Innovative Marketing Strategies for Startups

A marketing plan can define your app’s performance. It can make or break your app’s reach and downloads. Learn about the best innovative marketing strategies you can use to skyrocket your app's popularity.

Despite having a decent budget and a proper app marketing strategy, companies still struggle to attract potential customers for their apps and software. The reason is simple. Most startups often fail to break the mold of traditional marketing tactics.

Employing innovative marketing strategies ensures that you stand out from the crowd. These techniques are tried and tested by industry experts and can pave the way for a larger audience base. However, companies need to select the right one to extract the full potential of these innovative marketing strategies. 

To first break into the market, companies must be scrappy and resourceful, leaning towards affordable marketing ideas for startups. This can get your product in front of customers while spending as little as possible.

Make Use of Search Engine Optimization

SEO is probably among the most important and relevant innovative marketing strategies for the digital space. Search engine optimization involves various methods and SEO tools to improve your website's ranking on search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo.

Assists in website ranking - SEO makes your website appear higher in search results. If someone searches for something that's about your app, the main job of an SEO executive is to help your website show up on the first page of search results, or even at the top. This makes it easier for people to find and visit your site.

Generate Leads - Being higher in search results means more people visit your website. The easier it is to find your site, the more likely people will check it out. Thus leading to more potential customers for your app.

Helps to reach the right audience -  SEO is a good app marketing strategy for startups, enabling you to connect with the right people. This means using keywords that match what your app does. So, you attract visitors who are actually interested in apps like yours. Ultimately, it leads to people visiting your site and downloading your app.

Local SEO 

Marketing for startups can also start with local SEO. If you’re a business running at location A, getting business from people around is possible. Therefore, local SEO is another innovative marketing strategies that can be used to create engagement and leads. Moreover, startups can extend their marketing reach by partnering with marketing agencies to boost their local as well as global SEO capabilities. The role of app marketing companies is well-founded and crucial in this context.

Start Email Marketing

Email marketing is something that companies have been using for quite a while. However, even after being a traditional practice, the low cost marketing strategy for startups still holds its value. In fact, for every $1 spent, email marketing can generate $36 in return. (source: Litmus)

Email marketing starts the conversation by introducing your app or software to potential users. Once you've caught their eye, your emails should clearly communicate how your app or software can benefit them. This is where you answer the question, "What's in it for me?

If done properly, email marketing has been shown to deliver exceptional ROI with little to no investment. Additionally, Emails also let you measure how well your marketing is doing. You can see how many people open your emails. You can check out the click-through rate and even learn how many unsubscribe. This info helps you make your emails even better. 

Search and Collaborate with Influencers

Using influencers for your marketing campaign is very popular. Yet, multiple startups are not doing it. Today, we have platforms like YouTube and Instagram where one can find influencers with a dedicated following of millions.

The great thing about influencer marketing is that there is plenty of talent that deals with your niche. Their followers are also a relevant audience that can turn into potential customers. 

For example - Headspace partnered with various influencers across different platforms like social media apps, YouTube, and podcasts. These influencers had a strong presence in the wellness and self-care space.

One notable partnership was with Olympic athlete Michael Phelps. Phelps openly discussed his struggles with mental health and how meditation played a significant role in his life. Headspace capitalized on this by collaborating with Phelps to create content promoting the mental health app's benefits for physical and mental well-being.

Influencer marketing can be a boon for an app and can emerge as a reliable and innovative marketing strategies for startups.

• It helps you collaborate with influencers to promote your brand to a wider audience.
• It helps you put your brand on the map and reach your target audience.
• Content created by these influencers is authentic and often not a marketing gimmick.
• Influencer marketing is adaptable to multiple industries.

Lean into User Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content is just a fancy term for anything people create and share after they use a product or service. This could be a picture, a video, a review, or just a comment on social media. And guess what? The people making this content are just regular folks, not professional advertisers. They're people who've tried something and want to share their thoughts on it.

