We asked industry experts to share one platform or tool they found particularly effective for marketing their product or service as a new entrepreneur. Here are the specific strategies they implemented that you can use to yield tangible results in your marketing efforts.
- Facebook Lead Ads Boosted ChessEasy Academy
- Instagram Showcases Products and Builds Trust
- AI Tools and No-Code Automation Platforms
- LinkedIn Transformed Marketing in Security Industry
- Ahrefs Helped Optimize Hyper-Local Landing Pages
- LinkedIn Builds Credibility and Transparency
- Instagram Provides Visual Storytelling and Engagement
- Google Ads Targeted Local Intent Keywords
- Instagram Showcases Luxury Beauty Products
- Google Business Profile Boosted Local Marketing
- Mailchimp Enhanced Email Marketing Campaigns
- LinkedIn Marketing Builds Authority and Engagement
- AnswerThePublic Improved Content Creation Strategy
- Google NotebookLM Repurposed Blog Posts into Podcasts
- Real-World Events Accelerated Early Traction
- LinkedIn Establishes Authority and Connects Decision-Makers
- YouTube Creator Bios Generated Organic Interest
Facebook Lead Ads Boosted ChessEasy Academy
One platform that significantly boosted marketing efforts when I first started was Facebook Lead Ads. Initially, I tried various methods, from flyers to email campaigns, but it was Facebook’s targeted ad platform that delivered tangible, measurable results.
I created short, engaging video ads featuring snippets of our chess classes, clearly highlighting the fun, educational environment students could expect. Instead of broadly targeting, I specifically focused on parents in my local area interested in activities like “kids’ education,” “family-friendly events,” and “extracurricular activities.” I paired these ads with a simple lead form asking only essential details—like the child’s age, chess experience, and preferred class timings.
This straightforward strategy worked exceptionally well: we saw immediate increases in high-quality leads, achieving around a 35% enrollment rate from those leads. My advice to new entrepreneurs is to invest in platforms that allow precise targeting and quick feedback loops, enabling you to adapt swiftly based on what’s working.
Harikrishnan A
Commonwealth Chess Player and Founder of Chesseasy Academy, ChessEasy Academy
Instagram Showcases Products and Builds Trust
For us, Instagram has been the most effective social media platform in marketing our small business. We have found that the visual nature of the platform allows us to showcase our products and services in a more engaging way compared to other platforms.
One strategy that has worked well for us is collaborating with influencers within our niche. We reach out to individuals with a strong following who align with our brand values and offer them free products or services in exchange for promoting our business. This has not only increased our reach but also helped establish credibility and trust among potential customers.
Additionally, we regularly use Instagram’s sponsored posts feature to target specific demographics and locations that are most likely to be interested in our products.
Amira Irfan
Founder and CEO, A Self Guru
AI Tools and No-Code Automation Platforms
When I was marketing my agency services, I found the combination of AI tools and no-code automation platforms to be extraordinarily effective, particularly when implemented with a strategic approach focused on hyper-personalization at scale.
My most effective tool was leveraging Make (previously Integromat) alongside other software tools and a variety of Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-4, Claude, and Perplexity to scan their top highlights across the web and create personalized cold email outreach campaigns at scale that were borderline creepy but hard to ignore.
This approach roughly gave me an average of 8-10% response rates compared to traditional cold outreach.
The specific implementation involved:
- Apify to scrape leads on various B2B sales platforms
- EmailValidation to verify emails by ensuring deliverability
- PhantomBuster to enrich leads with their LinkedIn data
- Perplexity to analyze prospect websites and LinkedIn profiles to generate hyper-personalized outreach messages that referenced specific details about their business challenges
- GPT-4 or Claude to write personalized icebreakers
- Instantly to manage multiple inboxes for the email campaign
This entire process was glued together by building an automation workflow in Make.
What made this approach particularly valuable for me as a new entrepreneur was the ability to execute enterprise-level marketing strategies without the enterprise-level team or budget. My small operation could compete with established agencies by delivering personalization at a scale that was previously impossible for solopreneurs.
Brendan Aw
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, brendanaw.com
LinkedIn Transformed Marketing in Security Industry
LinkedIn has genuinely transformed how I market my business, especially as a woman working in the male-dominated private security industry. When I first started in Greece in 2002, female representation in security was practically unheard of, making it difficult to connect with peers or potential clients locally. LinkedIn opened the doors for me, allowing me to expand my professional network internationally and establish credibility with colleagues and clients worldwide.
