6 Genius Marketing Hacks To Help Your Startup Company Win The Internet

You may have the perfect idea, the perfect team and all the energy and motivation needed to make your startup a reality.

But the only way to proudly show off what you have to offer the rest of the world is by having a killer marketing strategy.

These days, marketing is more than just print advertisements or commercials. The internet is the number one way to get your company's name out there.

But if you don't want to hire a marketing company to strategize for you, I'm here to help.

Here are six tips for startups looking to market themselves:

1. Offer something useful through social media.

Just using social media isn't enough.

These days, it's not fully effective to just post across all social media channels unless you're offering something of value to your followers.

Studies from 2016 show 90 percent of young adults use social media, most of whom are millennials.

In a recent study conducted by cable programmer, Frank N. Magid Associates, millennials won't change their high social media consumption habits, making it worth your while to keep up with the platforms.

But have no fear — there are plenty of methods you can use to take your social media use to the next level.

Try giving your viewers inspiration, entertainment or solutions to their problems via your channels.

Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Periscope, Instagram and Pinterest can all be utilized in slightly different ways to give value while making your startup known.

The statistics don't lie, and according to Statista, the number of social media users worldwide will reach 2.5 billion by 2017.

2. Create a blog.

It is undeniably true: Content is king.

Even the most obscure businesses have a section of their website dedicated to a blog.

Your blog content should be relevant to you and your business, and it will most likely answer questions or provide solutions for potential customers.

Also, your startup will be found easier amongst the rank of search engines.

According to an article from Forbes, there are at least 10 good reasons to start a blog, including: making your brand more relatable, building authority in your industry and generating inbound links.

3. Devise an effective website.

A website is an absolute given when it comes to your startup. However, having a website isn't enough if you want to be successful.

Your site must include all the tools necessary for a good user experience that fits everyone's needs.

Make sure the site is easy to navigate, has a strong call to action, features case studies, features a comprehensive "about" page or video, doesn't take long to load and has concise copy.

A website serves as the basis of your business, so treat it with importance.

4. Get to guest posting.

It may not be entirely obvious in the best practices of startup marketing, but guest posts can be invaluable.

By offering up blog posts about your company — or mention of your company on other sites — you'll widen your audience.

This will help you leverage the followings of other sites and blogs, and direct people back to your page.

The mentions on other sites will also be beneficial in helping your search engine ranking.

5. Collaborate with partners.

Collaborations work with the same idea in mind as guest posts. However, these collaborations can come in many different forms.

Depending on your startup, you can join in on marketing campaigns with other semi-related businesses to reach new audiences.

Know someone who has a podcast? See if you can get together with him or her to promote each other's brands.

You can also do speaking events, craft markets, contests and giveaways with various other businesses to get the word out.

6. Join related forums.

The internet is meant to help people connect, and this massive power can be utilized to help your business.

Seek out online groups filled with people who could be interested in your brand.

Sift through Facebook groups and check out threads like the ones on reddit to connect with people and cross promote your brand in a genuine way.

You don't want to blast these places with promotions, so instead create a dialogue, initiate conversation and solve the problems of others with what you're offering.

Citations: Forbes, Statista, AdvertisingAge