In today’s digital age, there are what seems to be an infinite number of tech startups, particularly those pertaining to apps, created each year. Of these, only a handful are able to successfully cut through the clutter of traditional and social media, achieving financial success and establishing staying power in the process.
Unfortunately for startups, having an app, product, or service that fulfills a consumer’s needs isn’t enough. Now, particularly with the rise of social media, consumers are inundated with brands fighting for their attention – how can small startups make themselves top of mind? The below tips and insight will help your startup have a fighting chance at success despite the hyper-competitive nature of the business economy.
- Focus On Your Target Customer. When first marketing your startup, it’s easy to grow overzealous and consider any increase in brand awareness to be beneficial. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case – you’ll want to strategically target your consumer base, thus maximizing time, and money, spent building brand awareness.
- Develop Shareable Content. In today’s digital world, shareable content can go a very, very long way towards building brand awareness. By incentivizing your consumer base to share your content, whether it be a discount (a personal incentive), a witty graphic (non-personal incentive), or something else entirely, you maximize your brands reach. For added bonus, odds are those in your consumer base that are sharing your content will be sharing it with like-minded consumers – your brand will be maximizing its reach to its target demographic all at once.
- Build Strategic Partnerships. By aligning your brand with a more established one, your startup will have a serious opportunity to gain credibility, resources, and exposure. Your startup should select a brand that it’s enthusiastic about and whose business model suits yours. A mutually beneficial partnership is something coveted by brands of all shapes and sizes.
While not a communications strategy, the below are very important for startups, particularly those with limited resources:
- Have a Deep Understanding of Your Product. While this isn’t entirely communications related, this is something that will go a long way towards determining your overall approach towards marketing, communications, and advertising. Is your brand one that seems best suited for a digital campaign, or is it one that might benefit more from traditional print? It’s important to understand your product, which will in turn help you better understand the tactics necessary for success.
- Identify Your Goals. Is the goal of your communications strategy to increase social followers; to convert prospective customers into purchasing customers; to increase brand awareness? Knowing exactly what you’d like to gain from your communications efforts will go a long way towards ensuring that you choose the right tactics for putting your startup on the map.
Marketing a startup and cutting through the clutter of other brands attempting to get their messaging out will never be easy. But entrepreneurs don’t start businesses because it’s easy; they start businesses because they believe that their product, app, or service is valuable to a consumer in one way or another. With the right strategy in place, startups can gain a leg up on the competition, giving their brand’s voice a megaphone where others have none.
Which new apps or tech start-ups have you seen that have really been able to stand out through their marketing tactics?