No matter how earth-shaking your product is, what you produce becomes futile if no one knows about your business. To successfully reach out to your target audience, you’re going to need to learn how to market. This is why startups of all kinds and sizes have to include user acquisition in their drawing boards and business plans.
Still, it’s important to note that conventional user acquisition strategies aren’t always feasible. To a lot of solopreneurs and small business founders, budget constraints can be a huge roadblock.
We’ve rounded out the best marketing tactics that don’t particularly break the bank for this blog post. If you’re a business leader trying to penetrate a market and build a following, here are a few pointers you shouldn’t overlook.
Word of mouth marketing is unmatched.
As suggested by Halo incubator’s CEO, Nora Peterson, believes in the power of word of mouth marketing.
At this rate, we’ve built new technology older generations could only dream of experiencing. Yet, despite all of this era’s innovations, there still is no substitute for word of mouth marketing. The truth is that there is no secret sauce in this recipe. Expanding your network and befriending personalities and groups of people you wish to collaborate with are elemental in getting word out. Don’t be afraid to play the long game. Trust that both your personal and business reputation will pay off.
Additionally, help grow your peer’s businesses and promote new brands you find value in. The very idea of enterprises relies on give-and-take principles. Contributing to other people’s successes only helps you set up your own. Foster relationships and be on the lookout for partnerships.
Invest in intentional content.
There have been dozens of business leaders who started producing meaningful online content before their finished product was even made available. Start by slowly attracting your target market by putting out insightful material they can utilize.
This methodology is precisely what BetterMe CEO, Victoria Repa, went for. Initially entering the scene with only fitness blog entries, her brand now has over 6 million social media followers who eagerly await the content she puts out.
The advent of the internet has made this strategy immensely easier today. Vlogs, blogs, podcasts, webinars, e-books, and tutorials are all prime examples of what you could already be putting out in the absence of whatever your commodified offering is.
Simply put, you drive organic traffic when you release content your potential audience could find exciting and beneficial.
Virtual summits hold a lot of promise.
The business landscape is evolving in paces faster than expected, and a growing pandemic is only amplifying that speed. So, if there’s one thing that’s crystal clear today—it’s that the digital space only becomes stronger as each day progresses. With that, virtual summits are becoming a more recognized norm. For instance, PositiveHire CEO, Michele Heyward, shares that by holding virtual conferences at least two times a year, she’s been able to acquire roughly 500 new users without even having to spend on ads.
And because her business has a specific niche, reaching out to her target audience hasn’t been a challenging feat. That said, don’t forego identifying small segments in your target market. When you’re smart about how you sell your product, no time and effort are ever wasted.
Webinars can be effective.
According to Emilia George CEO, Elle Wang, digital marketing doesn’t always pay off. This may be a hot take on the matter, but unconventional marketing methods still thrive in one way or another, depending on the context.
Elle believes that it’s a numbers game, and only those with massive digital marketing budgets are bound to reach audiences outside their organic jurisdiction. While this does sound fair, it doesn’t always put startups at the forefront of the game. As such, she’s learned to explore paths not too many entrepreneurs put a premium on. By hosting webinars, she’s learned that she’s only gotten to know her target market all the more.
Don’t be afraid to explore new platforms and mediums. What matters is you take the time to study what resonates with your market, and then bank on that.
Sliding into the DMs isn’t always a bad thing.
Albeit a controversial route to take, messaging certain people through social media can also pay off. Although you’re going to have to be a little more calculative, sending DMs to people you feel belong in your market segment only helps you become more personal. Like sending handwritten notes, you can even customize what you want to say and sell depending on a person’s profile.
This strategy works effectively with Petite Ave CEO, Vanessa Youshaei. In an article online, she shares that she messages followers of bloggers she follows on social media. And to her advantage, she’s made sales because of doing so. At the end of the day, customer acquisition is about targeting the right people. And what better way to do that than by speaking to them yourself?
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