10 Marketing Tactics That Yielded Great Results for Startups
In search of unique marketing tactics that have proven successful for startups, we asked ten leaders from the industry to share their experiences. From CEOs to Marketing Managers, these experts have provided a wealth of knowledge. Starting with the “Angel Writer” service that boosted growth, to a gamified referral program that enhanced loyalty, discover the top ten tactics that these leaders have used to great effect.
- Create a Custom Service
- Align Marketing with Your Audience’s Lifestyle
- Try the “Hipster Hat Trick”
- Promote with Micro-Influencers
- Run an Interactive Pop-Up Store
- Post More Video Content
- Include Long-Tail Keywords
- Host Free Webinars
- Jump in with LinkedIn Conversation Ads
- Provide a Gamified Referral Program
Create a Custom Service
Authors On Mission introduced a unique marketing tactic: the “Angel Writer” service. This innovative approach to ghostwriting involves our writers conducting in-depth interviews with clients, fully capturing their unique voice and vision for their books.
This personalized service has revolutionized our client relationships. It has led to a notable increase in client satisfaction, spurred referrals, and attracted a greater number of new clients. Additionally, it has distinguished us in the book writing and publishing industry, bolstering our brand reputation.
Our “Angel Writer” service shows how a tailored, customer-focused strategy can enhance connection with clients, foster business growth, and create a distinctive market presence.
Vikrant Shaurya, CEO, Authors On Mission
Align Marketing with Your Audience’s Lifestyle
Whether it’s utilizing social networks, paid advertisements, or other media channels, employing a direct approach to marketing often proves to be costly. What has proven effective is identifying the synergy between the product and the target audience’s lifestyle, and subsequently tailoring marketing efforts to address a specific use-case or desired experience.
Jason Vaught, Founder and CSO, 805SEO
Try the “Hipster Hat Trick”
Ever heard of the “Hipster Hat Trick”? Well, our startup took a leap of faith and gave it a shot, and boy, did it work like a charm!
We hosted a “Secret Pop-Up Party” in an abandoned warehouse in the hippest part of town. We strategically leaked cryptic clues on social media, teasing curious souls with a mysterious event. The buzz was off the charts!
On the big day, we transformed the space into a funky, immersive experience with live music, interactive art, and, of course, our amazing product. We attracted a crowd of 500 enthusiastic hipsters, resulting in a 300% increase in brand awareness and a whopping 200% spike in sales. It was the ultimate fusion of guerrilla marketing and authentic engagement, leaving our competitors scratching their beards in envy.
Himanshu Sharma, CEO and Founder, Academy of Digital Marketing
Promote with Micro-Influencers
During the go-to-market stage with a platform of micro-influencers specializing in promotions for gaming companies, the principle of “eat what you serve” should be followed, choosing influencer promotions as the main marketing channel, aligned with community building and content strategy. Here’s how it works:
- There are micro-streamers (Twitch streamers with CCV ±35) who have small but highly engaged communities.
- Product platforms allow engagement with these micro-streamers at scale, paying only for results.
- The same campaigns with micro-streamers are launched to promote the platform.
Campaigns are now being scaled with new streamers while continuing to support the community of streamers and the viewers that were attracted before. After just one month, it’s observed that such promos allow for easy onboarding of 100+ new streamers into campaigns.
Anna Mizina, Product Marketing Manager, Drope.me
Run an Interactive Pop-Up Store
Our startup implemented interactive pop-up stores in strategic locations, utilizing augmented reality, interactive displays, and personalized product recommendations. This unique approach garnered significant media attention, resulting in increased brand recognition and a surge in sales.
For example, we created a pop-up store where customers could virtually try on clothes using AR technology. This not only created an immersive and memorable experience but also increased customer engagement and purchase conversions.
Overall, the interactive pop-up stores proved to be a successful marketing tactic by differentiating our brand, generating buzz, and driving sales.
Ben Lau, Founder, Featured SEO Company
Post More Video Content
A good tip for start-up companies with marketing is to use more video content over pictures and text on your social media platforms and website.
Videos are proven to attract more clientele over other forms of content as they are more interactive and better at attaining a person’s attention. Video content is also a more personal approach to digital marketing and helps you to seem more relatable and real. A picture or text can seem very impersonal and boring, whereas videos can be exciting and showcase your business’ uniqueness.
This is very helpful for start-ups as you need to grab people’s attention and make them want to return to your platforms. Videos can help to do this much more effectively than other forms of marketing.
Daniel Climans, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing and Partnerships, StickerYou
Include Long-Tail Keywords
One marketing/SEO tactic we always use for startups is to target long-tail keywords (low difficulty) with high conversion intent. For an employee retention software startup, we started with a website that didn’t have any authority whatsoever.
So, these long-tail keywords allowed us to rank for less competitive terms that still had high conversion intent. These pages were relatively easy to build out, and once we had them ranking, they were driving product demo and signup leads to our website passively.
They also had a much lower customer acquisition cost compared to other marketing channels. For each long-tail keyword, we used a product-led approach which positioned the product at the forefront without being too salesy. This approach led to the startup’s revenue and traffic doubling, with no additional marketing tactics involved.
Taylor Scher, SEO Associate, TaylorsSherSEO
Host Free Webinars
A marketing tactic we tried at EchoGlobal was hosting a series of free webinars for job seekers on topics like resume writing, interview skills, and navigating the tech job market. Not only did this provide value to our audience, but it also positioned us as experts in the field and increased our brand visibility.
The results were fantastic—we saw a significant increase in our website traffic, social media engagement, and, most importantly, the number of quality candidates reaching out to us.
Lou Reverchuk, Co-Founder and CEO, EchoGlobal
Jump in with LinkedIn Conversation Ads
One unique marketing tactic we deployed in our startup was using LinkedIn Conversation Ads. These ads offer a more personal, one-on-one engagement approach with potential clients, enabling us to create interactive and personalized message flows.
Instead of sending out a mass, impersonal message, we could tailor our ads to speak directly to the recipient, fostering a feeling of direct communication and engagement. We guided them through specific paths that led to various desired outcomes, from learning more about our services to scheduling a consultation call.
The results were fantastic. We noticed an impressive increase in our lead generation and conversions. It allowed us to create a more robust sales pipeline and accelerated our growth.
Michael Sena, Founder and CEO, SENACEA
Provide a Gamified Referral Program
One unique marketing tactic we deployed was a gamified referral program, which turned out to be a tremendous success. We designed an engaging, fun, and rewarding system where our customers could earn points and unlock various perks for referring our brand to their friends.
The gamification aspect enhanced the traditional referral model by adding levels of engagement and excitement. Customers didn’t just refer for the sake of a simple discount; they were driven by the curiosity and thrill of unlocking the next reward or reaching a new level.
The results were extraordinary, yielding a 30% increase in referrals within the first three months and a significant uptick in customer loyalty. The success of the initiative confirmed our belief that when customers feel engaged and valued, they become the brand’s most powerful advocates. The tactic not only helped us expand our customer base but also fostered a stronger, more connected community around our brand.
Matt Janaway, CEO, Marketing Labs
