Starting a new business is no small task and making sure that your business is successful and profitable in the long run can be overwhelming. While creating a product is challenging in itself, marketing a startup tends to present its own set of challenges. Regardless of the industry, most startups in the country have one thing in common: they have limited funding.
Operating on bootstrapped budgets, many startups lack the needed resources to implement effective marketing campaigns. A large chunk of startup businesses fail, and just a few select ones tend to survive. Although there is no way to know for sure what the future holds for your new business, you definitely do not want to be among the 80 percent of businesses that fail within only 18 months.
There are about 28 million small businesses in the US alone. Because of aggressive competition, most small business owners are trying to get a competitive edge. If you are one of them, it is likely that you are looking for great strategies in order to get your leg up on the competition. Online marketing tools can help you in this regard. Thanks to the innovative digital age, there are many online marketing tools that can have a substantial positive impact on your startup.
Here are 3 essential online marketing tools to boost your marketing efforts and help your startup flourish.
1. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an important marketing tool that every startup must have in their toolbox. As one of the best free tools from Google, you should make Google Analytics a part of your digital marketing strategy right from the start. Google Analytics is a great tool as it gives you a comprehensive picture of your audience: where they are coming from, how many there are, where they are going, and when they reach your website, etc.
By considering these stats, you will be able to determine which campaign was attracting the most traffic, and you can then shape your future marketing campaigns accordingly.
And the best part is that it only takes a few minutes to add the Google Analytics code to your site, which gives you the ability to easily track every action by each visitor.
2. Buffer
Buffer is another great marketing tool for startups that lets you operate three social accounts for free. For startups expending resources and time to build and maintain their reputation on social media, now it’s essential to start planning their social media strategy right from the outset.
This is because social media has now become a key part of any startup’s success. Buffer is one of the most effective marketing tools that you can deploy to streamline the social media strategy for your startup. The online platform is ideal for scheduling and publishing social media content. One of the features that will attract you the most is the Buffer dashboard, which allows your startup to create campaigns, schedule posts, and then analyze their success.
3. HubSpot
HubSpot is a great sales and inbound marketing software. It will help you attract more visitors to your site, convert more leads, and satisfy your customers. The tool’s interface is very simple to use and also provides a guided walkthrough so that you can familiarize yourself with the layout.
With HubSpot, you will get access to amazing tools that help with:
- SEO
- Blogging
- Social Media
- Lead Management
- Calls-to-Action
- Landing Pages
- Email and
- Analytics
HubSpot is primarily used for inbound marketing; however, if you can set it up correctly, you can even use it to automate the workflow.
