The Truth About Marketing Every First Time Founder Should Know

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The Truth About Marketing Every First Time Founder Should Know
The Truth About Marketing Every First Time Founder Should Know
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While starting your own business is an exhilarating experience, many start-up founders struggle with successful marketing more than any other area of business. So if you’re thinking about starting a business , here are some of the key things you need to know about marketing before you take the plunge.
Paid Advertising Is Expensive
Every start-up founder will be looking to promote their business as much as possible in order to increase visibility and sales. But unfortunately, they will only have a limited budget and paid advertising can very quickly become an expensive exercise. In fact, most entrepreneurs will eventually learn that executing marketing strategies for paid advertising can end up costing so much that it cuts into too much of their bottom line to be effective.
And just because digital advertising costs more money over time, that doesn’t justify the expense, nor does it necessarily mean it’s any more effective than other strategies. It’s usually much better to spend your advertising dollars on a fully automated campaign with a bid strategy for maximising conversions. Then once you’ve worked out a cost per acquisition that’s both achievable and profitable, you will have a much better chance of potentially having a limitless ad budget.
SEO May Take Longer Than You Think
Seeing results from SEO takes time. While effective SEO is vital if you want to see your website reach the top page of search engine results, it’s a procedure that takes time to see results. The reason SEO doesn’t increase your ranking overnight is because it’s a cumulative process. Not only does researching markets and analysing the industry take time, it also takes time to create quality engaging content that converts. It also takes time for Google crawlers to recognise and assign your website the right authority, and then it’ll be a while before consumers finally start discovering your site.
No two websites are the same, even when they’re both competing for the same customers in the same industry. It basically comes down to variables around your website that impact how long it takes before you start seeing the results of an SEO campaign. But once you’ve started using good SEO protocols, your site will steadily perform better and rank higher as time passes from months to years.
“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” – Andrew Davis
Make Data Driven Decisions
Even the smallest business or start-up generates data. The insights that can be derived from this data can not only provide value in general, but data-driven decisions can provide a competitive advantage. Data helps businesses evaluate how they can increase brand loyalty, improve operational efficiency, enhance customer experiences, and create new revenue streams.
Everyone talks about the importance of creating a data-driven culture in order to unlock the full potential of start-up businesses, but where do you start? You need to start by looking at whatever data is available to you to establish a foundational baseline. Once you have a decent grasp on the data, you’ll be able to tell things like which channels work the best and the most effective tone of voice, before you can start constantly testing ways of improving the marketing effectiveness of your business.
Never Launch To No Audience
The launch of your start-up is an extremely important event for your brand, so you need to give yourself more time than just a couple weeks. Choosing a launch date that’s far enough in the future will help you develop hype for your brand while making sure that everything is ready. Your launch also shouldn’t be the same time you start generating leads, so you should have a waitlist of interested people or a list of your product’s beta users.
One simple way to create a pre-launch buzz is to construct a landing page on your website with a form that encourages users to register for your brand. This allows you to evaluate market demand early on, which gives you a pool of potential users to start it up. Your landing page should provide potential customers with enough information to stimulate their interest while ensuring they feel comfortable about sharing their contact information. It also needs to be simple and user-friendly as possible, so don’t over-complicate everything.
Quality Content Is King
Quality content is a powerful tool that still maintains its position as the most effective of all types of marketing practices. While it can be tricky to implement for some, this is what wins most people over. Which most likely seems like common sense because people obviously respond better to high quality, authentic content. Even with the rise of online video over the last decade, marketing with quality content statistically generates more leads than outbound marketing strategies, and it also costs less.
By sharing a regular stream of informative, meaningful, and interesting content about your brand on your website and social networks, you’ll be better positioned to gain trust and make sales during the buyer’s journey. Quality content helps you extend your brand’s reach by delivering dramatic results which naturally increases and compounds engagement.
Golden rewards await the advertiser who has the brains to create a coherent image, and the stability to stick with it over a long period.” – David Ogilvy
Most Campaigns Fail (And That’s Ok)
No product marketing campaign will succeed all of the time. Many of them fail, and some of the failures are catastrophic. Failed marketing campaigns can be caused by many different things, from bad timing, to lack of interest, going too far outside their market, or a million other possible reasons. While unsuccessful marketing campaigns will be discouraging, it’s important not to dwell on your failures.  
By taking the time to review your campaign and ascertain how it missed the mark, a failed campaign can actually be a blessing in disguise. Once you understand the reasons, you can make the necessary adjustments for your next campaign launch to be more successful. And each time you fail, it can open up new horizons to conquer. Remember that failure is always an integral part of any start-up’s success. So as long as you’re always trying something new and you’re willing to fail, it’s okay if things don’t go as planned.
Launching a start-up is never simple. And while no one can prepare you for what’s ahead, you’ll have the best chance at success if you know about these marketing truth’s beforehand. Remember, if going into business was that easy, everybody would be doing it.
Felix Yim
Felix is the co-founder of GrowthBoost , an online journal covering the latest software and marketing tips for entrepreneurs. Alongside digital journalism, Felix recently graduated from university with a finance degree and enjoys helping students and other young founders grow their projects.
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Lessons I Have Learned About Scaling a Business as a Startup Founder
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Terng Shing
Image Credit: Unsplash
When I set out to start my own business three years ago, I never imagined bright lights and private jets to New York or Shanghai for business meetings. Good thing I didn’t because it is nothing like that at all. It was a struggle from day one and I had to embrace the grind to grow. (more…)
5 Hacks to Improve Your Writing Skills in English for ESL Learners
Published
Phil Collins
Studying in college is hard for everyone, but ESL learners arguably suffer the most. Moving to a foreign country, learning a new language, and keeping pace with the rest of the class may seem like an unbearable burden. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, but you have to pull through and not give up. 
In moments like this, it’s always a good idea to seek help. Whether you go to WriteMyPaper to order an essay or just talk to a friend, admitting vulnerability is an important step towards improvement. In this article, you will find some tips on how to get better at essay writing, even if English is not your native language.
 
