Marketing 101 for startup businesses

As a new startup, you may be looking for all the advice you can get. According to Forbes, nine out of ten startups will fail. This can be from a plethora of different reasons, like if the product isn't fully finalized or the finance team doesn't know how to manage the budget. However, one of the biggest reasons a startup will fail is because it doesn't know how to market itself successfully.

Nowadays, with smartphones at everyone's fingertips, some companies believe that marketing is an easy aspect of business. However, this is not the case: The right marketing could make or break your company. Here are some tips for how to market your startup – the right way.

Decide Your Tone
When your company is just in its beginning stages, it's essential that you come to terms with what kind of tone you will embodying. Who is your target audience? Is it other businesses? Then you're going to want to take on a professional, educated voice for all your social media, fliers, etc. On the other hand, are you trying to win over millennials with your product? Then it may be in your best interest to take on more casual and colloquial language. Decide your audience, choose your tone and make sure that you are consistent. 

Head to Social Media
Regardless of your targeted age demographic, it's vital that you take your company to social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest are all sites that can help boost your visibility. In addition, these websites allow for your to speak directly with your customers. It puts a much more public spin on customer interaction, and how you treat those relationships can truly effect your business. 

However, it's all about choosing the right social media. For example, Instagram is a place where people post pictures and graphics with captions. If you're targeting an older, more professional audience, odds are you aren't going to connect with them on here. LinkedIn may be more your speed.

Take Your Customers' Advice
If you're still in the early stages of a startup, you're going to want as much feedback as possible. Feedback from other successful businesses can be helpful, but what you hear back from your customers is what truly matters. After your first six months or year, create customer surveys to send out. Have your buyers explain what they liked and didn't like. This can be helpful for improving your overall company for the future. 

Hire a Marketing Team
It may sound simple, but some startups think that their money is better spent elsewhere, rather than on a marketing team. In an effort to keep overhead costs low, companies often decide that other departments can do the marketing. However, this couldn't be more wrong. A marketing team is what gives your company legs. This is not to say that other departments cannot handle some of the marketing. It's just that if the going gets rough, those teams are going to throw marketing to the side to focus on their jobs. Having a marketing team can truly make your startup shine.

Don't Forget About Paper
There once was a time when marketing was all about fliers and posters, not emails and social media. And while a lot of companies have gone completely paperless for their marketing departments, there are still some paper marketing materials that can benefit you. For example, never underestimate the power of a good business card. If you're a new startup, you're going to want to get your name out there, and there's no better way to do that than with a business card. These little slips of paper can get your foot in the door, so be sure that all of your employees have some and that they carry them at all times. You never know when an opportunity to network is going to present itself.