You’ve probably heard that things change quickly on internet. You know where else things change quickly? The business world. Now, if you’re a business operating primarily online – look out! Stuff is changing at Mach 10. Oh, you’re a startup online business?! Well, it’s kind of like this for you then:
If you’re a stressed out, over-worked entrepreneur trying to get your company off the ground, what do you do? Unfortunately, too many entrepreneurs choose to put marketing on the backburner while they focus on developing their product or service. This is a critical mistake that startups make and often leaves young brands scrambling to generate online buzz while their awesome new product collects dust in a warehouse somewhere.
But don’t fret my fellow entrepreneurs – there’s hope! And it’s in the form of powerful, user-friendly online marketing tools, platforms, and software that can help streamline your daily marketing efforts. Don’t put your startup’s online marketing strategy on the backburner! Get smart and test out some of the online marketing tools below.
Help! My Startup Needs To:
Drive Traffic Now!
1. Adwords – “But Zac, I already know about Google Adwords and how to use it!” Oh really? Is that why you’re ready this blog about what tools you should be using? In all seriousness, Adwords should be the starting point for any business – startup or otherwise – looking to build their online traffic quickly and effectively.
The great thing about Adwords is that it’s fully scalable in terms of scope and complexity, depending on your advertising goals. Want to be up and running today with some banner ads? No problem! Looking to create a more robust mix of text, display, rich media, and product ads? Adwords can do that too.
2. AdRoll – Sometimes people come to your website and don’t buy anything. I know, crazy right? Wouldn’t it be cool to target those past visitors as they peruse the internet, serving them enticing advertisements that invite them back to your wonderful website? AdRoll does just that, and in a simple, intuitive way to boot. Just set up an account, implement the tracking pixel on your web pages, and design some slick banner ads to attract visitors who seemed to have missed your ‘Buy Now’ button.
Here’s a tip: give them a discount for coming back and completing a transaction. Sometimes a little extra incentive goes a long way to locking down those tire kickers.
Increase Search Engine Rankings
3. SEMrush – Ok, so there are a LOT of keyword research tools out there. And by all means, you should test out several to find the one that works best for you. For us, it’s SEMrush. The free version let’s you view important keyword data like search volume, traffic trends, related keywords, and competing domains.
If you aren’t sure which keyword research tools to start out with, check out these helpful articles from Yoast and iAcquire.
4. Open Site Explorer – Developed by the SEO/inbound marketing geniuses at Moz, Open Site Explorer is a free tool (there is a more robust paid version) that let’s you see your site’s domain and page authority, backlink metrics, social media statistics, and more. Why is this stuff important? For one, it allows to you identify specific areas of your site that need immediate attention. It also let’s you compare your site’s metrics to your competitor’s, which can be extremely helpful in determining which path to take with your SEO efforts.
Create Better Content and Get Folks to Read It
4. Contently – Online marketing success today is driven in large part by a brand’s ability to tell a good story. That can be easier said than done. What can be even more challenging is placing those great stories in front of the right people, getting them to talk about them and share them, and ultimately getting them to convert readers into customers.
This is exactly what Contently helps brands accomplish. Contently is a full-scale content platform that lets users plan, create, publish, distribute, promote, and analyze their content. Better Tools = Better Content = Better Engagement!
5. Curata – What do you do when you just don’t have a good story to tell? After all, creating good content is difficult, and doing so on a consistent basis can be very time consuming. Content curation to the rescue! Curata is a content curation tool that helps you find, curate, and share relevant content to your target audience across multiple channels.
Build a Loyal Customer Base
7. HubSpot – The term “inbound marketing” has become quite the buzzword as of late. So much so that HubSpot has developed an entire tutorial to help educate people on the ins and outs of inbound marketing. Essentially, inbound marketing focuses on creating compelling content that “pulls” people to your brand, rather than outbound marketing tactics that “push” your messaging onto them.
HubSpot’s inbound marketing software aims to automate the inbound marketing process as much as possible, with the ultimate goal of nurturing leads as they make their way through your sales funnel and eventually become happy, loyal customers.
8. KISSmetrics – How can you create a solid foundation of loyal customers? By learning as much as you can about them and how they behave online. Google Analytics is a great way to track website traffic and user behavior, but it lacks the ability to truly personalize that data. KISSmetrics helps to connect your data to a single person across multiple devices, browsers, and other touch points. By having accurate data on real people, you can develop highly personalized marketing initiatives that lead to more loyal customers.
Wrap Up
Wrap UpSo there you have it – 8 online marketing tools every startup should be using (or at least giving a try). This is by no means an end-all list of startup marketing tools. I think there about a mazillion or so tools out there, each with their own focus and functionality. However, since no single tool does everything, the key is to find the best combination of online marketing tools to help your startup succeed.
What are your favorite online marketing tools, and which work best for startups in particular? Share them in the comments below!