Marketing a start-up is an important and crucial part of building a business. Much of the popularity of the start-ups doing great business today owes it to the clever marketing strategies incorporated by the owners. The challenge is not the competition in the industry itself but also the hundreds of marketing messages that consumers are bombarded with on a regular basis.
Here are some of the marketing strategies that are effective for Tech start-ups of today:
- Frequent and Consistent:
Always assume that customers have short term memory so you need to be fresh in their memory at all times. A brand’s voice should be coherent, clear and consistent. Not only should start-ups be regular with the post but engaging and attention-grabbing. Buffer App reports that the optimal number of posts to Facebook is between five and 10 times a week, Twitter is five tweets a day and LinkedIn and Google+ tied for one time a day.
- Engage your customers:
Starting a dialogue with customers will help you leave an imprint of your brand in the memory. With the increased commercialization, what will set you apart is being personal in the professional. Try new social media challenges to engage customers in spreading the word. Some of the growing trends that you can tap are – Dubsmash, everyday challenges, photo competitions and games.
- Mind-Blowing Content:
Old school yet important for marketing is the content used in any digital forum for your start-up. Content helps deliver the tone and spirit of your brand. Start-ups like Chumbak and Happily Unmarried have set a tone for their brand and are hugely seen as representative of pop culture by the youth. Make sure you invest in developing content that reflect the personality and theme of your start-up.
- It is all about your customers:
Most social media accounts fail because they are strictly used for promotions and branding. This is a failed strategy. Find and share information that is customer centric. The social media platform should be people friendly and customer oriented.
- Choosing the right time:
While there is no universal best time to bombard the social media with posts for the most views or exposure, here is the most popular and “perfect” of timings: Facebook: 12 p.m. EST is the best time to share. Twitter: 5 p.m. EST is the best time to get a retweet. 6 a.m. EST, 12 p.m. EST and 6 p.m. EST are the best times to tweet in terms of clicks. Also, remember to check these details every once in a while since the changing social dynamics can also change the best times for posts.
- Setting up a blog:
Creating a blog can be a challenge for any start-up. You would need an experienced writer or a recognisable name or face that will help you gain readers. The reader today has lesser attention span than ever so you need to crisp, entertaining and informative articles that will take 5 minutes or less to read in one sitting. Guest blogging allows you to invite celebrities, known faces or even customers themselves to write short snippets, articles and opinions.
- Reach everywhere:
After you have built the content for promotion, you need to reach everywhere to amplify the content. Leverage your social media profiles, collaborate with larger forums, and reach out to LinkedIn and Facebook groups.
Running a start-up on a shoestring budget is challenging. Adopt successful marketing strategies to keep the cost spent in marketing low while improving the brand visibility.
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About the Author
Madarapu Nagaraju is a Co-founder and Director at KnowledgeHut. With over seven years of experience, he possesses a bias for innovation and has an ability to connect the dots between thinking up strategies and executing them on the ground. He has played a pivotal role in building international alliances and expansion of the learning business overseas from one centre in Bengaluru to over 90 countries. A strong proponent of the lean practices, he strongly believes in the quote: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
