In the olden days, when the Internet was just in its infancy, marketing campaigns were simple: you wrote an ad and sent it out to some people. Sometimes it worked; other times it didn’t. Then the digital age came along, bringing with it thousands of new marketing possibilities. Now you can use everything from Facebook and LinkedIn to Pinterest and Instagram to your advantage as you try to spread the word about your business, product or service. Here are some of the best marketing techniques used by digital natives today that you can use to boost your online presence.
1) Outreach
All of us get bombarded with content on a daily basis—but there’s a big difference between being inundated and being informed. If you want your business to be a success, you need to step up your outreach game by identifying relevant influencers in your industry, finding out what they want to read about, and creating content that will inform their readers.
2) Product samples/coupons
Give your new users a little something extra to help them try your product out. Think of it as a welcome gift or an incentive for signing up. Whether you offer a free trial or a discount code, offering something of value will get people interested in giving your app or service a shot.
3) Giveaways
Everyone loves free stuff, right? Giving away a free copy of your book or other creative content can be a great way to gain exposure for your brand. Take that one step further and run a contest on social media for all of your fans to enter—with an incentive for those who refer their friends, like offering all entrants a discount code. They’ll share, because it’s in their best interest.
4) Customer Satisfaction Surveys
The key to having a thriving business is ensuring that you have happy customers, and one of the easiest ways to do that is by conducting regular customer satisfaction surveys. These don’t have to be complicated—just make sure they’re concise and easy for customers to complete. And make sure you actually follow up on any concerns or issues your survey uncovers.
5) Competitions
Whether it’s a marketing competition or a business competition, competitions can be great opportunities for visibility. Find relevant and interesting competitions (i.e., don’t enter your startup in a tech-challenge if you don’t know anything about tech) and submit your entry. Winning is nice but even if you don’t, entering these types of competitions helps build credibility for your startup and shows that you can handle yourself in high-pressure situations.
6) Facebook Ads
From driving traffic to your website, sales, or other social media campaigns, Facebook advertising is a powerful way to get your business in front of potential customers. As it’s a huge platform with over one billion users and plenty of data available on each user, you can create highly specific ads that target exactly who you want. Don’t have a large budget? It doesn’t matter—Facebook has recently announced more affordable ad options for small businesses.
7) Facebook Live
With Facebook Live, you can stream a video directly from your Facebook account. This technology has changed how we create content and distribute it to social media. It’s become a great way for brands to reach out and connect with customers in real time. Most people are afraid of new technologies but they shouldn’t be—the only way forward is through. As always, if you take one step forward on social media, then there will always be at least one person who takes two steps back!
8) Social Media Influencers
These are people with a large and engaged following. According to Upwork, these influencers can charge an average of $30-$400 per post. Influencers like The Sassy Traveller on Instagram have millions of followers and typically charge about $300 for a sponsored Instagram post. She’s also partnered with major brands such as Marriott and Bose.
9) Youtube Influencers
Have a Youtube channel? Don’t know how to use it? A very valuable avenue that can be used for social media exposure is youtube influencers. Yes, those people who have a huge following on Youtube who put videos of their reaction of new and popular products. Find them, partner with them and you will see your site or products being promoted in video format through their channels!
10) Online Press Releases Section
Online press releases are a sure-fire way to get your company in front of thousands, if not millions, of people. Press releases are nothing new—people have been writing them for years as a means of spreading information about business happenings and new products or services. But online press releases have revolutionized how they’re used. Now businesses can share news stories directly on their websites and social media accounts; Google indexes these posts so that everyone can see what you’re up to.