Today, about 25% of my clientele comes directly from LinkedIn. But my approach isn’t simply, “Here’s what I offer, please buy it.” Instead, I focus more on creating educational content, openly sharing my knowledge, insights, and experiences. I also intentionally broaden my outreach beyond just the security industry, aiming to connect with professionals who closely influence my potential clients, like those in health management, family offices, and executive assistance roles. This authentic and strategic approach positions me as a trusted expert, attracting clients who value my expertise without ever needing a hard sell.
Denida Grow
Managing Partner – Protection and Intelligence Solutions, LeMareschal LLC
Ahrefs Helped Optimize Hyper-Local Landing Pages
One tool that made a real difference early on was Ahrefs. Instead of just tracking rankings, I used it to reverse-engineer competitor strategies and find low-competition keywords with high conversion potential. A big win came when I spotted cleaning businesses ranking for “near me” searches with almost no backlinks—meaning Google was prioritizing proximity and relevance over authority. I created hyper-local landing pages, optimized them for those overlooked keywords, and within months, we were outranking older agencies. Another tactic was stealing competitors’ broken backlinks—I’d find dead links pointing to their sites, recreate better content, and reach out to those site owners to replace the broken link with ours. It worked like a charm and built instant authority.
Zeeshan Siddiqui
Founder, SEO for Cleaning Services
LinkedIn Builds Credibility and Transparency
Entrepreneurs cannot exist today if they cannot be found online. Being invisible online is a terrible strategy, so ensuring your site is keyword-rich, mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and produces meaningful content is the price of entry and a great foundation for effective SEO. Social media and technology are 24/7, so it’s easy to get sucked in, but don’t let them drive you crazy. You don’t need to be everywhere; it doesn’t matter which platform you choose, just pick one or two that are authentic to you.
In my experience, people need to be on LinkedIn so that they can be found. It adds credibility and transparency when you know the people you are meeting or working with know people in common. LinkedIn has become more than an online resume or rolodex; it is the foundation for building trusted relationships in the digital economy. You don’t need to blog or be on all social media platforms, but make sure you are active on the ones where you are present. If your customers don’t use Facebook, Twitter/X, or Instagram to find you, then you don’t need to make them a priority. For many professional service businesses like mine, LinkedIn matters the most.
With LinkedIn, you don’t have to wait for a networking event to make meaningful business connections. You get one chance to make a great first impression, so make sure every section of your LinkedIn profile is complete, with no blank spaces or gaps. Include a professional headshot and powerful headline followed by a summary with highlights of your personal brand, what you do well, and how you can benefit potential clients/customers. Keep this section brief and easy to skim for best results.
Keywords are a great way to help professionals in your industry find your profile, and strategic keywords in your profile give you an advantage in networking too. To present yourself as an expert in your industry, post interesting and educational content by sharing a great article you’ve read recently. If you truly want to make valuable connections and represent yourself as a talented thought leader in your industry, you should be crafting your own articles on LinkedIn.
Paige Arnof-Fenn
Founder & CEO, Mavens & Moguls
Instagram Provides Visual Storytelling and Engagement
Platform: Instagram
Why it worked: As a new entrepreneur, Instagram provided us with visual storytelling and direct engagement all in one place—perfect for building brand awareness and trust quickly.
Strategy highlights:
1. Micro-Influencer Collaborations: We partnered with niche creators (2k-10k followers) who genuinely used our product. Instead of paying fees, we offered free products and affiliate codes. Their audience trusted them, and it felt organic—not sales-oriented.
2. Story Polls & Q&As: Weekly engagement through polls, quizzes, and Q&A stickers helped us learn what our audience wanted, while boosting our visibility with the algorithm.
3. Behind-the-Scenes Reels: We documented our journey—packaging orders, designing products, launch countdowns. It built a loyal, invested audience who wanted us to succeed.
4. Link-in-Bio Tools (like Linktree): We used it to drive traffic to our site, newsletter, and promo pages—all trackable via UTM links.
Bonus tip: Posting consistently (3-4 times per week) and responding to every DM/comment in the early stages helped us grow faster than any paid advertisement.
Archit Gupta
Marketing Executive, EDS FZE
Google Ads Targeted Local Intent Keywords
As a new entrepreneur, one platform that proved especially effective for marketing was Google Ads. It helped us reach customers at the exact moment they were searching for storage solutions in their area.