Now, let's talk about why UGC is so great for businesses.

First off, it gets people involved. When customers create and share content, it feels like they're part of a special club. This helps build a community around the product. The low cost marketing strategy for startups is also cheaper for businesses because they don't have to spend loads on advertising. This is because the customers are engaging with the business!

UGC also shows that real people are using and liking the product. This can convince more people to try it. It brings together people who like the same things, creating a sense of community. Plus, businesses get a bunch of different content types, which can appeal to more people.

Regularly updating your website with fresh content significantly boosts its visibility online. When people engage with UGC by liking or commenting, it helps attract further attention. Additionally, it gives businesses a peek into what their customers like or don't like. This feedback can be a goldmine for making the app better.

Sometimes, an innovative marketing strategies for startups like UGC can become super popular, spreading the word even further. However, companies have to keep an eye on what's being shared. As some users might publish content that might violate sentiments or legal laws, making sure that it matches up with their values and regulations becomes a priority.

Focus on Content Marketing

Content marketing is a powerful tool in the app and software industries. It offers a unique way to connect with users and potential customers. Essentially, content marketing is all about creating and sharing valuable content with the users. Instead of directly promoting a product, it provides useful information or entertainment related to the product.

In the digital world, competition is fierce. Traditional advertising might not cut it. People often ignore ads, but they seek out helpful or interesting content. It meets users where they are, offering them something of value. Content marketing for startups builds trust and interest.

For apps and software, content marketing means pushing content that solves problems or answers questions. Users who find your content helpful are more likely to trust your app or software. It's a smart way of guiding them toward your product.

Not to mention that good content can improve visibility online. Search engines love valuable content. By creating informative articles or videos, you can improve your search rankings. This makes it easier for potential users to find your app or software.

Types of content used in content marketing

Podcasts: Podcasts are like radio shows on the internet. They let you talk about topics you care about, and people can listen while doing other things. Podcasts can make listeners feel connected to your business.

Ebooks and Whitepapers: E-books and whitepapers are in-depth written materials that delve into particular subjects, offering extensive information and insights. These are good for showing you're an expert in your field. Users can download these docs from your website to gain insights on your app/software.

Case Studies and Testimonials: These are stories from satisfied customers. By sharing positive experiences, your business can build greater trust with potential customers. Seeing testimonials from others who have had favorable outcomes fosters confidence in your services or products.

Blogs: Think of a blog as an online journal for your business. It helps your website show up more on Google, making it easier for people to find you. Blogs can talk about lots of topics, helping to show you know your stuff.

Conduct Webinars and Virtual Events 

Webinars are handy because they can help you find potential customers. It tells your audience about what you offer and gets them interested. They're a chance for you to show off what you know and give people useful tips or information.

Now, onto virtual events. These are a bit bigger and can go on for a few hours or even days. Organizing a virtual event demands a lot of planning and effort to make it feel like you're there in person. However, they have some of the same interactive parts as webinars, like Q&A sessions, polls, and live chats.

This marketing technique is a great option that lets you show off your app or software to the target audience. You can talk about what your product does, how it solves problems, and why it's special. This is a good way to teach potential customers about your product.

Both webinars and virtual events are great because they let you reach people from all over the world. Furthermore, it's a virtual event. So, it eliminates the need to book a venue physically. Thus saving a lot of money and time.

Moreover, after the event, you can follow up with the attendees. You can send them more information about the app or software. You can also answer their questions in more detail or offer special deals. This helps in keeping them interested in your app.

Create Video Content for Video Marketing 

Videos are the gateway to engagement. Therefore, it can be a great innovative marketing strategies if you can develop viral ideas. This has several benefits that push your brand and marketing efforts further.

First off, videos grab attention. People love watching videos because they're easy to understand. When you make a video about your app, you're more likely to catch the eye of potential customers.

