Easier said than done. When you’re a growing startup boldly going where no one has ventured before, sometimes there isn’t any ‘best’ around to learn from. However, there are several common threads that run through building a successful startup – one of them being marketing.
1. Focus and time your social media presence
Yes, maintaining an active social media presence is integral to getting word of your product out there. But there’s a thin line between active and overactive. It’s important to identify your primary user segment from the onset, and time your social media posts to coincide with when most of your users are online. This is probably the first and most basic social media advice you’ll see dished out – but do it anyway, and you’re unlikely to have to deal with lacklustre engagement metrics.
2. Make proper use of ad analytic tools
And just how should you determine the best time for social media engagement, you may ask? Through the judicious use of adtech, of course. Ad analytic tools are mines of useful information, with figures of everything from browser trends to click-through rates and web traffic. The trick is to be able to sift through all that data and use it to measure and evaluate the important stuff. It’s one of the best ways to make sure you’re heading in the right direction.
3. Keep existing users happy
As you look towards recruiting more new users, don’t forget about those already ‘in the bag’. Running regular contests and giveaways are quick hacks to keep your existing users happy, and at the same time attract new ones. But just a word of caution, they aren’t going to make your users delighted forever, and are definitely not the best way to retain them.What’s most important is figuring out what exactly makes your own users hum with happiness. It may be the user experience, the customer service, or the quality of your product – they took a chance on you, and it’s only right you reciprocate.
4. Old-school word-of-mouth promotion still matters
Technology may be real fancy these days, but marketers still haven’t found a way to replace good ol’ word-of-mouth promotion and its sheer ability to make something go viral. Your best bet to making this work is to prepare a referral program right from the onset. Even better, have yours come with incentives for influencers to get them onboard.
5. New market, whole new set of rules
It’s every startup’s dream to go international. It’s also every startup’s biggest potential pitfall if they think they can go about it the same way they earned their homegrown success. Familiarising yourself with the local market conditions, legalities, and culture in a foreign country is an essential first step for expanding overseas. Lay your groundwork for each expansion even if it’s cumbersome – you’ll have yourself to thank when your plans succeed.
