When it comes to start-up marketing, there is no one-size fits all approach. Your marketing strategy will need to adjust based on your product, the sector, the industry, whether your customer is a consumer or business, the persona of your end-user and a multitude of many different other factors. It is also important to consider which marketing channels will be most effective as well as the tone of your messaging, which in turn is linked to the company image and ideals that you are aiming to embody. It can be difficult to navigate and find your voice in a sea of other businesses, but there are some common themes that are worth pursuing and thinking about when you start to map out your marketing strategy.
Every journey begins with a single step
It may sound obvious, but the best thing you can do is try. Experimentation is one of the best ways to find out which marketing strategy will work best for your business. The likelihood of you nailing your marketing on the first attempt is slim, but you won’t ever get it right if you don’t try in the first place. Develop different types of content, try out some designs with your target audience, and get some feedback to see what works well and what doesn’t. Is your marketing giving off the energy that you want it to? Is it aligned with your company values? This is not an exact science, but the best way to see what works and what doesn’t is to give it a go. Throw yourself at the challenge and you’ll quickly start to see what is working and what isn’t.
If you don’t believe in your product, then nobody else will
This is a big one but often overlooked. You need to be 100% committed to what you are building and this needs to be reflected in the marketing material that you create. If there is a shred of doubt, it will seep through into the marketing materials that your produce. As a business owner, you are effectively tied to the product or service that you offer. Your energy is paramount to marketing success.
You don’t need to create a whole new marketing thesis
There is a misconception with start-up marketing that you need to create a whole new marketing channel that nobody has ever thought of before. This isn’t the case. Often, it’s simply a case of differentiating as opposed to separating. How are you and your business going to stand out against all the other businesses out there that are competing for the same customers? How are you going to shout louder and shine brighter? This doesn’t require you to reinvent the wheel but it does mean you have to think about who you are, what you stand for, and what pain point your product is trying to solve.
Other themes that will be worth exploring as your marketing strategy grows to include; virality, exclusivity, social proof, uniqueness, and personalisation. Each of these can be built on the foundations you create from your initial content.
There are so many marketing tools and techniques, but the key is to have a very good understanding of your customer, the pain point and what your company represents.
