Establishing yourself when you’re a startup business can be overwhelming. There’s a million and one things you’re in charge of, a ton of competition, and probably a lack of funding and resources.

Digital marketing is therefore so important for startups who want to use their money and time wisely to make a name for themselves.

Startup Stock Photo

Here are four points to explain why your startup needs to prioritize a digital marketing strategy from the get-go.

You can target your customers

When you engage with your customers, current or potential, you get to know them better. You find out what they like, what they don’t, and what they’re passionate about.

This enables you to create a better customer experience, and tweak your products and services to what they need.

When you know the audience you’re targeting, SMR Digital can help you reach them. You don’t have to do everything on your own, as they provide SEO, PPC, link outreach, and social media marketing services.

You can engage yourself in online communities

Digital marketing has transformed the way we all network. Social media in particular paves the way for small businesses to engage with other startups and entrepreneurs and find support in online communities.

Depending on your industry or niche, this could be Instagram comments, Facebook groups, forums, blog posts, and a whole range of other platforms and mediums.

By putting yourself out there and letting people know what you’re doing, you can make genuine connections and offer value. Many startups, as well as individual freelancers, find their first clients through building relationships online.

You can converse with your audience

Not only does digital marketing provide a way to join communities, it also allows you to create your own.

Social media and email marketing are great ways to interact with your audience, share what you’re about, and show off what sets you apart. All while your brand and business is being established, you can be sharing and communicating every step of the way.

Even if you haven’t released a product or service yet, you can still be building your email list and online following. That way, you’ll know you have people interested and willing to buy from you when you’re ready to launch.

You can educate your customers about products

People don’t want to be sold to, they want to be educated. How will your product or service benefit someone in the real world? What problems can you solve?

You don’t need an elaborate marketing ploy, you just need to be authentic and demonstrate your value. Always keeping customer education in mind creates an opportunity for your startup to stand out from the persistent advertising.

Rather than tricking potential customers and trying to sell them things they don’t want, show them why they need to buy from you and allow them to make informed decisions.

This post has been contributed by Pete McAllister, it may contain affiliate links