Whether you’ve developed the next industry-busting app or offer new technology that can change lives, getting past the startup phase is never easy. Startup companies have a lot to prove. You’re facing an uphill battle and must work hard to get as many eyes your way as possible.

Generating leads builds momentum for startups like yours. Your success hinges on your ability to attract customers, engage investors and gain supporters. Luckily, there are many marketing strategies you can adopt to experience the growth your startup needs.

How to Have a Successful Website for Your Startup

Fueling growth requires you to spread awareness about your startup. That’s where a successful website comes in. There are only so many networking and industry events your business can participate in to inform people about what you offer. Websites can do the heavy lifting, making it easy for prospects to find you and learn more about what your startup does.

An expertly designed site with great optimization can be a game-changer for startups. No matter where you are in your growth journey, a website can help you conquer more territory online, raise your overall visibility and pave the road to more success.

It’s a place to inform, educate and market to an audience eager to support your young company. Websites can also keep people engaged, build hype for your next big move and more.

What Is Lead Generation?

Lead generation refers to the process of creating consumer interest and cultivating prospects to the point where they eventually make a purchase, supply their information or take a specific action to support your business. It’s an important facet of doing business in any industry. But for startups, successful lead generation can make all the difference in your growth!

Startups don’t have an established audience or familiarity that other businesses do. They often offer innovative products and services requiring customer and investor buy-in. Lead generation plays a big role in helping prospects understand and gain interest in what your startup does.

It’s about nurturing leads, keeping them engaged while addressing objections, answering questions and more. Ultimately, the goal is to build trust and convince prospects to take the next step.

Where Should Startups Get High-Quality Leads?

There are many ways to generate leads. However, there’s no better place to get high-quality leads than your website! A solidly designed website can provide all the information and content that leads need to move further into the conversion funnel.

Your goal as a startup should be to use your website as the ultimate marketing tool. It needs to have all the makings of a lead generation machine, generating organic search traffic while using expertly crafted content to keep people interested.

You have full control over what content you publish and how you engage visitors on your site. But there’s one problem: How do you generate traffic to your website to nurture the leads that will help your startup succeed?

Marketing Strategies to Follow as a Founder & CEO

At RankScience, we’ve helped dozens of founders and CEOs take their startups to the next level of success. We know how to market new companies while knocking out the competition. Our strategies are comprehensive and unique to every startup we work with, but there are several tried and true marketing techniques that can make all the difference.

1. Backlinks

A backlink refers to what happens when another site links back to yours via a hyperlink. Backlinks are important for many reasons. First, they help spread awareness organically, helping you reach a much wider audience than you already do. Secondly, they build authority.

Authority is huge for startups. Not only does it help legitimize your business, but it’s a factor that search engines take into account when ranking websites. The more backlinks your site has, the more authoritative it becomes.

Startups can benefit from backlinks wherever they come. However, the most impactful ones come from relevant sites like Y Combinator or TechCrunch. Those sites cater to the people you want to attract. Furthermore, they’re already authoritative, and a backlink from those sites can benefit your startup’s website tremendously.

2. Referral

Referrals are a classic form of marketing that operates on word-of-mouth! The concept is simple: One person who enjoys your company refers it to another. If you’re lucky, that person will do the same, creating a snowball of organic marketing for which you don’t have to pay a dime.

Startups can benefit tremendously from referrals. Many young companies are trying to attract customers, investors and supporters. Having people spread the word about your startup makes a difference. Word-of-mouth recommendations often hold more weight than other forms of marketing, and you can leverage your existing customer base to grow.

Consider developing a referral program. It may involve putting resources into rewarding customers for referrals, but the investment is well worth it.

3. Email Marketing

Contrary to popular belief, email marketing isn’t dead. In fact, it’s more prevalent than ever, and startups should take full advantage of it. Email marketing is a fantastic way to keep people engaged. It goes beyond one-and-done purchases and one-time content consumption.

When you convince people to sign up for an email newsletter, they’re committing to learning more about products, services, your company’s evolution and more. Consider starting an email list and using your lead-generation strategies to convince people to sign up. As your email list grows, you’ll have a dedicated and eager audience to market to.

4. Local SEO

Local SEO can play a vital role in the growth of startup businesses. Marketing to a global or nationwide audience is important, but for many young companies, locals are the most eager to provide support.

Investing in local SEO can raise visibility in your geographic area. It’s a way to target local audiences who are likely to visit your store, pay for your service, invest in your success, etc.

There are many ways to boost local SEO. The first step is claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile. From there, you can target geographic long-tail keywords relevant to your industry and niche. Collect reviews and engage with past customers as your company grows to make your local online presence massive.

5. Social Media Marketing

Seize the opportunity to grow your audience and engage with them on a much deeper level! You’re missing out if you’re not investing in social media marketing. Companies of all sizes need a presence on all major platforms. Otherwise, they can quickly fall by the wayside.

People are eager to communicate with businesses, and there’s no better avenue than social media. Not only can you improve your lead generation strategies by implementing a social media element into the equation, but you can also use platforms as a place to raise awareness about your startup.

Social media ads have a wide reach. Additionally, powerful demographic tools help you target high-quality leads with surgical precision.

6. Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

Pay-per-click ads aren’t just a relic of the Internet past. While SEO and other marketing techniques can have a bigger impact, PPC advertising campaigns still matter. That’s especially true for startups looking to grow.

PPC is a form of marketing where you pay to have your website or banner ads appear in front of high-quality leads. Perform a quick Google search, and you’ll see several “Sponsored” links on the result pages. Those are PPC ads that companies pay to put in front of you.

This form of marketing can provide quick results. It’s a big investment, but a great campaign can lead to an uptick in traffic that drums up considerable interest for your startup.

7. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

We can’t forget about search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is about improving every facet of your website to make it more appealing to search engines. Most people learn about startups and new businesses by quickly searching on platforms like Google.

You increase visibility and organic traffic by ranking high on search engine result pages. It’s a simple concept, but good SEO strategies take time and planning. It requires you to perform keyword research, produce high-value content your target audience cares about, improve site performance and more.

The beauty of SEO is that it’s all about the long game. Your improvements can lead to sustainable growth over time, propelling your startup to the next phase of its journey.

How SEO & Marketing Can Help Your Business Grow

No startup can succeed in today’s competitive market without high online visibility. The Internet is a powerful thing that connects consumers, investors and businesses. To succeed, your startup must take full advantage of good SEO and marketing practices.

These marketing strategies can dramatically improve awareness of your startup, helping you attract the leads that matter.

Supercharge Your SEO with RankScience!

You don’t have to grow your startup alone. RankScience works with companies of all sizes, from small startups to Fortune 500s! We have experience helping young companies in various industries build traffic and generate leads. Whether you have an existing marketing team or not, we want to be your growth partners. Let us help you kick your marketing efforts into overdrive!

Reach out to RankScience today and witness firsthand how expert marketing strategies make a difference.