Top Marketing Tips for Retail Startups

The start-up ecosystem has been steadily growing. What started with the tech boom of the 90's evolved into a phenomenon that has changed nearly every aspect of society. Every need or desire now has a digital counterpart. Whether you are shopping, maintaining your health or making travel plans, there is an app for you. Businesses across the board now fully appreciate the inherent value of their digital footprint.

For retail, the statistics are clear - as the high street continues to decline, eCommerce thrives. What does this mean for shop owners? It means retail businesses have to invest in strengthening their online presence - by utilizing the marketing tools available to engage shoppers whilst maintaining the highest levels of convenience.

At its core, marketing is simply identifying receptive audiences and finding the best possible way to communicate with them,but this can often be more challenging than it seems.

Here are some top Marketing Tips for Retail Startups.

1. Invest in Web Design.

Your website is at the core of digital marketing. It's the very first thing your users see. To ensure a good customer experience, the website must be easy to navigate, visually appealing, and filled with relevant, quality content. Users are looking for quality site architecture - fast load speed, intuitive navigations and a sleek design that clearly communicates your business offering. Most users now browse on their phones and websites that are mobile and tablet-friendly capture and convert more traffic. Your web design should reflect how you and your brand do business, and ultimately, how your potential customers feel about you.

2. Take SEO seriously.

SEO helps you get the most value from your content. Take the time to research the specific keywords for your target market. This communicates relevance to search engines and users, and drives organic traffic to your website. Your content must be uniquely tailored to meet the needs of your customers. It should be informative, relevant, and interactive. Tools such as Google Trends, Google SERP and Google Analytics can assist in sourcing the most relevant keywords to ensure website visibility.

3. Utilize Social Media.

"Fish, where the fish are" is an old marketing adage and one that still rings true today. The growth of social media has offered deeper insights into the behavior of customers, so we are more informed than ever before. These sophisticated algorithms can be used to your advantage. Target specific demographics with ads on platforms like Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. Increase brand awareness with authentic, eye-catching visuals, and infographics. Acquire new customers and increase conversion rates with giveaways and competitions. Tools like Buffer can be used to help with the organisation of different accounts - to schedule posts and analyse performance. Your customers are humans, not objects. They seek reassurance that they are valuable to your business and not just a dollar sign. Seek ways to meet their needs and engage with them without selling.

4. Email Marketing Works.

A truly effective driver of sales - email marketing is sometimes overlooked - and shouldn't be. It works because it can be highly targeted. You can segment your recipients into groups and then add recommendations for content or products based on their preferences. And, of course, being personal is always more effective. The ultimate key to using this functionality successfully is producing useful and engaging content, whether it's for newsletters, promotional emails or automated responses. Use emails to grow your business, to nurture leads, and to delight customers. Send the right email at the right time, sit back and watch email marketing work its magic.

5. Move Forward with Backlinks

Simply put, backlinks are links that come from another site to yours. According to a comprehensive study by Backlinko, it was found to be the most important signal for search engine rankings. Backlinks can drive referral traffic to your site as well as improve branding. If a user is reading your content, they are likely to consider you as an expert on the topic, even if they don't click on the anchor text and become an immediate visitor to your site. Use in conjunction with a digital PR strategy to ensure your business is getting the exposure it needs. Sites like HARO are a great pitching resource. Capitalize on 'low-hanging fruit' opportunities with automated emails from editors that could use press on your business.