketing strategy. They can help with sales and lead generation whenever someone visits your site.
Invest in chatbots and use these tips to leverage their power for growth:

• Automate answering basic questions about your product and services.
• Generate service tickets and schedule appointments.
• Pitch a new product, service, or an upcoming promo.
• Get subscribers for email campaigns.

An example of how a chatbot can independently answer questions:

4. Content Marketing

Creating quality and engaging content helps you in many ways. It can promote your brand and increase awareness. A solid content strategy is essential to gain visibility as a startup or small business.
Creating new content has many benefits:

• It improves the trust and loyalty of your brand.
• Positions you as a thought leader in your domain.

Use content marketing tools to simplify the execution of your strategy. Many free and paid tools can make this process efficient.
Our top picks are:

• BuzzSumo
  Simplifies content marketing through content research. It makes it easier to track top content performance metrics.
• Grammarly
  A.I tool for editing and proofreading content. It has plugins for Microsoft Word, Outlook, and many other authoring tools.
• Google Optimize
  Pulls data from Google Analytics and other sources to tell you improvement areas for your content.

Here’s a Buzzsumo report showing the number of times users have shared the content on what platform:

5. Email Marketing

Emails are still a great marketing tool that brings good ROI to any campaign. Getting people to sign up for your email list is an excellent way to promote new products. Email campaigns cost less and are relatively easy to manage compared to SEO or PPC campaigns.
Crafting an email with a crisp and engaging message must be your first step in any email campaign. Make sure you engage users with general content that they may find helpful from your domain. Avoid sending only promo posts.
Use some of our proven tips below to harness the most from your email campaign:

• Craft a punchy and engaging subject line for all emails.
• Optimize all emails and images in them for mobile devices.
• Use storytelling with solid calls to action to boost your site traffic.

Here’s an example of good Email marketing:

6. SEO Marketing

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays a vital role in drawing visitors to your website. Relying on sound design and content alone won't do it. You need to get your website to appear in top Google search results for people to notice your brand.
Ranking among top search results is great for business. It builds trust and increases your brand reputation. Great content, relevant keywords, and an attractive design play a key role in SEO.
As a business, you must never ignore SEO for your website.
Use these top tips to drive an effective SEO campaign:

• Perform keyword research in your domain. Use top-ranking keywords in the right places within your content
• Optimize your website and content for mobile devices
• Work on quality backlinks
• Optimize images and other elements slowing down the website.

You can find SEO keywords in your niche using a tool like Wordtracker

7. Pay-per-click (Google Ad Words)

Pay-per-click (PPC) is a marketing strategy where you pay to a service provider whenever someone clicks your Ad on their site. This could be a search engine or a popular website. Unlike SEO, you pay for visits to your site instead of getting them organically.
PPC is a great short-term digital marketing strategy. It is a great ROI when it works because you may end up with a sale while paying a small fee to the service provider.
Google Ads is one of the most popular PPC services online. It lets you place your Ads on the search engine and other Google sites.
To get more clicks on your Ad on Google:

• Create a list of relevant keywords for your PPC campaign.
• Optimize landing page quality and content. Create clear call-to-action buttons.
• Work on unique and creative site content.

Here is an example of a Google Ad:

8. Video Marketing

Videos have become a staple of online marketing. It uses videos to tell people about your products and services. It's appealing to most people as it saves time sifting through pages of content. Engaging videos go viral. This is excellent publicity for your brand and builds brand identity.
However, creating a great video does not guarantee shares or a following. You need to optimize your videos in the same manner as any other content on your website or social feeds.
Use these tips to get the most out of your digital marketing videos:

• Use powerful and engaging storytelling in your videos. A great story will sell your product for you.
• Keep it short. Studies show that shorter videos gain more attention.
• Use tags and metadata in your videos to optimize for search.

Here is an example of video marketing:

9. Online Affiliate Marketing

Affiliates are people you pay a small fee to bring leads your way. It is one of the oldest online marketing strategies in existence. You get to choose when you pay out the commission. You can choose to pay per sale through a lead or when a specific lead target is met.
You can use many affiliate marketing tools and platforms to recruit your marketers. These tools automate a lot of processes that otherwise take time.
To give you a jumpstart, we narrow down our favorite affiliate marketing tools:

• ClickInc
  A great tool with an in-built affiliate contact tool. You can set up many types of alerts for your campaigns.
• ShareASale
  It connects merchants and affiliates to benefit from each other mutually.
• Tapfiliate
  Easy tool to create a campaign, reward, and track it end-to-end.

