Start-ups, unless they receive an insane influx of investments, are often strapped for cash, usually so much so that they have no real marketing budget. However, there are options for those start-ups to inexpensively market their product or service in ways that rival the companies with the big bucks. Here are seven good options for start-up marketing.
1. Join All Relevant Social Media Outlets
Social media is essentially the key to cheap start-up marketing, a game-changing tool that makes it possible for the little guys to find big success. They are usually free services that offer an outreach far beyond what you could achieve any other way. Most of these strategies are related to it, either directly or indirectly. Because the effort is fairly minimal and the cost is most often none, you should immediately register your start-up for every social media outlet that you think could possibly bring awareness to your business.
2. Gain More Followers Organically
If you tap into the right niche you can develop a loyal following. I write for Minnesota Life College, a vocational school for young adults with learning differences. It attracts a large audience of people who want to advocate autism awareness, one of the best possible communities to help me spread their message far and wide. Find a topic to focus on that has a similar cult following and then engage your audience.
3. Interact With Your Community
It’s amazing what an “@” mention on Twitter will deliver you in the form of fierce customer loyalty. Treating your followers like people instead of demographics to advertise to makes a huge difference in how they view your company. Be sure to respond to every comment, whether it be praise or a complaint, by snail mail or digitally. Customers don’t need a lot to be satisfied. All you have to do is let them know that you care, and they’ll happily invest themselves in what you’re selling.
4. Get Exposure
Social media is a powerful tool, but so is traditional media. Find a way to get a lot of attention by utilizing your ingenuity for start-up marketing. Create content that could go viral so that you might be able to reach all the corners across the web.
5. Keep Being Memorable
To stay in the public eye never stop making decisions that bring a lot of attention to your company. Continue to look for and find the niches you can fill, and fill them. Keep an eye out for any opportunities to get noticed. Initial media attention is nice, but it’s extra important to start-up marketing that you ensure that you are continuing to get coverage even during the slow periods of your product/service development.
6. Make The Customer Experience Unforgettable
Delivering a quality product or service is obviously paramount to your success. The best way to create something people like is to ask the people what they want out of the thing you’re marketing. Field question and respond to them promptly. You might have an idea of what you want to create, but you’ll find more success if you give the consumers a voice in the process.
7. Become An Expert
Coming across as an expert in your field is invaluable. If you’re offering strong advice, people will flock to you for the tips and many will stay for the product or service you’re offering. Hire a skilled blogger that can help you position your business as an expert in its field. Look for people who are writing things that are useful, and contact them to see if they have the knowledge to assist you and an interest in sharing the right expertise for your start-up.
Featured photo credit: Elijah van der Giessen via flickr.com
