4 Things Online Startups Should Do to Get Maximum Visibility Without Social Media
I know how challenging it can be to get your startup noticed online. With so many trends and new methods popping up, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. Many of the routes being propelled lately have supported business models that are no longer working. The reason is that trends are temporary. They aren’t built to last.
I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to chase every new trend to succeed. Let’s focus on the strong foundational aspects no matter how the digital winds change. Here are four essential things you can do to get maximum visibility for your online startup without relying on traditional social media.
1. Optimize Your Website for Search Engines (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about making your website easier to find on search engines. SEO has taken a huge hit when companies like Google for example change their business model as to what they prefer with SEO. However, we must remember that Google is major, but not the only one. Also, many of us in the industry have realized some trends change quickly without integral leadership for its business quarter projections, like Google for example.
By optimizing your site, you can attract more visitors who are searching for what you offer. SEO might seem complex, but with some basic steps, you can significantly improve your site's visibility.
Understanding SEO Basics:
SEO involves several elements, including keyword research, on-page optimization, content creation, and technical improvements. While keywords are important, we suggest not shaping your content around it but ensuring your content contains them. This is also extremely vital if your business is e-commerce where you absolutely want your product descriptions to be SEO optimized. A new tool on the market for the product keyword SEO is Smartli! (oh yeah, it even writes descriptions for Ad’s).
Keyword Research:
Use Relevant Keywords: Find out what words people use when searching for your information, products, or services, and include these keywords in your website content. Tools like Ahrefs, and SEMrush can help you identify these keywords.
Long-Tail Keywords: Focus on long-tail keywords, which are more specific phrases that visitors are likely to use when they’re closer to making a purchase. For example, instead of just "shoes," use "best running shoes for flat feet."
On-Page Optimization:
Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: These are the HTML elements that specify the titles and descriptions of your web pages. Make sure they are compelling and include your primary keywords.
Header Tags (H1, H2, H3): Use these to structure your content. Your H1 tag should include your main keyword, while H2 and H3 tags can include related keywords.
Alt Text for Images: Describe your images with relevant keywords to help search engines understand your content.
Content Creation:
Create Quality Content: Write helpful, engaging content that answers your customers’ questions. This can include blog posts, how-to guides, product reviews, and more. Aim to provide value with each piece of content. Gone are the days of product reviews without the product experience. If using this method, choose products you can buy and try within your own industry.
Content-Length: Longer content tends to rank better. Aim for at least 1,500 words per article, but ensure it’s valuable and not just filler.
Update Regularly: Keep your content fresh by updating old posts and regularly adding new ones. We would even suggest updating previously published articles with relevant industry changes.
Technical SEO:
Improve Site Speed: Make sure your website loads quickly. Slow sites can turn visitors away. Use tools and Insights to identify and fix speed issues.
Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure your website looks great and works well on mobile devices. More people are browsing on their phones, so this is crucial.
Secure Your Site (HTTPS): Google prefers secure sites. Ensure your site uses HTTPS instead of HTTP.
Actionable Steps:
Use keyword research tools to identify relevant and long-tail keywords.
Optimize your title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and image alt text.
Create and regularly update high-quality, valuable content.
Improve your site speed, ensure mobile-friendliness, and secure your site with HTTPS.
2. Build an Engaging Blog
A blog can be a powerful tool to attract and engage your audience. By providing valuable content, you can establish your expertise and keep visitors coming back. Let’s delve deeper into how you can create a blog that stands out.
Choosing the Right Topics:
Understand Your Audience: Know who your audience is and what they care about. Use tools like Google Analytics and social media insights to learn more about their interests.
Keyword Research: Identify topics based on keyword research. Look for questions people are asking related to your niche.
Content Planning: Create a content calendar to plan your posts. This helps ensure consistency and variety in your topics.
Creating Valuable Content:
Write In-Depth Posts: In-depth posts that thoroughly cover a topic tend to perform better. Aim for 1,500 to 2,500 words for comprehensive coverage. Again, no fluff and all facts for action.
Use Visuals: Incorporate images, infographics, and videos to make your content more engaging. Visual content can break up text and make your posts more shareable.
Tell Stories: People love stories. Share customer success stories, behind-the-scenes looks at your business, and personal experiences related to your niche.
Engagement Strategies:
Ask Questions: Encourage readers to leave comments by asking questions at the end of your posts.
Respond to Comments: Engage with your readers by responding to their comments. This helps build a community around your blog.
Promote Your Blog: Share your posts through email newsletters, on your website, and with any non-social media partnerships you have.
Consistency Is Key:
Regular Posting Schedule: Aim to post new content at least once a week. Consistency helps build a loyal readership.
Repurpose Content: Turn blog posts into other formats like videos, podcasts, or downloadable guides to reach a broader audience.
Actionable Steps:
Research your audience and use keyword tools to find relevant topics.
Plan a content calendar and write in-depth, engaging posts.
Use visuals and storytelling to enhance your content.
Engage with readers by asking questions and responding to comments.
Promote your blog through email newsletters and partnerships.
Maintain a consistent posting schedule and repurpose content into other formats.
3. Leverage Email Marketing
Email marketing is a direct way to reach your audience and keep them informed about your business. It’s personal, cost-effective, and can yield high returns. You will also need a customer management flow for all of your customers and clients for when they respond to your newsletter call-to-actions. Software like Capsule CRM make this easy as it also has a mobile app alongside project management all-in-one.
Building Your Email List:
Sign-Up Forms: Place sign-up forms on your website, blog, and landing pages. Make them easy to find and simple to complete.
Offer Incentives: Encourage sign-ups by offering incentives like discounts, free eBooks, or exclusive content.
