There are three key steps to success in the online space. The first is a good idea, the second is a perfect online platform, and the third—and perhaps the most important—is marketing that platform effectively.
No matter how good your idea is, or how intuitive you’ve made your online platform, if you don’t have a good marketing strategy, the chances are it will fall to the wayside. According to a recent study, around 90% of new online startups fail within their first 120 days.
While the internet is full of tips and tricks on how to market an online platform efficiently, a lot of these articles don’t delve into more niche marketing plans—those finer details that can be the difference between success and failure. With this in mind, here are four unique marketing tips to help you on your journey, ensuring you distinguish yourself from the competition and break out.
Using recognisable faces
The first tip is to use recognisable faces. Using celebrities to engage users is a tactic implemented by a variety of big companies, and while you might not have the budget to bring popular celebrities like Chris Rock, the face of BetMGM, or George Clooney, who has become synonymous with Nespresso, there is another audience you can tap into.
Across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, there are numerous ‘micro-influencers’ who have smaller but highly engaged audiences—many of whom can fit within your niche and help drive traffic to your platform.
Running retargeting ads
Record the number of users who will visit your platform but leave without becoming a customer. These are not dead leads. On the contrary, they are users that are interested in what you offer, but have not been engaged enough to go on the full conversion journey.
It can be a good idea to use ‘retargeting ads’ to bring them back, using data derived from their visit to implement a dynamic, personalised ad. For example, you can show specific platform features or content they interacted with during their first visit.
Building the community
Marketing your online platform can also be done through developing an online community. By creating a members-only forum, you can offer users exclusive perks—such as early access to new features, exclusive content, or special events—and engage with them directly.
In another recent study, it was discovered that around 86% of online consumers experience ‘banner blindness’, meaning they don’t pay attention to online ads. With an online community, however, you can advertise in a less conventional manner, engaging with the community to foster loyalty and encourage word-of-mouth marketing.
Incorporating new tech
Lastly, it’s important to be adaptable in business, which means welcoming new technologies and using them to your advantage before your competitors! AI, for instance, has been a big revelation in the last few years. Across the web, a number of online platforms are incorporating AI into marketing strategies, using it to create tailored experiences for potential users across all touchpoints.
This includes sending personalised email campaigns based on user behaviour and interest, offering dynamic landing pages that adapt based on the source of the traffic, and implementing AI-driven chatbots for real-time customer support. By keeping up to date with technology, not only are you improving your business practices, you are demonstrating to existing and potential customers that your platform is innovative, forward-thinking, and a leader in the market.
