Creating a strong brand presence should be a priority for your tech startup. A clear and consistent brand builds your reputation in the minds of consumers and helps you stand out from the competition.
However, building a brand presence can be tricky if you’re new to the tech industry. Worldwide tech spending recently topped $5.1 trillion, and other brands have spent decades building their reputation. This means you’ll need to work hard and find the right support to secure a piece of the pie yourself.
A robust social media and PR strategy can supercharge your early efforts and help you build a reputation quickly. This is crucial if you’ve spent a lot on research and development and need to recoup costs quickly. A social media-driven PR strategy can be cost-effective and may build your brand presence quicker than traditional methods.
Tech Startup Industry
The tech industry is flourishing. Today, you can pursue startup ideas like videography, data recovery, app development, and SaaS careers from the comfort of your own home. However, if you do decide to create your own tech startup, you’ll need to lean on social media and PR when launching your product or service.
You should begin the process before you even launch. Effective pre-launch PR strategies include:
- Creating a waitlist on your website.
- Hosting a launch event.
- Influencer marketing to spread the word.
- Media outreach to connect with the industry.
These strategies build a buzz around your business before you make a single sale. This is crucial when starting up a new tech firm, as you can’t afford to delay marketing and PR efforts. Instead, get ahead of the game by working with PR professionals while your idea is still in development. This can help you build a robust social presence and will help you break even that much sooner.
Leveraging Social Media
Social media is a real boon for tech startups. It offers a cost-effective way to connect with consumers and pull people towards your sales funnel. Using social media regularly is a great way to improve your PR efforts on a budget, too. Posting organically to social sites like Facebook and TikTok can quickly boost your brand recognition at a fraction of the price required for paid advertising.
It is, however, important to note that social media isn’t necessarily “free.” Your posts will perform much better if you’re willing to put aside some funds for paid (aka boosted, promoted) posts and influencers. Paid posts can be tracked on social sites like Facebook, meaning you’ll always be able to tell whether your decision to promote a post was profitable.
When crafting social content, lean on trends and publish content with a high virality rate. You can discover popular sounds and themes on sites like TikTok Trends and should follow in the footsteps of influencers who publish engaging content. This will help you win over tech-savvy consumers who are typically dedicated social media users themselves.
PR Support
Running your own social media page can be a cost-effective way to gain followers and build your brand. However, if you’re looking to break into a new industry, you’ll need to call in expert support from PR professionals. PR professionals typically have an extensive network and can help you build your brand quickly with email campaigns and content marketing that will make waves.
You can build on the efforts of PR professionals by creating your own content writing strategy. A well-crafted blog can help you connect with customers, build credibility, and boost your SEO campaign. Branded content can send folks straight to your sales funnel and help you convert more customers.
If you’re unsure of how to create branded content, start with simple ideas like:
- Highlight new products.
- Research your article thoroughly to find reputable sources of information.
- Use headlines that grab attention.
- Include a clear call to action.
Following these tips will help you craft content that grabs the reader’s attention and boosts your SEO metrics. A well-thought-out content creation strategy will also give PR professionals something to work with, as your content plays a pivotal role when reaching out to media and building connections within your industry.
Bringing on PR support can help you protect your brand and avert a marketing or PR crisis. This is crucial, as you can ill-afford negative PR when your tech startup is just starting to spread its wings.
PR firms can monitor media channels and keep you up to date with any changes to your brand. They can use these insights to analyze brand sentiment and spot potential gaps in the media market for your tech startup to explore.
Conclusion
Effective social media and PR marketing can increase your brand exposure and help you break even quickly. This is especially crucial today, as tech industries like SaaS are quickly becoming saturated with new entries.
Get ahead of the competition by utilizing pre-launch techniques like web-based content creation and influencer marketing. This will enhance the visibility and credibility of your brand and draw more interest from consumers looking to switch from more well-established rivals.
Product Launch tip sheet.
Guest Contributor: Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in lifestyle, mental health, education, and fitness-related content. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie.
To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.
The copy and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Burrelles, our employees, partners, or affiliates.
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