Control Your Environment
Improving your language skills is all about constant practice. Living in an English-speaking community is the first thing you should do to start your practice. It might be tempting to surround yourself with people who already speak a familiar language. However, this way, you won’t be practicing English on a daily basis.
You need to make those lessons almost intuitive in a way that you don’t have to do anything to learn the language. If you live in an English-speaking community, for example, if your roommate speaks English, you will have to practice the language, whether you want it or not.
Still, make sure you don’t take it too far. Taking care of yourself is still as important as ever. Feeling like an alien for the sake of education is not worth it. Remember to keep in touch with your friends and family, talk to them as often as necessary.
 
Practice Constantly
Practicing language is not just about doing your homework. You can make practicing English a normal part of your daily routine by watching TV, listening to music, and reading books in this language. 
Yet, this is a bit tricky. When being surrounded by white noise, people tend to learn not to notice it. You need to ensure this doesn’t happen. As you watch movies or read books, maintain your attention on what you’re doing. If you hear or see a word that you don’t understand – translate it and write it down. Be mindful and remember what you’re doing this for.
 
Writing Is The Answer
If you want to specifically learn to write, you need to do one thing, and that is to write. Continuous practice will help you understand what mistakes you often make and, in time, eliminate them. Focus on your goal, and don’t get discouraged when something’s not working. After all, even Rome wasn’t built in a day!
Get a journal and write in it daily. Pick a new topic every time and note everything you can think of. It’s also important that you write by hand, a spelling checker in your computer is tempting, but it will not help you remember how to spell words correctly. 
Besides, journaling as a habit has multiple health benefits , and it can be therapeutic. It can help you get in touch with yourself and process your emotions better.
 
Learn In a Group
It’s proven that learning in a group is more efficient due to the sense of competition. Find a bunch of like-minded people who want to study with you or join an already existing one, like a speaking club.
The benefit of such activities is that you get all these people from entirely different backgrounds who are all good at various things. This will help you exchange experiences, which is impossible if you’re alone.
Schedule regular meetings, come up with topics to discuss and activities to do. You could watch videos or movies together, or talk about common things. Having assignments like describing an event can also be beneficial for the entire group. This way, while one person speaks, the rest think about how they would say the same things differently. 
This will help you feel more confident in your skills and, consequently, speak and write better.
 
