By Bob Dearsley

Are you new to the startup game, and even newer to the content marketing game?

With all the work that goes into starting a business, there’s little time to think about marketing strategies that prove successful and are feasible for a startup’s teams to execute.

If you find yourself in this boat, don’t panic. You probably know the tools that are helpful for startup marketers to use when strategizing — a CMS, social media accounts, and graphic design software, for instance.

Now, what you need to know is how to use these tools, and similar methods, to create campaigns that align with your business goals. You may have seen other startups’ glowing marketing techniques and found yourself wondering how to create a winning strategy.

For that, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the ways you can build a winning startup marketing strategy designed to lay the foundation for future success.

1. Use SMART goals to focus on business-critical goals upfront.

At Huble Digital, we use SMART goals. These are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. For example, a SMART goal could be:

• Increase organic traffic to our website by 50% by 2022
• Create 10 new sales focused blogs by Q3

The purpose of SMART goals is to set businesses up for success. They provide a sense of direction and help to organize efforts.

And, while SMART goals are invaluable for any organization, they’re particularly beneficial for start-ups.

In most start-ups, employees have to wear several hats (often due to budget constraints or lack of resources). The founder, for instance, might be responsible for strategy, product development, and even PR, while the chief technology officer (CTO) might be involved in the design of the website, marketing, and social media. There’s just so much to do!

Of course, for all start-ups, the principal focus is product development (and always will be until the “release” stage) … but what about all the other elements that help sustain the business’ growth?

It’s here where SMART goals can really help. Instead of trying to do everything at once, focus on the most business-critical goals, put everything you have behind them, and tackle things in a strategic way. For instance, rather than spreading your time across several initiatives (some of which may not be important right now), focus on three or four that will lay a foundation for your activities or support your current efforts.

If you’re launching with a new product, for instance, focus on the development but also set goals like:

• Create 10 new blogs to build awareness of the product by X date
• Publish 2 new web pages to promote the new product by X date
• Secure 5 placements in online media using digital PR by X date

These are just some examples, but they can undoubtedly help raise the profile of your business without costing much — the only real expenditure is time. Instead …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog

Author: Aaron