Marketing is hard. Building a great product is hard. It’s hard to start a company in the first place. I know this, from experience. So if your time is limited and you have to choose between working on the product and marketing, spend half of your time on marketing, and half of your time on product. Even if you can only do 10% of the work on marketing, do that 10%.

I know it’s tempting to say "if I just get this product right, then I'll be successful." But if you’re not working on how to sell it, you're going to miss the boat.

Just because you have a great product, doesn't mean people will use it. And this is where knowing the right marketing strategy, or combination of staretgies, can make a huge difference in your results.

Here is a list of some of the different ways you should be looking to market your product.

1. Content marketing

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. Content marketing conveys the value of products, services, or ideas through the creation and sharing of media and digital content assets such as text, video, podcasts, eBooks, white papers, case studies, how-to guides, and infographics.

The primary goal of content marketing is to drive action. To achieve this, marketers must first understand and carefully consider their target audience. This understanding informs the creation of content, which is then delivered to specific audiences through specific channels.

A content marketing strategy can also be used for internal communications, employee engagement, and storytelling.

The goal of any content marketing strategy should be to produce valuable, relevant, and consistent content that attracts and retains a clearly defined audience. Your content marketing strategy should outline how your business will deliver content to that audience in a way that aligns with your overarching marketing strategy, and that ultimately drives profitable customer action.

With the internet, people can read practically anything they want, anytime they want. They can stream live events, stream video and even download podcasts. It has never been easier to gain access to vast amounts of content. The problem is, most of it is low-quality garbage.

According to Nielsen research, "video is now the predominant method for growing brands online." However, creating interesting, engaging content isn't easy. It takes time, effort and creativity to develop material people actually want to consume.

Furthermore, the most effective growth strategy is to leverage other people's content. If you can find and promote quality content from other sources, you can develop a fan base of loyal viewers. The more you engage with these fans, the more likely they will share your content with their friends and acquaintances. As you develop a reputation for providing quality content, you'll begin to build your brand and your business.

2. Email marketing

Email marketing is another simple, yet effective marketing strategy. After all, email is the preferred communication method of many, if not most, people. It's fast, convenient and can reach your target audience like no other marketing platform.

Email marketing allows you to communicate with your customers on a personal level. You can tell them when to expect a product, what promotions to expect and even how to use the products you're selling.

Email marketing is a great way to nurture your relationships with customers. It is also an easy way to build a list of potential customers you can reach out to. The more you communicate with your customers, the more likely they will become a regular customer.

3. Social media marketing

Social media marketing is another great way to generate interest in your business, while simultaneously building a client base. Not only do most people spend hours on social media sites, they are often willing to share content they find interesting.

The more you engage with people in the social media realm, the more likely they are to share your content with their friends and family. And the more your content is shared, the more your brand will grow.

However, there is a fine line to tread here. If you shamelessly plug your business too much, people will begin to tune you out. Make sure to provide valuable, interesting content and your audience will come to you.

4. Public relations

Public relations is a great way to gain exposure for your business. This is especially true if your business operates in the local area, or even on a national scale.

PR involves creating relationships with media outlets. Once you have established a reputation as a reliable source of information, you can begin to request coverage on topics you'd like to promote. If the media outlet is interested in the topic, they are likely to cover it favorably.

5. Social bookmarking

Social bookmarking is another effective marketing strategy. With this strategy, you create a page on a social media platform that allows you to promote your business. You can then link back to your site or blog, or the product you're selling.

Social bookmarking is particularly effective if your product or service is related to a specific industry. For instance, if you're selling a yoga mat, you can post a link on your social bookmarking page that directs people to your site. The yoga mat business might even list their product for sale on the social media platform.

6. Employee training

If you want your business to grow, you need to hire the right people. However, hiring isn't enough. You also need to train your employees to do their job well.

The most effective training strategy is to engage your employees in your business. This could be as simple as providing them with a copy of your company's mission statement and vision statement. Then, you can hold regular meetings to discuss matters relevant to the overall success of your business.

Train your employees to understand your business and they will be able to make better decisions. If they understand the goals of the company, they will be better capable of reaching them.

7. Google Adwords

If you want to generate more traffic and sales, you need to create branded ads for your website. Some of the most effective paid search marketing strategies are Google Adwords.

When you create ads on Google Adwords, you don't pay for clicks. You only pay when people actually view the content of your ad and click through to your website.

8. PPC advertising

PPC advertising, or pay-per-click advertising, is another effective marketing strategy. With this strategy, you pay each time someone clicks on your advertisement. You do not pay each time a visitor views your site, or even if they purchase something.

However, PPC advertising is a better option than Google Adwords, because it is a more affordable option.

9. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is another effective marketing strategy. With this strategy, you partner with a company who already has a customer base. They will pay you a commission for any sales you refer to them.

You will then need to create a landing page that promotes the products or services your partner offers. When your visitors click through, your partner will pay you a commission for each sale.

10. Referral marketing

Referrals are some of the most effective marketing strategies. That's because people trust the opinions of their friends. If they buy a product or use a service and like it, they will tell their friends about it.

The key to a successful referral program is to make it easy for your customers to refer their friends. You can do this by offering a referral program on your website. You can also create a referral program within your product or service.

11. Business networking

Business networking is one of the most effective marketing strategies, and one of the most challenging. If you are able to develop strong relationships with other business owners, you will be better able to promote your business.

You can network through online groups, at conventions and at business events. Just make sure you are genuinely interested in connecting with other business owners. You don't want to come off as a salesperson.

12. Content distribution

If you want more people to read your content, you need to find a way to distribute it. This can be as simple as posting your articles on your Facebook or Twitter account, or even writing guest posts for other blogs.

The more content you are able to publish, the more readers you'll be able to reach. If you can develop a loyal following, they will be more likely to purchase your products or services.

I hope this list helps you on your journey. Try out a few of them and you will get a feel of what's working and what's not for your product.

Good luck!

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