Expose Yourself
The most important thing about learning a language is not to be afraid of making mistakes. It’s inevitable; you just have to take it as a natural part of a learning process. 
A child that is learning how to walk doesn’t give up after falling once, and you shouldn’t either. It’s most likely that your friends understand that you’re just learning a language, and they won’t laugh at you for misusing a word or a few. 
Get over that fear of error and make as many mistakes as it will take. Treat it lightly, and don’t beat yourself up for it. On the other hand, try to attend as many events as you can that will expose you to the foreign language. Not only will it boost your English skills, but also improve your social confidence!
 
Wrapping Up
Learning a language is hard; there’s no arguing about that. However, it’s going to get easier with time. Take every hard thing that life throws at you and turn it into a lesson. 
Watch your favorite movies in English, converse with native speakers, and you’ll see the improvement very soon!
Remember to be patient about it. Don’t give up, and don’t beat yourself up over something that you have so little control of. Good luck!
 
Remote Work + Education: 3 Tips for Students Who Want to Have It All
Published
Phil Collins
Probably one of the greatest changes for the last year is the shifting to distant learning and working. There are many advantages to the issue, like, not having to commute every day, staying at a cozy home for a whole day. It makes our lives easier in terms of saving time and energy.
If you’re a student, you don’t have to bust out your textbooks every time you go to university. Instead, you have everything close and on the tips of your fingers.
However, within all the positive moments of distance learning, it is highly challenging for many of us. At college or in the office, we have a schedule, a plan which we simply have to stick to.
There is also a boss or a teacher who gives us tasks, checks and monitors our performance.
Well, now, we are our own bosses and teachers and have to come up with the plan and track our tasks independently.
So, how to stay tuned and efficient if you work and study from home? How to get the most of it and not drown in the ocean of procrastination? In this article, you will find three tips to help you out!
 
Set Up Your Workspace
When many think of a distance learning or work, they imagine themselves wearing pajamas and lying on a couch all day with the laptop. No more dress code, make-up, early mornings, coworkers or group mates, paradise!
This is a common misconception of remote work. If you want to work and study from home, it is crucial to create a space where you would stay focused and productive.
Still, if you have had a hard day and feel like having rest on your comfy couch, but there are assignments to be done, leave your worries to professionals in paperwritingservice , just place an order and enjoy your day.
When we both work and study from home, we stay with all those household essentials and, at the same time, have to focus on tasks. That is why a perfect workspace has to be created. So how to reach this ideal atmosphere at home? Here’re some pro tips.
 
Separate Spaces for Everything
This is a common problem for many that they sleep and study at the same place. Our body is a smart mechanism, which gets used to conditions very quickly.
So, as you sleep in your bed, every time you lie on it, your body gets ready to relax and concentrate is the last thing it is ready for. This principle is applied to any other space in your house.
So, your workspace should be particularly aimed at learning or/and work. Every time you get there, your brain will be ready to do the job.
 
Get Rid of All Distractions
This is a very important step if you want to stay productive at home. Your home may be a dangerous space in terms of concentration. To make it easier, help your brain and get rid of everything that might attract your attention and ultimately prevent good performance.
 
Plan Your Day
Every morning when you wake up, you approximately know what the tasks for a day are. So, what’s the sense in planning a day if you already have it all in your head?
This is one more important concept that helps us have everything done on time. Planning a day saves you time and boosts motivation and disciplines.
 
Here’s how it is done:
You write down a list of tasks that have to be done;
Prioritize them from less important to more important;
Hang this list somewhere, where you can always see it;
Mark completed tasks.
When you mark the task as accomplished, you’ll get a sense of satisfaction, which may be compared to some sort of praise. There are many tools to write a to-do list from paper to online apps .
 
Dedicate Time for Yourself
When you work and study from home, there will be a risk of abandoning our personal time in favor of more important matters. This factor leads not only to great results but also a concept called burning out .
When people face it, they feel exhausted, demotivated, and apathetic. To avoid this, it is crucial to have time for things you enjoy. It may be a sport, hobby, listening to music, watching movies, seeing friends. Your brain has to relax and get positive emotions to be more efficient in the long run.
 