Additionally, videos offer a dynamic way to showcase your app's functionality. Instead of making vague claims about your app, you can actually show these features live. This makes it easier for them to see the value of your app and how it works.

Also, videos are easy to share. People can watch your video and then share it with friends. Or, they can post it on social media if they find it particularly interesting. This means more people get to know about your app without you having to do extra work.

Another great benefit of this startup marketing strategy is that videos can reach a global audience. Anyone with internet access can learn about your app/software. This opens up a huge potential market for your app.

Establish Social media marketing

Social media is a great way to spread the word about your app or software. These platforms are where people hang out online, making it a melting pot of audiences of every industry. Companies can update their followers about their products by creating and sharing engaging content. 

This Startup marketing strategy is great for showing off your app's features. You can post pictures, videos, and updates about what your app does and how it helps people. This way, people can see and understand your app better.

Additionally, social media marketing strategies allow you to talk directly to your audience. People can conversate with the company via comments and posts. This conversation helps you build a relationship with potential customers. They feel more connected to your app.

Furthermore, sharing updates and news about your app keeps people interested. If you have a new feature or a special offer, social media marketing for startups is a great way to let everyone know.

Lastly, social media can help create a community around your app. When people start talking about your app, sharing their experiences, and helping each other out, it builds a sense of community. This can make more people want to download your app.

Conduct Paid Ads Campaigns 

As a startup, generating traffic is a pain on its own, and creating leads looks like a pipedream. Paid ads offer the solution by boosting your content to the masses. Paid ads make you visible. With this startup marketing strategy, your app can show up on websites, social media, or even in other apps. This leads to more visibility for your product, which in turn, can significantly boost the number of downloads.

This technique is essentially one of the short-term marketing ideas that elevates your traffic and downloads as long as the ad is live. Moreover, you can measure how well your ads are performing. Most platforms will show you how many people saw your ad, clicked on it, and even downloaded your app.

There are generally three types of online Ads:

• Google Search Ads
• Social Ads
• Display Ads

Kickstart Community marketing

Community marketing is a smart way for new companies to connect with people who like their products. The marketing idea for startups is about creating a group where customers feel like they belong and are part of something special. This approach is different from usual ads because it focuses on building real connections.

For example, Slack established the "Slack Community" as one of its innovative marketing strategies for engaging users. The community is an online platform that allows users to connect, share ideas, ask questions, and provide feedback about Slack's features and functionalities. The community includes various channels dedicated to different topics. Discussions on these channels can be about product updates, user tips, industry-specific discussions, and user-generated content.

There are two ways for a start-up business to begin its community outreach:

1. Use a community platform like Reddit, Facebook groups, or Discord instead of creating your own from the ground up. Numerous users regularly use these sites. This can help discoverability and community retention.
2. Build your own community platform and create rules about how people should behave in your space. Companies must also enforce these rules with temporary suspensions or permanent bans when broken.

Forge partnerships and collaborations

Multiple brands can complement your product. Finding these opportunities can be another innovative marketing strategies. It refers to when two brands help each other by enhancing user experience or increasing downloads. 

Let's take an example. Uber, the popular ride-hailing app, and Spotify, the leading music streaming service, teamed up to enhance the user experience for both platforms. The collaboration allowed Uber riders to connect their Spotify accounts to the Uber app seamlessly. 

The result? It enabled them to control the music played during their rides directly from the Uber app interface. A great example of an innovative B2B marketing strategy.

When you partner with another brand, you get to share audiences. This means that people who like the other brand get to learn about your app and vice versa. It's a quick way to reach more people. Also, collaborating can make your app look more trustworthy. If a well-known brand is willing to work with you, it shows people that your app is reliable and worth checking out.

Focus on Public Relations (PR)

PR or public relations is another startup marketing strategy that can help you get your brand or app name out in the market. It is a strategic communication carried out by an organization to maintain its public image. Good PR can work wonders in terms of improving the overall image of the company and its credibility. 