The strategy we used focused on local intent—targeting keywords tied to specific neighborhoods or cities where we had facilities. We also made sure our landing pages matched the ad copy and included clear calls to action, like “Reserve Now” or “Find a Unit Near You.” Pairing this with location extensions and optimized mobile experiences made a noticeable impact in driving qualified traffic and immediate conversions.
The key is to start small, test often, and let the data guide your next move. Google Ads gave us that flexibility and visibility when we needed it most.
Juan Castellanos
Senior Marketing Manager, SecureSpace
Instagram Showcases Luxury Beauty Products
As a new entrepreneur in the luxury beauty space, choosing the right platform to market our brand was crucial. After experimenting with different channels, Instagram proved to be the most effective tool for reaching and engaging our ideal audience.
Instagram isn’t just a social media platform—it’s a visual storytelling powerhouse, perfect for brands that thrive on aesthetics, luxury, and lifestyle-driven marketing. With a product line rooted in pure silk hair accessories that offer real beauty benefits, we needed a space where we could showcase both the elegance and functionality of our products while also communicating our eco-friendly values.
We believe that luxury should be both beautiful and beneficial. To position ourselves as a premium brand, we focused on high-quality, editorial-style content. Every post, Reel, and Story was meticulously curated to reflect the sophistication of our products. Soft lighting, elegant compositions, and close-up shots of our silk pillowcases, scrunchies, and sleep masks conveyed the luxury feel we wanted to establish.
Rather than just showing our products, we made sure to tell their story. We leveraged Reels and Instagram Stories to educate our audience on the unique benefits of our pure silk products—from reducing hair breakage to maintaining moisture. Short, engaging videos demonstrated how our accessories weren’t just stylish but actually improved hair health over time.
To build credibility and social proof, we collaborated with micro-influencers and luxury beauty enthusiasts who genuinely loved our products. We encouraged customers to share their experiences with our silk accessories, reposting their content to reinforce trust and community engagement. Seeing real people enjoy our products elevated our brand’s desirability.
We believe that luxury and sustainability can coexist beautifully. Instagram has been the perfect platform to share our story, and if you’re an entrepreneur in the luxury e-commerce space, your audience is waiting to fall in love with your brand too.
Oana Badiceanu
Owner/Founder, HoneyLux
Google Business Profile Boosted Local Marketing
One platform that worked wonders for us was Google Business Profile. As a new entrepreneur, I focused on optimizing our profile with real client photos, detailed service descriptions, and regular updates. We encouraged happy clients to leave reviews, which boosted credibility fast. The biggest win? Answering questions directly on the profile—this built trust and brought in leads without spending a dime on ads. If you’re in a service-based business, this should be your first move.
Chasen Mushiana
Founder, Beazy Marketing
Mailchimp Enhanced Email Marketing Campaigns
Mailchimp really helped me step up my email marketing game as a new entrepreneur. It allowed me to create personalized campaigns for different segments of my audience, sending tailored offers and updates based on their past interactions with my brand. It made my emails feel more relevant and engaging, which led to better response rates. More importantly, it contributed to more conversions, helping me build stronger connections with my customers and grow my business.
Leon Huang
CEO, RapidDirect
LinkedIn Marketing Builds Authority and Engagement
Organic LinkedIn marketing transformed my approach to business. I constructed an organized approach for LinkedIn by developing value-adding content and engaging in personal interactions with target audiences. I established authority status by sharing useful insights about my industry, providing relevant knowledge and practical advice for my audience.
I engaged with my target audience further by responding to their posts, joining meaningful discussions, and sending individual connection requests. This relational method enabled me to earn leads without using any advertising budget. As my professional network expanded, my content began to attract more attention, which resulted in both client deals and partnership agreements. The key? Consistency, authenticity, and strategic engagement. This new method redefined how I conducted my marketing activities.
Mark Tipton
CEO & Founder, Aspire
AnswerThePublic Improved Content Creation Strategy
AnswerThePublic was an invaluable tool for discovering common questions people were asking about my industry. I used it to create content that directly addressed those questions, whether through blog posts, videos, or social media updates. This strategy helped me provide real value to my audience, improving both organic traffic and customer engagement. It made content creation feel more purposeful and connected to what people were genuinely curious about.
