7 Paid Marketing Steps to Fuel Your Startup's Growth

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There are many startup marketing activities you should do for free, such as building your brand, increasing traffic to your website through , getting media coverage, getting online reviews on major platforms and just talk to as many customers as you can.

Once you've done that and these programs are working well, it's time to consider paid marketing. Here are seven options you can layer to fuel your startup's growth.

1. Use paid social media to generate interest

Unless you're in retail or consumer goods, you won't get many sales directly from social media. That's not how most people buy. So instead of trying to close, try to create interest.

Create a professional 10-30 second video, high quality images and useful text messages. Promote content and ads that educate viewers about the problem you're solving and how your product or service works. Make them want more — by clicking on your profile or searching for you on . Use social media to create interest that you can then capture on your website and other channels.

2. Invest in paid search for bottom-of-funnel demand and top-of-funnel content

People actively seek solutions to their problems. Some of these searches are for purchase intent (“emergency HVAC service”), and some are simply informational (“why isn't my HVAC cooling”). It's worth paying for search ads on Google and Bing for both.

Purchase intent searches should drive traffic to your website homepage or product landing page. Informative searches should drive traffic to your content, like a blog or video, where you answer their questions.

Targeting information searches is often (but not always) a cheaper option for generating qualified leads. It's easy enough to teach people how to solve their problems and then ask, "Want us to do it for you? Text or call us today."

Related: 5 Steps to Creating Successful Marketing Campaigns

3. Attend targeted trade shows to start conversations

Trade shows bring together hundreds or thousands of potential customers under one roof, and you can talk to any of them. But exhibiting is expensive. For shows you've never attended, pay for one or two people. Engage in conversations with as many attendees and vendors as possible. Look for sales opportunities and ask them about trade shows they prefer to attend.

If you can make deals, great. If you find out about other important shows, that's great too. Use it as a cheap experiment to know where to spend your time and more money. So check point #5.

4. Produce high-quality video ads (ads)

Videos can be used effectively across multiple channels, including at in-person events. This makes them incredibly valuable and also means it's worth paying more for premium, commercial-grade videos.

Your script will be crucial. A good video ad picks out a problem you're solving, highlights how painful that problem is, shows how it was solved with your help, and invites viewers to take action to work with you.

It doesn't have to cost you much, but you should factor paid promotion into your budget. The 80/20 rule applies: spend 20% of your time and budget creating, 80% promoting.

Related: 5 Steps to Making Winning Marketing Bets

5. Sponsor key and proven trade shows

Now that you know which shows are worth betting on, bet big. Be the belle of the ball. Get an oversized booth space. Bring a team to man your stand. Sponsor educational sessions. Give an educational session. Pay for a digital billboard in the room: to introduce a speaker, to mark complementary Wi-Fi network and password, to show your video to an engaged audience.

The success of a trade show is not linear. You have to create a lot of buzz to get traction, and that attention tends to pay off exponentially. Pro tip: Local and regional shows tend to provide better feedback on...