However, it’s difficult to get good PR for a brand. But, if done successfully, the brand or the product can reap tremendous benefits. It is something that can improve your brand visibility and reputation tenfold.

To maximize the outputs from your PR, it would be wise to prioritize founder outreach. This is because readers and journalists usually prefer information that comes from the source. Startup founders should send emails directly to relevant journalists or publications rather than handing off this responsibility to a marketing or communications teammate.

The relevance of PR is unprecedented. When articles or news stories feature your app, it hits the eyes of the public, and more people hear about it. Moreover, PR can also create a buzz. If lots of media outlets start talking about your app, it builds excitement. People start talking about it, sharing it, and wanting to be part of the trend. 

Give Product Demos

You can’t really see the relevance of a product until you’ve used it for a while. The same goes for apps and software as well. Product demos can be a great marketing technique for startups to showcase the features and benefits of their apps and software to potential customers. 

Hands-on experience with your product can give users a better understanding of the app's overall functionality. It provides better insights into how it works, and users can better understand the benefits they can derive from it.

Not to mention that during a demo, you can highlight the best features of your app. You can show off what makes your app unique and why it's better than others. This can really grab people's attention.

Crowdfunding Campaigns

While it looks like a pure financial activity on the surface, crowdfunding actually comes with two primary goals. The first is to increase the funding pool beyond traditional means. The second is to build awareness of your startup’s mission, vision, and value proposition. 

This type of marketing for startups uses the easy accessibility of a vast network of people via social media and crowdfunding websites. This helps bring investors and entrepreneurs together. Thereby acting as one of the great sources of funding for businesses, elevating the business’s visibility as well. 

Not to mention that crowdfunding creates buzz. When you start a crowdfunding campaign, you tell the world about your app. This gets people talking and generates excitement about what you're building.

Launch Your App/Software on MobileAppDaily

MobileAppDaily is a digital platform for IT and marketing updates. It helps companies gain recognition for their IT products and services. With MobileAppDaily, a company can publish content about their products and services in several formats like social media posts, web stories, blogs, product reviews, product listings, etc. 

This opens doors for the business to push their products to the MAD community and helps generate leads and traffic on their app. Moreover, businesses can also find affordable and renowned mobile app marketing agencies to boost their SERP and digital visibility off the charts. 

Factors to Consider Before Selecting Innovative Marketing Strategies

Understanding Your Audience: Firstly, know who your app is for. Different people like different things. For example, younger people might use social media more. While professionals might prefer emails or LinkedIn. Understanding your audience helps you decide where and how to market your app.

Setting Clear Goals: It's essential to ask yourself what you want to achieve. Do you want more people to download your app? Or do you want current users to use your app more often? Setting clear goals helps you choose the right brand strategy for startups to meet these targets.

Analyzing Your Competitors: Analyzing what others are doing is a standard practice in business. If your competitors are successfully using certain marketing tactics. There is a good chance that those might work for you too. Moreover, competitor analysis is also a chance to find gaps in their strategies where you can stand out.

Choosing the Right Platforms: Then, think about where to promote your app. If your audience loves Instagram, focus there. If they're always on YouTube, create videos. Picking the right platforms is crucial to reach your audience effectively.

Budget Consideration: Money matters. Some marketing strategies cost more than others. Paid ads, influencer partnerships, and high-quality video production might be expensive. Consider how much you can spend and select strategies that fit your budget.

Conclusion

A good marketing plan is enough to propel your app or software into the mainstream market. However, to do so, you need a strong foothold on your marketing efforts and curate an accurate and innovative marketing strategies for startups that take your vision and your product’s capabilities to the people. 

The marketing ideas for small businesses mentioned above can guide your startup app through the three stages of a startup — from inception to growth, and finally, to becoming an established name in the market. In fact, these strategies should be a byproduct of your own brainstorming. With this article, we hope to push towards a direction that can help you fulfill your ROIs and lead your startup to success.