Marketing Your Detroit Startup: 5 Local Digital Marketing Hacks

With over 100 startups based in Detroit just last year and a burgeoning entrepreneurial atmosphere, it is important to use marketing to your advantage to help your startup to stand out in a flourishing city like Detroit.

1) Send emails from a real person

Utilize tools like Google Analytics to understand the demographic, interest and location of the people coming to your page. By knowing your audience, you can craft your emails and newsletters around them. Every time someone buys a product or emails about a complaint, email them directly using a real name instead of a generic HR@company.co. That personal connection is proven to increase response rate and engagement. Sending weekly newsletters is another great way to constantly remind your audience you exist and a great tool for that is Mailchimp.

2) Social media is your new best friend

Content generation across all platforms goes a long way – especially if focused on Detroit culture & events. Think about ways to interact with Detroit and spread knowledge of your startup. The best way to be proactive on social media is by scheduling out posts in advance and tracking who engages with it. Hootsuite is a great social media management tool that congregates all that. BUT the key trick to drive engagement with your content is by developing core keywords relating to your startup that is used across all platforms (especially blogs) and making sure those keywords also align with the ones already directing people to your site.

3) Landing pages are your first impression

Make sure your landing page is targeting your Detroit audience and position the company in a way that focuses on the WHY. Use Detroit’s extensive history to your advantage and establish where your startup lies within that. Don’t tell your customer how you do what you do, tell them why you do it. Your landing page is the perfect space for them to associate your brand and your mission to your product. The right text can go as far as driving sales or engagement.

4) Know where you stand

How does your SEO stack up compared to other thriving startups in Detroit? Emphasize those keywords mentioned in #2 everywhere. Within your site, find ways to link all your pages together seamlessly – drive people to your Facebook page through blogs, link old blogs to new blogs, link every time you mention your product to it’s product page, etc. Take advantage of UTM codes to track sources of traffic, mediums, and campaigns. You can make decisions about which campaigns are more effective and which are bringing people to your site.

5) Finally, make sure you are found!

If you have an office or workspace, register it with Google Business Pages. That way you can be highlighted on searches and found on maps. That small validation of your existence makes a pivotal difference in how potentials customers connect with your startup.

Good Luck!