Lead Magnets: Create valuable resources (like guides or templates) that visitors can download in exchange for their email addresses.
Crafting Effective Emails:
Personalize Your Emails: Use your customers’ names and tailor content to their interests. Personalized emails have higher open and click-through rates.
Compelling Subject Lines: Write engaging subject lines that encourage recipients to open your emails. Avoid spammy language and focus on creating curiosity or urgency.
Clear Call to Action (CTA): Each email should have a clear CTA, whether it’s to visit your website, read a blog post, or make a purchase.
Segmentation and Automation:
Segment Your List: Divide your email list into segments based on customer behavior, preferences, or demographics. This allows you to send more relevant content to each group.
Automate Campaigns: Use email marketing tools to set up automated campaigns, like welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and birthday offers.
Analyzing and Improving:
Track Performance: Use metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to evaluate your campaigns.
A/B Testing: Test different elements of your emails (subject lines, CTAs, content) to see what works best.
Feedback: Ask for feedback from your subscribers to understand what they like and what could be improved.
Actionable Steps:
Build your email list with sign-up forms, incentives, and lead magnets.
Personalize your emails and write compelling subject lines.
Include clear CTAs and segment your list for targeted campaigns.
Automate your email marketing and regularly track performance.
Use A/B testing and gather feedback to continuously improve your strategy.
4. Collaborate with Other businesses and Influencers
Collaboration can help you reach new audiences and build credibility. Partnering with influencers and other businesses can be a win-win. Micro-influencers would be best for a small business since they provide a more hands-on approach. Micro-influencers tend to have a more organic and engaging audience whom they trust. Be clear with your expectations. Here’s how to make collaborations work for your startup.
Tools like Teamwork provide a great way to hold you and those you work with accountable. It can show the process and stages of your collaboration project, provide nudges when there is a possible delay and even in-app comments along the way.
Identifying Potential Partners:
Find Complementary Businesses: Identify businesses that complement yours and share your target market. For example, a fitness apparel brand could partner with a health food company. We would suggest this route first for the factor of consistency in execution.
Research Influencers: Look for influencers who share your values and have a similar target audience. Tools like BuzzSumo and Influencer.co can help you find relevant influencers. Focus on those who not only talk it but walk it—those who are focused on their industry and relevant to yours.
Reaching Out:
Personalized Proposals: When reaching out, personalize your proposal. Explain why you think the partnership would be beneficial for both parties and what you can offer.
Clear Objectives: Define clear objectives for the collaboration. What do you hope to achieve? More traffic, sales, or brand awareness? What are your expectations? What is the compensation process? Will this be barter or paid?
Creating Mutually Beneficial Content:
Collaborative Content: Work together to create content that benefits both parties. This could be joint blog posts, videos, webinars, or social media takeovers. Remember this is a person over a business. Treat them as such!
Cross-Promotion: Promote each other’s content on your respective platforms. This helps you reach a wider audience. If you find this to be difficult, don’t grow frustrated but use it as a learning opportunity.
Managing Collaborations:
Communication: Maintain open and clear communication throughout the collaboration. Set expectations and deadlines to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Evaluate Results: After the collaboration, evaluate the results. Did you achieve your objectives? What worked well and what could be improved?
Actionable Steps:
Research and identify influencers and complementary businesses.
Craft personalized proposals and set clear collaboration objectives.
Create and promote mutually beneficial content.
Maintain clear communication and set expectations.
Evaluate the results and refine your approach for future collaborations.
By focusing on these foundational aspects—SEO, blogging, email marketing, and collaborations—you can build a strong online presence that stands the test of time.
Here’s a quick outline of the actionable steps:
Optimize Your Website for SEO:
Use relevant keywords
Optimize title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and image alt text
Create quality, valuable content
Improve site speed, ensure mobile-friendliness, and secure your site with HTTPS
Build an Engaging Blog:
Research your audience and use keyword tools to find relevant topics
Plan a content calendar and write in-depth, engaging posts
Use visuals and storytelling to enhance your content
Engage with readers by asking questions and responding to comments
Promote your blog through email newsletters and partnerships
Maintain a consistent posting schedule and repurpose content into other formats
Leverage Email Marketing:
Build your email list with sign-up forms, incentives, and lead magnets
Personalize your emails and write compelling subject lines
Include clear CTAs and segment your list for targeted campaigns
Automate your email marketing and regularly track performance
Use A/B testing and gather feedback to continuously improve your strategy
Collaborate with Influencers and Other Businesses:
Research and identify influencers and complementary businesses
Craft personalized proposals and set clear collaboration objectives
Create and promote mutually beneficial content
Maintain clear communication and set expectations
Evaluate the results and refine your approach for future collaborations
FAQs
Q: Why should I focus on SEO instead of social media? A: SEO helps you attract organic traffic that is searching for your products or services. It’s a long-term strategy that can bring consistent results, unlike social media trends which can be fleeting.
Q: How often should I update my blog? A: Aim to post new content at least once a week. Consistency helps keep your audience engaged and signals to search engines that your site is active.
Q: What’s the best way to collect email addresses? A: Offer something valuable in exchange, like a discount, eBook, or newsletter subscription. Make it easy for visitors to sign up by placing forms in visible locations on your website.
Q: How do I find the right influencers to collaborate with? A: Look for influencers who share your values, have a similar target audience, and engage with their followers authentically. Tools like BuzzSumo can help you identify relevant influencers.
Q: Can I use social media at all? A: While this article focuses on non-traditional methods, social media can still be useful. Just don’t rely on it exclusively. Use it to complement these foundational strategies and expand your reach.
Remember, it’s not about chasing every trend but building a solid foundation that will help your business grow in any digital age. You’ve got this!
