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Here are some Marketing Tips for Early Stage Entrepreneurs As an entrepreneur you need to be the master of all arts, checkout how to do the marketing right.

By Charu Mitra Dubey

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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When you decide to jump out of the box and explore the route of entrepreneurship, you can't follow the same path just as someone else did. Every entrepreneur's story is different and so will be yours. An entrepreneur is someone who converts an idea into business and then nurtures it according to the industry requirements.

To stand out of the crowd and get ahead of the competitors, every startup needs to market their products or services in a very strategical way. That is why entrepreneurs need to know how to market their products, services and even their personal brands.

"If we don't know how to market our own stuff then who else will know. Entrepreneurship is being responsible for your company, employees and clients." said Vishwapriya Kochhar, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of BlewMinds and the Founder of SoulVilla.

"Marketing is the only way of effectively reaching out to your target audience where they go and constantly reminding them about your brand. This is the only way to sustain your brand in today's market where if you aren't going to your customer, your competitors will," said Apaksh Gupta, the Founder and CEO of One Impression.

Your Personal Brand gives a face to your Business

People tend to trust a real person more than just the name of a startup. When you promote your business, you are promoting the idea of sales increment but when you are promoting yourself as a brand, you are promoting the bond between you and your targeted audience. It's not that that promoting your business is not important but rather promoting your personal brand is equally important.

"It is a simple idea of why Steve Jobs is still alive in the minds and hearts of people, especially the customers of Apple. Personal brand allows you to connect at scale with those who aspire to be like you or be a part of something you believe in whether as your customer or your team. You will be surprised to find out how many people just need to hear what you have to say to them." said Gupta.

Storytelling must be a part of your Marketing Strategy

Storytelling is the oldest yet effective way of reaching out to the heart of your audience. When you tell your audience your story, they start relating themselves to it. The stories that you are conveying must be real and based on your own experiences because the more people relate to you the more they trust you. "Most of the time people relate to you when you tell them your own story," said Kochhar.

Choosing the Right Social Media Platform

Social Media has already become a powerful new age marketing tactic. From SMBs to giant corporations, everyone is using social media to promote their products or services in either direct or indirect way. Whatever business you own or whatever service you provide, you have to be choosy about the social media platforms.

"An entrepreneur should know which social media platform is suitable for marketing his/ her startup depending upon the products or services they provide. Social Media should be used as a way of connecting to different people, talking to them and marketing the services not directly but indirectly by building relationships," said Kochhar.

Leveraging Content Marketing

For years brands and individuals are using Content Marketing to promote their products or services. Even after the rise of video marketing in the past few years, content marketing is still showing no signs of slowing down but rather it is maintaining the position at top in terms of best marketing practices.

"Content Marketing will build your brand more than any other forms of marketing." said, Subi Nanthivarman, Founder and CEO of Stridez Pty. Ltd.

Think before you Spend

This might not be a direct marketing tip but plays an important role in deciding the future of a newly held venture and an entrepreneur as well. You should know what is important for your startup and how to do it right. Whether it is about hiring team members or doing the marketing stuff an entrepreneur should know where to pour his/ her hands in.

"Don't spend money on paid marketing on line or for the digital marketing experts by not understanding what you get for the money spent. Best is to get down and understand what exactly your brand needs," said Subi.

Charu Mitra Dubey

Freelancer

I am a freelance writer with an interest in marketing, startups and entrepreneurship. I write for several publications and at the same time work with startups on their marketing strategies.

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