Here’s an example of how ShareASale tracks affiliate commissions:

10. Retargeted Ads and Emails

It's unlikely that all visitors to your site end up buying your products on their first visit. It does, however, indicate interest on their part.
Retargeting Ads help in driving a casual visitor towards a purchase. Retargeting Ads is nothing but tracking your visitor movements across the web.
You then display an Ad about your product or service wherever they are online. People begin to trust you as a credible company when they see your Ads or messaging across the web or social channels.
We recommend these retargeting platforms:

• Facebook Retargeting
  Shows your Ads to people who have visited your website or interacted on your Facebook page.
• Google Ads
  Display your ads to your site visitors anywhere on the Google site network, including the search engine.
• LinkedIn Ads
  Re-engage your site visitors by displaying your company's Ads on LinkedIn.

Here’s an example of retargeted Google Ads:

11. Referral Marketing

A referral program is where you get your customers to promote your brand or product. It works in a fairly simple way. You reward a customer with a discount, a cashback, or a promo offer when they refer someone to buy your product or service.
Referral rewards motivate people to promote your brand in their circles. It is a cost-effective way to drive leads while maintaining customer relationships.
There are many best practices for success in referral marketing. We share some of the finest tips for your business below:

• Plan about rewards or incentives you'll offer. Think of something which motivates them to refer.
• Start by inviting your most loyal or long-term customers. They are your best bet as they love you already.
• Advertise the program through emails and direct social media messaging.

12. Big Data and Customer Analytics

Big data analysis is a powerful tool to understand your potential customers and their buying habits. It is especially vital if you are a startup and need to understand your market better.
Big data and analytical tools gather customer behavior and demographic data from many online channels. Deep diving into this data can help you in customer acquisition and streamlining operations. It gives you ideas about the best strategies to drive sales.
You don't need to use in-house resources to do this research. Hire a Big data analyst and specify your niche and audience.
Use the data you gather to boost your marketing efforts by:

• Streamlining your marketing calendar. Identify dates or months when sales peak to curate campaigns.
• Identifying common customer queries and issues in your niche. Create exciting and helpful blog content around these topics to drive traffic.

5 Mind-Boggling Digital Marketing Statistics

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• IBM studies show that over 55% of people research social media before purchasing.
• Databox found that 45% of businesses send their leads at least one email per week.
• A HubSpot study indicates that 81% of people trust family and friends' advice about brands.
• As per Bright Local, 85% of people trust online reviews by other consumers.
• Even a 1-second delay in your site speed reduces conversions by 7%. (Neil Patel)

Digital Marketing for Startups - FAQs

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1. Should Startups Invest in Digital Marketing?

Absolutely! It is one of the most effective ways to reach your audience and grow as a company. It helps you with brand visibility, credibility, and lead generation at a fraction of the cost incurred during traditional marketing.

2. Do I Need to Hire An External Agency?

Not always. It all depends on the people resources your firm can spare for exclusive work on digital marketing and their skillsets. We recommend hiring an agency or freelancer within your budget for a startup.

3. Which Social Channels Should I Use?

It depends on your niche and target audience. For most businesses, an account on Facebook or Instagram is a must. If your services cater to corporates or enterprises, you must consider LinkedIn.

4. Is Email Marketing Still Relevant?

Yes, even in the age of social media, emails can be very effective for conversions. Email marketing with engaging content and catchy headlines bring trust and credibility to your brand. Invest in it to see the best results over time.

5. How Long Will It Take To Show Results?

Digital Marketing is a long-term effort. It typically takes a few weeks to several months before you can see noticeable results. Don't give up on your digital marketing campaigns if you see quick results.

Key Takeaways

• Create a well-rounded digital marketing strategy for your brand.
• Optimize your site content for speed and SEO.
• Curate quality content for social media channels.
• Engage often with your customers through emails and personalized Ads.
• Use data-driven insights to create content and business plan.
• Ensure that your location and address details are consistently online.
• Work on building quality backlinks to boost SEO scores.
• Optimize your website for mobile devices.
• Claim your Fort Worth business on Google My Business. Create location-specific pages for each new location.
• Be consistent in your efforts. Don't lose hope if you don't see instant results.