A Guide to Marketing a New Business

Getting the word out about a new business can be hard, especially with limited money, making it difficult to know the best techniques to start exposing a business to the public.

Businesses must be aware that one type of marketing does not fit all. Different customers will expect different sorts of interactions, meaning it’s important for businesses to understand what their customers are after, and how a business can ensure they are meeting their needs.

  1. First, choose a market.
  2. Second, define keywords for blogging, social media and website.
  3. Third, define success.
  4. Fourth, set a budget of what can and can not afford.

Through this guide, TechRound lists a variety of different techniques that can help startups when marketing their new business:

 

Website Marketing

 

online-marketing-channels

 

  • Make sure you website is easy to navigate
  • Ensure your website is mobile-friendly
  • Link your social media platforms onto your website
  • Ensure the page load speed is fast
  • Use a website builder: for example Wix, Squarespace, Weebly and Word Press

The goal of website marketing is to attract interested people to your company’s products and services and drive relevant traffic to your site. Your website is the primary channel users can learn about your brand and taking necessary actions.

By promoting your website on the internet, you will gain more visitors but you need a strategy and plan. Writing down what you want to achieve online and how you will do it, it will make it easier to communicate your goals within your business.

 

SEO Marketing

 

SEO

 

  • Check your website has no coding issues
  • Upload fresh content to your website
  • Each page should focus on a different keyword / phrase
  • Manage your social media platforms
  • Hire a consultant or specialist to help
  • Teach yourself on Search Engine Watch

Search Engine Optimisation involves optimising your website to allow for visitors from search engines. Search engines are used every day to answer enquires instantly, and by developing a SEO strategy you are allowing for free marketing, where time and effort is all that needs to be put in.

By putting in this time and effort, you are trying to achieve the goal of being first and on the top of page one, driving the most clicks and traffic. To ensure your SEO marketing is successful, use the right keywords, write useful content, optimise your content, built backlinks, and make sure your business is visible, for example by creating a Google My Business profile.

 

Social Media Marketing

 

social-media-marketing

 

  • Provide a customer service role: customers should be able to reach out to your and receive a quick response
  • Feed your customers quality content
  • Show your brand personality
  • Manage all your social media sites in one place with websites like Houtsuite

By using social media sites, businesses will be able to increase awareness of what it is they do, ultimately leading to an increase in sales. It is important to choose the right social media platform as you want to find your customers, one way of doing this is seeing what platform your competitor is on.

Additionally, the right social media platform also depends on your goal – for example, increasing brand awareness or sales. One way to stay on top of staying up to date with consumers is by scheduling posts in advance. This can help save time and allow you to plan.

Once set up, you will be able to track your marketing progress by tracking your social media activity against your marking goals. All in all, you want to tell your brand or business story in a visual and authentic way on these social platforms, ask customers questions, offer solutions, and even reward loyal customers with a discount code, for example.

 

Email Marketing

 

email-notification

 

  • Create personalised emails based on the customers interests
  • Cost-effective
  • Instant results
  • Make it easy for yourself by using websites like MailTrin and Mailer Lite

By using this type of marketing, you are able to stay in touch with customers. You can send advertisements, important information on products or services, sales messages and updates.

With successful email marketing, a business’s sales boost, customers have a better understanding about promotions or products and brand engagement is built. A major benefit of email marketing is that you are able to measure the results of your emails, understanding exactly who opened or click on your email, as well as who bought a product after seeing your email.

By avoiding spending money on postage or billboard adverts hoping people see it, you are able to send free emails to as many people are you like, delivering content straight to people who are interested in your brand.

 

Word-of-Mouth Marketing and Networking

 

networking-at-meeting

 

Networking helps build your support system and gain advice from other people in the same industry as you. This may be by having a LinkedIn presence, connecting with clients and competitors and having conversations.

Another way is by joining your local chamber of commerce. They run events throughout the year and can update you on policies that may affect your business, as well as meet other people that have businesses. It is equally as important to stay in touch with current and former colleagues as they often turn out to be a valuable source and may know people to connect you with.

 

Print Marketing

 

printed-business-card-blank

 

  • Flyers
  • Business cards
  • Merchandise including hoodies, pens, stickers and water bottles

It is important to relate your printed marketing items to your core product or service to ensure that you stick in people’s minds. To do this ask yourself; how will my customers use this item? how does it relate to my business?

By having printed marketing materials, you can hand them out at any time, anywhere whether it is on the street or at a conference, showing you’re serious about your products or services.

Everyone understands what a business card is, allowing for a visual remind of your business. Be creative with your design, find good quality and order some tasters to ensure you are happy with your print marketing materials.

 

How to Do Market Research for a New Business

 

Market research aims to understand the reasons why consumers choose your company and why they will buy your product. It is all about collecting information that provides your business with an insight into your customers thinking, buying patterns, and location.

There are two types of research you should be conducting, these being primary and secondary. You can either do primary or secondary research, or both if you have the time.

 

Conducting Primary Market Research for a New Business

 

Primary research directly studies the customer, for example a telephone interview, online survey or a focus group. There’s a whole host of different ways to effectively conduct primary market research for a new business, including the following:

Customer profiling – working out the type of customers you’ll attract to your business. In identifying these customers, you can then figure out the best way to reach out to them, as well as values the business should reflect etc.

Surveys – as well as identifying the types of customers that are most likely to invest in your new business, it’s also useful to directly ask them, helping you to gain feedback on your business idea and areas that could be improved.

In addition to this, when starting up any new business, it’s vital to conduct analysis on any potential competitors – helping you to see whether your idea is feasible, if it offers something competitors in the area don’t, and other elements that could make you stand out from the crowd, and get customers picking your products/services over others on the market.

 

Conducting Secondary Market Research for a New Business

 

In contrast, secondary research studies information gathered by other research, for example studying reports conducted by others.

Demographics – if your new business idea is targeted at a specific geographical location, it can help to look at reports into the demographics of that area, and see whether there is a viable number of people who could be interested in your products/services.

Trends in the market – there’s a whole host of research on the internet relating to trends in various different industries. One quick Google could yield vast amounts of data conducted by trade bodies, researchers and others interested in the market. Reading through some of these reports can help you gain a better insight into the demand, and potential interest, for your new business.

 

Top Points to Consider When Marketing a New Business

 

Below is a list of some additional points to consider when conducting market research into a new business:

 

  • Review less-expensive research alternatives and estimate the cost of performing the research yourself.

 

  • Try answer these questions in your market research: who are your customers, what and why do they buy and what will make them buy from you?

 

  • Don’t let your personal opinions or preferences affect your research. In order to properly market a new business, research must be done as objectively as possible to ensure its executed successfully.

 

  • When collecting your data, remain open-minded, remember your research objectives and stay on track.

 

  • When analysing your results, it can help to put them into categories, use tables and list to make it easier to identify certain trends and themes.