It was recently revealed that online fashion start-up, Own The Look, is looking to raise £250,000 in crowdfunding to spend on marketing. This got us thinking – is it a good idea to spend so much cash on marketing a fledgling business?

Well, every case is different. One thing we can do, however, is provide our advice on digital marketing for start-ups. Here are our ten top tips for creating a marketing strategy for start-ups.

1. Don’t Wait For Your Product To Be Available

It is presumptuous to assume as soon as your product is made available it will fly off virtual shelves like hot cakes. If you have done no marketing prior to this, few people will know about your offering and demand will be low.

To counter act this, create a sense of excitement with a preemptive marketing campaign that raises awareness. A countdown on your website home page or ‘coming soon’ social posts, teamed with a basic overview of your product is sure to peak interest.

2. Don’t Push Too Hard

It may be tempting to sell at every chance you get, but building relationships through engagement will see customers coming back time and time again. Join conversations with target customers on social media and provide helpful information where possible – it won’t be forgotten.

3. Focus On Quality, Not Quantity Of Content

Although it may be tempted to flood your online blog for it to appear as if you have a lot of exciting things going on, it’s important not to write content for the sake of it. Content marketing for start-ups is all about adding value in an efficient way.

4. Optimise For Longtail Keywords

If you have a brand-new business and website in a competitive marketplace, it is unlikely that you’ll be able to take on the big guys at the top of search engine results pages. Instead, opt for more specific terms using longtail keywords.

5. Test A Cross Platform Approach

When you first start out, you won’t know which marketing channel will be most successful for your brand. So, run a number of tests to see which combination of platforms work best for you.

From SEO and PPC to email and social, there will always be one that works slightly better than others, but a cross channel approach is essential to maximise exposure.

6. Run A Competition

If your social channels are still low on followers, running a competition which requires users to follow your account and retweet/share your content in order to be in the running is an efficient way of building brand awareness.

7. Learn From Your Competitors

They say imitation is the finest form of flattery. We’re not suggesting you outright copy your biggest competitors’ marketing activity, but taking a closer look at what works well for them could jump start your strategy.

8. Encourage Your Customers To Leave Reviews

As a new business it can be hard to show that your brand can be trusted. Providing somewhere for your customers to leave positive and negative reviews shows you care and will give you a good opportunity to address any issues early on.

9. Utilise User-Generated Content

If your initial budget won’t quite stretch to a fancy photoshoot for imagery to use across social, why not utilise user generated content instead? Encourage customers to use a unique hashtag for a simple and easy way to track brand mentions, and find your next product image.

10. Learn More About Digital Marketing For Start-Ups

Expand your knowledge beyond these ten tips by signing up to attend a Figaro Digital marketing conference.