How to grow a business in the UK through the Internet?

Starting a business is hard work, but getting it noticed online can be even tougher. Yes, specially in UK.

Standing out often depends on how well you connect with people, and how effectively you communicate your message. For small businesses and startups, a well-rounded digital marketing strategy can be the difference between struggling for visibility and building a strong, recognisable brand that attracts loyal customers.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through key areas of digital marketing, like social media, content strategy, email marketing, SEO, and online ads. These elements work together to make your startup visible, trustworthy, and accessible to the right audience.

Why a Strong Content Strategy is Essential

When people first hear about your brand, they’re likely to check out your website, your blog, or your social media profiles to get a sense of what you offer.

This is where content comes in—it’s the way you introduce your brand, share knowledge, and show people why they should care about what you do.

What Do We Mean by “Content Strategy”?

A content strategy is a plan for creating, sharing, and managing information about your brand.

It’s not just about posting a random blog or a social media update here and there.

A good strategy involves creating content that serves a purpose—whether it’s educating your audience, answering their questions, or simply entertaining them. For a startup, this might include blog posts, social media content, videos, newsletters, or even webinars.

Building a Content Strategy That Works for Your Startup

To make content work for you, you need to understand your audience and offer something valuable to them. Here’s how you can start:

1. Know Who You’re Talking To

Getting clear on who your ideal customers are is the first step. Very repetitive...

Think about what they care about, their challenges, and how your product or service can help.

If your startup sells eco-friendly products, for instance, your audience might be people who care about sustainability and are looking for ways to reduce waste in their daily lives.

2. Identify Key Topics

Once you understand your audience, think about the topics that would interest them and are relevant to your business. If you’re a health-focused brand, you might share tips on fitness, recipes, or healthy habits. Make sure your topics reflect your expertise and give people a reason to follow along.

3. Create a Consistent Schedule

Consistency is important. It doesn’t mean you need to post every day, but you should have a regular schedule that people can expect.

Maybe you release a blog post once a week or share a helpful tip every Monday on social media. Consistency builds trust and keeps your audience engaged.

Using Social Media to Connect and Engage

Social media is one of the best ways to reach people, especially for startups with a limited marketing budget. But instead of trying to be everywhere, focus on the platforms where your potential customers are most likely to spend time.

Choosing the Right Platforms

Different platforms work better for different types of businesses:

• Instagram: Great for visual brands, especially those selling products like clothing, food, or home decor. Instagram’s format, with Stories, Reels, and photo posts, gives you a lot of options to showcase your brand creatively.
• LinkedIn: Perfect for B2B businesses or companies offering professional services. LinkedIn allows you to connect with other businesses and share insights that position your brand as an industry leader.
• Facebook: Good for community building, especially if you have a broad audience. Facebook groups can also be helpful if you want to build a community around your brand.
• TikTok: Ideal for brands that appeal to a younger audience or have a fun, creative side. TikTok’s short videos are a great way to connect in a lighthearted, memorable way.

Where is your audience?

Creating and Managing Content on Social Media

Once you know where to focus, you can start building your presence. Here are some tips:

1. Create Valuable Content: Don’t just post about your products. Share tips, tutorials, and behind-the-scenes content that shows the personality of your brand. For example, a small bakery might share baking tips, recipe ideas, or even videos of the baking process.
2. Use Tools to Schedule Posts: Managing social media can get time-consuming. Using tools like Scheduled.so, Buffer or Hootsuite can help you schedule posts in advance, so you don’t have to log in every day. There are tons like these out there.
3. Engage with Your Audience: Show appreciation for your followers. People are more likely to support a brand that feels approachable and friendly.

The best example for the point #3 I saw was 'Work Louder' on Instagram! @work_louder - The Founder personally delivered a keyboard to a customer.

The Power of Email Marketing

Email marketing is a powerful tool for reaching your customers directly.

Unlike social media, where your posts might get lost in the feed, emails land directly in your subscribers' inboxes, giving you a unique opportunity to build a personal connection.

Building an Effective Email Marketing Plan

If you’re new to email marketing, here’s where to start:

Segment Your Audience

Well, to start, you have to set up a downloadable resource so you can start building up your list of people.

Instead of sending the same email to everyone, break your list into smaller groups based on things like purchase history or preferences. This way, you can send more targeted messages that are relevant to each group. For example, you might have one email list for people who have purchased from you before and another for those who haven’t.

Offer Valuable Content

Think about what your audience would find useful. If you run a skincare brand, send out tips on skincare routines, explain the benefits of certain ingredients, or offer exclusive discounts. Your emails should feel helpful, not just promotional.

Use Automation Wisely

Automation tools can save you a lot of time and help you reach customers at the right moment.

You could set up automated welcome emails for new subscribers, send follow-up emails after someone makes a purchase, or create reminder emails if someone leaves an item in their cart without checking out.

Making Your Startup Discoverable with SEO

SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is all about helping people find your website when they search for topics related to your business.

This is essential if you want to drive organic traffic without spending a lot on ads.

Basics of SEO for Small Businesses

Getting started with SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. Focus on a few key areas:

1. Keyword Research: Find out what words and phrases your audience is searching for. If you sell natural skincare products, phrases like “organic skincare” or “cruelty-free skincare UK” might be valuable to target. Use Google Trends.
2. Optimise Your Website: Make sure your website is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and is mobile-friendly. Also, use keywords naturally in your titles, headers, and content to help search engines understand what your site is about. Watch some videos on YouTube about basics of SEO!
3. Build Credibility with Backlinks: Backlinks (links from other sites to yours) signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy. You can gain backlinks by partnering with other businesses, guest blogging, or getting featured in industry publication!

Using Paid Ads to Accelerate Your Growth

While organic content is essential, paid ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google can give you a quick boost by putting your brand in front of a wider audience.

Ads allow you to target specific groups, based on factors like age, location, and interests.

We personally do not recommend to run Paid Ads If you don't have nice social media and a website that is poorly optimized and close to mediocre.

Tips for Running Effective Ads

• Set Clear Goals: Know what you’re trying to achieve before launching an ad.
• Are you looking to get more website traffic, generate leads, or sell a product? Your goal will guide the type of ad you create.
• Use Eye-Catching Visuals: High-quality images and videos are essential for ads, especially on social platforms. People are more likely to notice and engage with visually appealing content.
• Track and Adjust: After launching an ad, keep an eye on how it’s performing. Make adjustments as needed, like tweaking the targeting or changing the visuals. This helps you get the best results from your budget.

Conclusion

For startups, a well-rounded digital marketing strategy is key to growing your brand and reaching the right people. By combining content creation, social media, email marketing, SEO, and advertising, you can build a strong online presence and stand out in a competitive market like the UK.

By doing it right, without mistakes and very accurate, you will have so many new customers that you will have to close your sales for a while.

Remember, each piece of your marketing strategy works together to support the other, creating a complete approach that helps you build lasting connections with your audience.

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At Fragment, we specialise in helping entrepreneurs to escalate in the world of digital marketing, so they can focus on what they do best—growing their business. Our core value is to work accurately and give the best customer service you could experience. Have you already scheduled your free initial consultation?