Six DIY digital marketing tips to help startups establish a solid online presence and achieve success

There’s no doubt that starting up on your own is a huge achievement. But once the initial congratulatory messages fade into the background, there’s a ton of hard work that needs to go in to ensure that your business succeeds. In today’s fast-paced, digitally connected global marketplace, it can be challenging to stay relevant, let alone ahead of the competition. Digital marketing is a surefire strategy to establish, nurture, and eventually expand your startup’s online presence.

However, for digital marketing to be effective in promoting your startup online, you must first have the necessary branding elements and tools. For instance, having a logo is vital, as it’s the face of your startup and will be used consistently throughout all your digital marketing efforts.

Once your startup has a logo, brand awareness and recognition will soon follow. Your digital marketing efforts will help further strengthen your online presence. Here are six digital marketing tips to help your startup gain traction, recognition and even a competitive edge.

6 essential digital marketing tips to help startups succeed

1. Present a consistent brand image

A surefire way to increase awareness about your startup is to use a consistent brand image across all communication and marketing channels. This begins with having a unique logo, and you can easily create your own with the Wix Logo Maker without having to hire a professional designer. Your logo is the face of your company. Its purpose is to present your startup’s identity and aim. While small in size, your logo has a big job to do: as it will appear in all of your digital marketing efforts across all social media platforms. It sets the tone for the messages that you’re relaying; and that tone should be consistent. For instance, if your company logo is whimsical, then your digital marketing should also be (the same applies if you’re serious, traditional or avant-garde). Otherwise, you’ll be sending out mixed messages about who you are, and your target audience won’t recognise, remember or trust you.

2. Ensure Positive User Experience

To successfully promote awareness, you need to reach your target audience online. Then, it’s time to build and sustain a lasting relationship with them by inspiring them to engage with and trust your brand, values, and product or services. Your startup’s online identity begins with having a website and a logo. Both will go a long way in helping you engage your audience and consequently get them to remember you.

If your startup doesn’t have a website yet, it’s time to create one. With Wix.com, you can easily and quickly create your own professional-looking website without any need for coding or design skills.

The trick to long-term audience engagement is to provide a unique and positive user experience. After all, the better the user experience, the more receptive people will be to (repeatedly) associate with your brand and business. Some examples of how you can provide a positive user experience include:

• Fast website loading speed
• An intuitive website navigation menu
• Chatbots that assist in communication
• Concise and informative content (including digital newsletters and updates to keep your conversation and bond going with clients)
• Client management that provides positive customer service
• Digital newsletters and updates to keep communication going with your clients

3. Creative content

So, you’ve effectively reached your target audience and piqued their interest. Now it’s time to create a constant stream of fresh, unique and relevant written and video content. The purpose of your content is two-fold: You’ll use it to relay your startup’s mission and brand message as well as to engage your audience and keep them interested in your product or service over the long term. While content is an important way to market your product or service, it should also add value by presenting information that your target audience will find new, useful and interesting. And remember, less is more, so keep your content concise.

4. Integrate video

While video is not a new marketing tool, it remains a powerful way to communicate your startup’s mission and brand message. Plus, today, people are not only used to online video content but expect it. Consider integrating videos into your website and on social media platforms. Use videos on Facebook Live and Instagram Stories to communicate with and engage your audience. Other video marketing ideas could include tutorials, webinars and live events for product or service launches or for informational question-and-answer sessions. Such videos will make it make it easier for your audience to connect with your startup and its product or service. For SEO purposes, having video on your website could boost your search engine results.

5. Social media platforms

Social media platforms play a powerful role in growing your online presence. They allow you to reach and engage a larger audience quickly, even in real time. In doing so, they can boost your startup’s brand awareness, lead generation and conversions, as well as search engine ranking. Therefore, a social media strategy should be a large part of your digital media strategy.

Social media is therefore key when it comes to sharing your online content. What good is quality content if it doesn’t reach the right people or inspire them to seek you out? According to industry guru Neil Patel, social media messaging is an extremely effective channel to engage people. For instance, Facebook Messenger has metrics of an 88 percent open rate and a 56 percent click-through rate. Patel asserts that your audience will tend to follow a link they received from you via Facebook Messenger than through an email marketing campaign. The bottom line: it’s not just the content you create but also the medium you use to share it, and social media can positively impact your startup’s growth.

6. Search engine optimisation

It’s vital to invest in SEO for your startup’s website. Focusing on SEO will help more people find your site, and thus boost the number of site visitors you get, which could mean more business. One option is to have an SEO audit review how users are interacting with your website and social media platforms. This entails reviewing aspects of your website, page optimisation, device optimisation, and external links to see how to get higher visibility in search engine results. It’s important to note that in a recent Google update, websites that were not responsive on different digital devices did not appear in the Google search. If you can’t afford to hire SEO experts, or don’t feel comfortable tackling SEO, there is another option: Wix.com offers an SEO Wizard, which explains everything you need to know about keywords, SEO, and how to set up your website’s SEO to get found online.

The Bottom Line

A digital marketing strategy that specifically appeals to your target audience will help expand your startup’s online presence and overall growth. To better connect with current and potential clients or customers, focus on using a consistent brand image, making your user experience more appealing, create quality written and video content, expand your presence on - and use of - social media, and refine your SEO. No matter what aspects you focus on, be consistent in meeting your audience’s interest and needs. And, before all, be sure you have a memorable logo and website. All of these branding and digital marketing tools combined will ensure your startup’s success.