Joe Schaeppi
CEO & Co-Founder, Solsten
Google NotebookLM Repurposed Blog Posts into Podcasts
One tool I found surprisingly effective as a new entrepreneur was Google NotebookLM—not in the way it’s typically used, but as a way to turn blog posts into podcast content.
I was already writing long-form articles about coding interviews and learning to code, but I wanted to reach people who prefer listening over reading—especially commuters, gym-goers, or just folks who are burned out on screens. So I started feeding those blog posts into NotebookLM, and it helped me restructure the content in a more conversational tone. I’d tweak it further, add personal stories or analogies, and then either record a voiceover myself or use AI narration.
What made this work well was how easy it was to repurpose one piece of content into multiple formats. The blog post still helped with SEO, but the podcast version reached a different audience—people on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or even YouTube. I also noticed that listeners were more likely to reach out or reply to my emails. There’s something about hearing someone’s voice that builds trust in a way text doesn’t always do.
This approach gave me a consistent content pipeline without burning out, and it helped position me as more of a real person rather than just another website. It wasn’t flashy or expensive, but it worked—and as a solo founder, that’s all I could ask for.
Mircea Dima
CEO / CTO & Founder, AlgoCademy
Real-World Events Accelerated Early Traction
As a new entrepreneur building both a business and a reputation from scratch, one of the most underrated platforms to accelerate early traction is real-world events. When you have no track record, no meaningful social following, and limited reach through digital channels, getting people to engage with your message can be a slow uphill climb. Emails go unanswered, social posts get little traction, and it becomes difficult to test, refine, or validate your proposition, let alone sharpen the way you communicate it.
Attending our first industry fair fundamentally shifted that dynamic. For the first time, we were speaking directly to our target audience, face-to-face. And in person, it’s a different game: people can’t scroll past you or ignore the message as easily. Every conversation becomes an opportunity to test core assumptions. Are we talking to the right stakeholders? Is our message landing? Does the proposition resonate? The feedback is immediate, and it’s in the details of how people react and respond.
Equally important, events are a powerful training ground for a skill that’s often overlooked: the ability to approach people cold and start meaningful conversations. It’s uncomfortable at first, but the environment helps because people are there to connect. You learn to navigate the awkward moments, deal with rejection, and build resilience, which are all critical competencies in the early stages of business development.
And the barrier to entry is low. Many fairs and expos are free to attend, especially for startups. If you’re just getting started, find one that aligns with your market and show up. The worst that can happen? You walk away with practice. The best? You gain insight, traction, and connections that would have taken months to build online.
Isaak Siebenga
Co-Founder, Cco, ForSURE Europe B.V.
LinkedIn Establishes Authority and Connects Decision-Makers
One platform that has been incredibly effective for marketing as a new entrepreneur is LinkedIn. Unlike other social platforms, LinkedIn allows for highly targeted B2B networking and organic reach, making it an ideal space to establish authority and connect with decision-makers.
We leveraged LinkedIn by focusing on thought leadership and relationship-building rather than just direct promotion. We consistently shared insights on branding, digital marketing trends, and case studies showcasing our expertise. This helped position us as industry experts while naturally attracting inbound leads.
Another key strategy was personalized outreach. Instead of generic cold messages, we engaged with potential clients by commenting on their posts, adding value to discussions, and only then initiating conversations. This non-salesy approach made our connections more receptive.
To amplify reach, we also used LinkedIn’s native content features, such as articles and polls, which boosted engagement and visibility. Over time, this organic strategy built credibility and trust, leading to business opportunities without heavy ad spending. For any new entrepreneur, LinkedIn isn’t just a platform—it’s a strategic tool to grow authority, build relationships, and generate high-quality leads.
Burhanuddin Qutbi
Co-Founder at Saifee Creations, Saifee Creations
YouTube Creator Bios Generated Organic Interest
One of the most effective and surprisingly overlooked strategies we used to grow was placing our business email in the bios of the YouTube creators we manage, like Magnus and Browney. These channels are generating billions of views every month, and having our emails in their bios became our most powerful marketing tool. We didn’t need flashy ads or complex outbound campaigns. Just by being visible in the right places, we made it easy for both brands and creators to find us. The volume of organic interest it generated was a game-changer. Simple, but incredibly effective.
Gidon Rotteveel
CEO and Co-Founder, Delka Talents
