marketing strategy for start up
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Marketing Strategy for Start Ups with Zero Budget
By Elena Donets
Marketing… What is it? Definition: Marketing is the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers.
Before Funding…
Marketing is a lower priority
Programming is minimal
Resources are focused on BD / Product
You’ve got funding…
The Race Begins…
Marketing Strategy
Start to build your marketing strategy before you get the funding, it will help you to get the investment.
Pre Launch
Launch Post
Launch
Online
Offline
First Step: Define
Company goals
Market
Customers
Value propositions
Sales strategies
Team strengths
Resources (people, $$, time)
Timeframe
Pre Launch
“I want to put a ding in the Universe.” Steve Jobs
Put the Focus on the People, Not the Product
Pre Launch
Online Marketing
Website / Landing Page (launchrock)
Facebook Page
Other social networks
Content marketing
Pre Launch
Online Marketing
Website / Landing Page / Blog Make sure that every single page on your site has meaningful content on it. People spend less than a minute on a site before moving on, which means your content needs to be top notch.
Facebook Page / Twitter Create a community of followers that wants to solve the same problem as your product.
Case study - Parko
Pre Launch
Online Marketing
Content Marketing Create content that people will find interesting, and which is more likely to be shared over social media.
Case Study: The Best Job in the World
Be Creative!!!
Pre Launch
Offline Marketing
Make the most of networking
Keep in touch with the people you meet. You never know where a lead can stem from!
Participate at Pitch Night or other events
Start to tell your story / idea
Pre Launch
Every Startup Should Know When To Start Marketing Its Product, maybe Pre Launch Marketing is not for you…
“Why join the navy if you can be a pirate?” Steve Jobs
Launch
Plan Your Product Launch
“ You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built,
they'll want something new.” Steve Jobs
Apple – 1984 Video
Launch Strategy
It all starts with a story…
Website
Facebook / Twitter
Video / YouTube channel
Blog / Guest writer
List your company on: Angel List, Crunch Base and more
36 places where you can submit your startup for some coverage
Launch Strategy
Turn Your Product Launch into an Event If you have the budget for it, throw a big press event for your product announcements. If not, at least have some kind of online event. If you make a big deal about your product launch, both your potential customers and the media are likely to take it more seriously, and it’ll be reflected in your product sales.
Launch Strategy
Press release Write a good press release. A press release is content that the media could use directly for their story. It is written in the third person and talks about your product, team, and the advantages of your product. Learn how to write press releases. Here are some tips to write your press release.
Bloggers Write personally to bloggers – give exclusives for the big ones- give them a compelling story. Bloggers like to write interesting content. Make your story a coherent and a powerful one. Request them not to leak the story till your launch day.
Post Launch Strategy
Many startups have the Post-Launch Syndrome, where they had a successful launch but couldn’t keep their momentum for continuous success. The launch is only a small part of the journey.
“I was worth over $1,000,000 when I was 23, and over $10,000,000 when I was 24, and over $100,000,000 when I was 25, and it wasn't
that important because I never did it for the money.” Steve Jobs
Source: http://artsyeditor.com/2011/07/60-post-launch-strategies-for-startups/
Post Launch Strategy
Promotions Lectures / Education
Promotion Sales / Discounts
Give Free copies
Be a part of a Top 10 list. #1 will be the best
Connecting with Customers Case studies with customers
Ask for feedback
Survey your costumers before adding a feature
Ask your customers what is the one feature that helps them the most
Advertising Give away your product for free in exchange for advertisements
Advertise differently for every possible feature.
Be Creative!
Advertise on exclusive one-ad sites using The Deck or Fusion Ads.
Use advertisement as a form of testing your market.
Source: http://artsyeditor.com/2011/07/60-post-launch-strategies-for-startups/
Post Launch Strategy
Social Media
Join communities where your customers hang out and build a strong reputation.
Only be present at networks that your customers are a part of.
Actively participate in relevant conversation about your product.
Business Development
Try to get the most respected people amongst your customers to use & love your product.
Focus on a small niche and get as many customers there as possible before moving on.
Collect email leads from people who aren’t ready to buy yet, and follow up regularly.
Personally email big names in your industry and show them benefits of your product
Source: http://artsyeditor.com/2011/07/60-post-launch-strategies-for-startups/
Post Launch Strategy
Interviews/Guest Posts
Feature yourself in industry-related blogs/magazines.
Write a fair comparison between your product and your competitor’s.
Get in touch with the tools you utilize for your startup and do a guest post.
Have a unique voice in your interviews and blog posts.
Offer discount codes as an appreciation to readers for reading your post.
Website
Landing pages for different types of audience
Shorten your checkout process as much as possible.
Provide a fully working demo/playground.
Compare yourself to your competitors side-by-side.
More images, videos, lists, tables, numbers. Less paragraphs.
Source: http://artsyeditor.com/2011/07/60-post-launch-strategies-for-startups/
“Three Rules of Life...
1. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
2. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions
drown out your own inner voice. 3. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition - they
somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
Steve Jobs
Reading List
1. Startup Launch Reading List 2. Quora 3. 70 Creative Advertisements That Make You
Look Twice 4. The Ultimate Guide to Startup Marketing 5. How to Get to Your First 1,000 Users 6. Seven marketing mistakes most startups
make
Thank You
Author:
Elena Donets
VP, Operations and Strategy
StarTAU, Tel Aviv University
Entrepreneurship Center
Contact: