Increase visibility and attract customers
Launching effective advertising and promotions is a key step in attracting your first customers and increasing the visibility of your startup. This manual is designed for beginners and offers simple yet effective methods and tools to help you start your advertising campaign on your own.
Step 1: Define Your Target Audience
Actions:
- Describe your ideal customer: Age, gender, location, interests, problems your product solves.
- Segment your audience: Divide potential customers into groups with common characteristics.
Tips:
- Think about who will benefit most from your product.
- Use simple tools like social media polls or conversations with potential customers.
Step 2: Identify Customers' "Pain Points" and Needs
Actions:
- Study the problems and needs of your audience: Determine what challenges your potential customers face.
- Gather information: Read reviews, comments on social media, forums, and thematic communities.
Tips:
- Conduct surveys or interviews with your target audience.
- Use social media analysis tools (e.g., Hootsuite, Buffer).
Step 3: Collect Keywords (Semantic Core)
Actions:
- Use tools to collect keywords:
- Google Keyword Planner: A free tool to find popular search queries.
- Ubersuggest, Keyword Tool, AnswerThePublic: Additional free services.
- Create a list of keywords and phrases: Related to your product, service, and customers' "pain points."
Tips:
- Look for low-competition but relevant keywords.
- Pay attention to long-tail keywords, which are more specific and have higher conversion rates.
Step 4: Build Messages Based on Audience and Needs
Actions:
- Create advertising messages that address customers' "pain points" and needs.
- Incorporate collected keywords into ad texts and landing pages.
Tips:
- Focus on solving customers' problems rather than just listing product features.
- Use clear and simple language; avoid jargon.
Step 5: Set Advertising Goals
Actions:
- Determine what you want to achieve: Increase sales, drive website traffic, raise brand awareness.
- Set specific and measurable goals: For example, "obtain 100 inquiries in a month."
Tips:
- Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
- Focus on one or two main goals to stay focused.
Step 6: Choose Promotion Channels
Actions:
- Identify where your audience is active: Search engines, social networks, messaging apps.
- Select primary channels: Start with 1-2 channels most popular among your target audience.
Tips:
- Use Google Ads for search advertising to reach new customers.
- Utilize Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, Twitter Ads to engage with your audience.
- If your product targets professionals, consider LinkedIn Ads.
Step 7: Create Advertising Materials
Actions:
- Develop ads: Short headline, description, call to action.
- Prepare visual elements: Attention-grabbing images or videos.
- Integrate keywords: Use them in ad texts and on landing pages.
Tips:
- Use Canva or Crello to create visuals without design skills.
- Ensure your landing page matches the ad and contains relevant information.
Step 8: Set Up Advertising Campaigns
Actions:
- Create accounts on the chosen advertising platforms.
- Set up targeting:
- By demographics: age, gender, location.
- By interests and behavior.
- By keywords (for search advertising).
- Set a budget: Start with a small amount to test effectiveness.
Tips:
- Follow the step-by-step instructions provided by the advertising platforms.
- Use Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) for keyword advertising.
- In social networks, use detailed targeting based on interests.
Step 9: Launch a Test Campaign
Actions:
- Run the ad for a limited time: For example, 5-7 days.
- Monitor metrics:
- CTR (Click-Through Rate): The percentage of people who clicked on your ad.
- CPC (Cost Per Click): The cost you pay for each click.
- Conversions: User actions on your site (purchase, inquiry, subscription).
Tips:
- Avoid making changes immediately after launch; let the campaign run for a few days.
- If metrics are low, analyze what can be improved in the ad or targeting.
Step 10: Analyze Results and Optimize
Actions:
- Collect data from the test campaign.
- Analyze the effectiveness of keywords, ads, and targeting.
- Make changes:
- Disable ineffective ads or keywords.
- Increase the budget for successful elements of the campaign.
Tips:
- Use analytics tools:
- Google Analytics to track on-site behavior.
- Advertising platform reports for detailed analysis.
- Pay attention to conversion rates and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC).
Step 11: Continuously Improve Messages and Keywords
Actions:
- Update your keyword list: Add new relevant keywords, remove irrelevant ones.
- Adapt messages in ads based on feedback and results.
Tips:
- Regularly analyze search queries that lead users to your site.
- Test different ad variations (A/B testing).
Step 12: Address Customers' "Pain Points" with Advertising
Actions:
- Focus on problem-solving: Clearly state in your ad which customer "pain point" your product addresses.
- Use the customer's language: Speak in the same language as your audience, using their expressions and terms.
Tips:
- Provide examples or case studies showing how your product helped others.
- Add social proof: testimonials, ratings, certifications.
Conclusion
Launching advertising and promotions doesn't require large budgets or specialized knowledge. By following these simple steps and using available tools, you can attract your first customers and increase your startup's visibility on your own.
Key Principles:
- Focus on the audience: Understanding customers' needs and "pain points" is crucial for successful advertising.
- Testing and optimization: Continuously improve campaigns based on data.
- Use relevant keywords: Keywords help attract targeted traffic.
- Combine paid and free methods: Utilize all available resources for maximum effect.
- Simplicity and clarity: Make messages understandable and attractive.
Additional Recommendations
- Learn the basics of SEO: Optimizing your site for search engines will help attract free traffic.
- Use email marketing: Collect contacts and send useful information.
- Stay updated on trends: Keep up with news in your industry to remain relevant.
- Develop analytics skills: The better you understand data, the more effectively you can manage advertising.
By following this manual and using the suggested tools, you can effectively launch advertising and promotion for your product or service, even without prior experience. Good luck in developing your startup!