Digital Marketing for Start-Ups: The Basics

As a start-up business it is likely that you have heard how important digital marketing is in reaching your online potential and achieving a strong online presence; but, how much do you know about digital marketing for start-ups?

If you are new to business or simply haven’t had to face digital marketing head on before, you will be forgiven for not knowing the ins and outs of digital marketing and its importance. Achieving online success is key and in 2015 it is likely all your competitors already have a digital marketing strategy in place. Luckily, it is never too late to start.

The Basics of Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is simply what the name suggests, marketing your business on digital platforms. This includes websites, social media, search engines and email. It would take a lengthy article and a lot of extra reading to fully understand digital marketing for start-ups, so let’s start with the basics.

1. Is Your Website Responsive?

Websites are the foundation of digital marketing. You could have the best product and cheapest prices in the business but if your website fails to grab visitors’ attention they’ll be clicking off before you can throw in a free delivery incentive. A responsive website is one that will fit to the screen size it is being viewed on – smartphones, tablets, laptops and so on – without hindering the visibility and usability of the website. With so many people accessing the web from their mobile phone it is important that your website is set up accordingly.

2. Is An SEO Strategy In Place?

One of the key aspects of digital marketing for start-ups is SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and refers to a number of tactics and tools that help a website climb up the search engine rankings. With 75% of users never scrolling past the first page of Google, it is important that your webpages rank highly for their relevant keywords. SEO strategies are built on a foundation of content, links and website infrastructure – all of which work together to help your website rank above its competitors. Without an SEO strategy in place, this is near enough impossible.

3. Is Social Media In Place?

Something many start-ups forget in digital marketing is social media. Though social media alone will not increase your SEO success, it is a great way to engage with customers, reach a global audience at very little cost and grow your website traffic. With social media being such a big part of so many people’s online lives, any business that fails to have a social media presence is likely to be doubted. Use social media to attract an audience, answer queries and show people what you are all about.

Though digital marketing for start-ups is more than just a responsive website, an SEO strategy and a social media presence these three elements are a great place to get started. Diving head first into a digital marketing campaign is great, but often the little details are forgotten; focus on cementing your digital roots and then grow your digital marketing strategy into other areas such as email marketing and PPC advertising.