Final Words
No matter if you want to work and study from home, these principles can be applied to any activity. To manage it all, just follow these basic rules, and you’ll see how your productivity boosts.
Good luck with all your endeavors!
5 Ideas on Starting a Business in College
Published
Phil Collins
Getting your own business is a very responsible yet liberating undertaking. By starting a business while still in college, you can be sure to have an income when you graduate or to at least get some life-saving skills and experience that will help you land whatever job you like later on.
Although starting a business can be quite intimidating, there are lots of resources online that will help you go through the process easier. In the meantime, here are some valuable ideas that will help you make sure your business turns out to be a success.
Develop a Business Proposal
Before starting a business, you need a working idea, something that you can sell to your potential customer. Having an idea is, unfortunately, not enough for success here. It is important to make sure that there is an audience, a group of people that actually needs the product you want to create, and will be interested in buying it. You can even define a “Buyer Persona,” which is basically a description of your target customer, what they are like, what triggers them, what their interests and needs are.
Business proposals can be different, depending on how big a business you want to start. In case you are thinking about looking for some investors, your business proposal should be a solid description of your business idea, convincing enough for people to understand that they will get their money back and gain some profit when your product goes live. In case you don’t need investors, your business proposal can be more of a business plan outlining the main facets of your business idea and the things you need to do to make it work.
Get Some Help
As a person new to the business world, you might need some helpers and advisors to keep everything under control. When it comes to your studies, there might come the point where you need to choose between your business and your degree. To manage the problem, you can reach out to a professional academic writer from essayservice and ask them to take care of your assignments while you focus on developing your business.
 
 
Additionally, you might need to reach out or hire some business or tax advisors, or at least request a consultation with them. Starting a legal business will require you to be good at paperwork, which means some preparation is in place. With a business advisor by your side, you can be sure not to miss any important steps when developing and marketing your business. If you define your company as a start-up, it is possible that some business advisors will be willing to help you out for free, given that they get interested in your business idea and want to get profit out of it too.
Create a Website
Whatever business you choose, whether you deliver services or products, you need to have a website. Luckily, you can make do with little investments here: you don’t need to hire an IT guy or a Web Designer as there are lots of tools where you can create a great website from scratch. You might just have to pay for your domain if you want it to be unique. One of such sources is Wix; it is a free website builder.  You can also build a low-cost website on WordPress with affordable web hosting .
Why do you need a website , you might wonder? Well, the days when people learn about businesses from newspapers and leaflets are long gone. Now everyone will go online, look your business up, and expect to see some clear definition of what it is you do and what value you can bring. In case you want to open a shop, your website will function as an online shop. In case it is a service you are offering, your website will give your potential customer enough information about your service and will hopefully convince them to reach out to you and order the service.
Work on Social Media Channels
Having social media channels is as essential as having a website in 2020. While a website is a place where people can order and buy your products or services, social media is a sort of a platform that will lead them up to your website.
With the help of social media channels like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, you can find the right people, give them a brief description of your business, and get them to visit your website and learn more about what they can get there.
 
 
Social media is what can also help you develop a strong online presence and customer loyalty. Online presence means that your business gets regular online exposure. People see posts and notifications about it daily and thus remember and highlight it. When it comes to customer loyalty, social media can help you engage your potential customers, get their interest, and devotion to the product and the very idea of your product. They basically need to feel “at home” with your business, like it is something very close and personal to them.
Try Again Until You Make It
The reason why many businesses fail lies in the fact that people tend to give up if they fail, simple as that. However, the truth is that failure is part of the process. It is a sort of a learning curve you need to go through before you make your business into what it should actually be like. That’s why you should never expect to succeed on your first try or get disappointed if you fail several times in a row. Maybe it is just the universe testing how serious you are about achieving your goal.
Every company has this “success story,” where they tell everything about their ups and downs, their insights, and takeouts. It is good to read those stories to get some inspiration and do a reality check on what building a business actually looks like. If your determination and motivation are strong enough, your business will definitely succeed, no matter how many tries it takes to get there.