“If you build it, they will come.” That’s a great thought. Unfortunately, the reality is a bit harsher than that. You can build your start-up website, but whether you end up with paying customers or even visitors comes down to your marketing efforts. Of course, it’s also a harsh reality that most start-ups are limited when it comes to the time, money, and the talent pool they have at their disposal for promoting their business. 

So how exactly do you go about marketing a start-up website and making sure you’re able to pique the interest of potential customers? There are a few different ways. Today, we’ll be looking at five highly effective content marketing options that don’t require too much time or money but can still lead to tremendous growth, especially for a small online business that’s just starting out.

1 Optimize Your Website

Perhaps you’ve already built your website, perhaps not. If you have, perhaps you’ve spent time and taken care in selecting the perfect images and making sure your website sends the right message to customers. However, that won’t mean anything if customers can’t find your website. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a big part of today’s marketing experience, and SEO content services ensure your website is found by the right people at the right time. The best content writers can help optimize your website to get you more traffic and organic leads while keeping your content on-brand and giving it the right voice.

2 Start a Blog

Blogging is a classic way to reach out to customers, and it’s a classic for a reason. A blog, even if updated only weekly, helps establish you as knowledgeable, gives you a voice in your industry, and helps build your brand. If you aren’t a writer yourself, you can work with a content writing service to get quality blog content writing on a regular basis. As a bonus, content marketing experts can help you with SEO content services to help drive traffic to your website and give you the boost you need as a budding business.

3 Don’t Forget Social Media

If you’re like most of us, you’ve probably spent a fair amount of time on Facebook, Twitter, or even Instagram in your spare time (even if you’ve been busy working on your start-up). That means you’ve probably also seen just how powerful a force social media is in today’s world, regardless of your industry. From #BeardOil to #Travel to #SaaSSoftware, every business can benefit from finding its place in social media. And as is the case with blogging, taking the time to seek out some of the best content writers in the USA can make sure you put your best face forward whether you’re posting memes, responding to reviews, or writing up posts to promote your business.

4 Consider Paid Advertising

Many start-ups balk at the idea of paid advertising, but it can actually be one of the most effective tools a young online company has at its disposal. Paid advertising through services such as Google AdWords or Bing Ads can be one of the quickest and most efficient ways for a business to get themselves noticed by potential customers, and even if those ads don’t get people clicking right away, it has the effect of getting them the name recognition they need so people will click later. Some other popular services for paid advertising include Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and Twitter Ads, all of which can lead to high conversion rates and ROI, making them well worth the investment. 

5 Email Marketing Campaigns

We would be remiss to not mention email marketing. In writing content, emails often go overlooked. A lot of focus is placed on blogs, newsletters, press releases, and website content, all of which are absolutely important. But you have to remember that a potential customer opens up their email every day so it’s a great way to continue reminding them of your business and the products and services you have to offer. Having a dedicated email marketing campaign with updates, special announcements, offers and overall brand awareness is a surefire way to retain customers after you capture them in the first place, a step that cannot be forgotten in the marketing process. 

Here are a couple of examples of creative email marketing campaigns:

• Sometimes you have to give a little to get a little. While it’s certainly not a long time solution, for online start-ups trying to garner a little bit of brand-recognition, offering a free or discounted product or service through email can certainly be a way to capture interest. However, be sure to do it in a way that’s in your best interests. If you’re confident in what you’re offering, provide your product or service in exchange for honest reviews so you can get your name out there and start building trust. Versions of this model can even be used to drive further leads and referrals. Try it out and see what you can do to get a little bit of attention.
• Especially for those in niche industries, workshops and webinars advertised through email campaigns can be a great way to showcase your knowledge and establish yourself as a leader, even if you are the “little guy.” For an in-person workshop, simply find out where locals get together, gauge interest, and set up a time where you can give your presentation. Remember, however, this is about presenting yourself as an expert first and promoting your business second. As for webinars, there are plenty of places where you can host meetings online and it’s even easier to gather prospects, and thereby leads when teleconferencing. It can also be a good idea to record meetings and host them for even more exposure. 

If you are looking for a content writing service to help take your start-up website from Point A all the way to Points B, C, and D, we can help whether you’re seeking an email campaign, SEO content services, or other marketing writing content. Contact us to learn how our content writing professionals can help your start-up blast-off!