The world of marketing currently is in a state of rapid flux. In fact, the pace of evolution of the marketing process has been scorching. Digital marketing is a natural ally of startups. But it should be kept in mind that not all digital marketing strategies are created equal and while some prove to be extremely efficient, good ROI remains elusive for others. Today we take a look at the five hottest (or coolest, whichever you prefer) digital marketing strategies being practiced by marketers all over the globe as of late.
Email marketing
Despite doomsday predictions of detractors, email marketing is alive and kicking. And they are performing very well giving a generous ROI or Return On Investment. In fact, if we are to go by a survey by Data Marketing Association and Demand Metric, email has a formidable ROI of 122 percent, outperforming even social media, not to mention paid search and direct mail. Email’s ROI was found to be four times higher than that of its competitors. And to take the cake email marketing also happens to be very affordable and you do not really need tons of cash in order to successfully carry out a campaign. All you need to do as a startup is to exploit its potential properly. The following tips will help you do just that.
- The subject line is critical. Make sure it is something catchy and engages the reader.
- Use a simple, persuasive tone and avoid technical terms.
- Like other types of web content, make email copy scannable. Use subheadings and bullets.
- Highlight your product or service’s benefits.
- Make the emails mobile-friendly.
Social media marketing
Make no mistake about it, social media is one of the most powerful tools marketers have in their arsenal today. A report by Social Media Examiner found 89 percent of companies getting more exposure due to social media campaigns. No less than 90 percent of marketers affirmed the importance of social media in their duties. It is considered to be second most effective digital marketing strategy in most cases. Its benefits are:
- Giving you more traffic and exposure.
- Cultivating a culture of loyal customers.
- Generating leads and helping in SEO.
- Helping establish your thought leadership.
- Boosting sales.
However, businesses need to do social media the right way, so proceed with care.
PPC Campaigns
You must have heard about Google Adwords. No? Well, it simply is the most notable and important PPC (or pay per click) network out there on the internet. It is a marketing tool known for its power as it brings in leads ready for sales. It is especially important during the early days of a business organization, and no startup can afford to ignore it. Its advantages are:
- Reaching out to your customers with the right ad at the correct time.
- Giving good ROI, as you only pay when a person who is interested in products like yours clicks on your ad.
- You can minutely control your ad spend.
- You can get instant results with PPC.
- You also get a wealth of data, as well as insights that help you fine-tune your marketing strategy even further.
However, with a PPC campaign, you can burn out your budget very fast. So you need to bring in the experts who help you get conversions, and not only clicks.
SEO, or search engine optimization
So, you have got your business an eye-catching design, have put in all of the service pages, and are waiting for a flurry of visitors. Only thing is that they are not coming. Little wonder as there are literally thousands of competing websites out there in the vastness of the internet in your niche alone. SEO helps you to rank higher in search engine results pages so that the trickle of visitors to your site turns slowly but surely into a flood. Search engine optimization also helps build trust with your brand besides bringing in free targeted traffic. SEO is an absolute must for each and every startup out there doing business.
Influencer marketing
You may not have heard of this as much as the other strategies mentioned above, but it is gaining in popularity strikingly fast. 84 percent of marketers want to do it and 94 percent believe it to be effective. It is especially attractive to startups as they have just started on their brand development path.
