Effective marketing for startups
on zero budget
Leo Exter, founder @ westartup
The things I do
There really is NO “silver bullet”
Clever is good… well-funded is better
Marketing isn’t complex… it’s complicated
Exception?
No, just proves the rules…
Strategy
Forget about it.
For now.
The Missing Word
Don’t
• Don’t wait with name, logo & business cards
• Don’t start with advertising
• Don’t do press releases
• Don’t waste time!
There’s no such thing as “people”
There’s individuals and their unique needs
This is a niche.
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Chose yours wisely:Not too big
Not too smallVery clearly defined
Research: test your (implicit) assumptions
• Talk to 1 person to understand
• Survey 100 peopleto make a choice
•Listen!
Build a basic website first
Work with forums
Fans for every conceivable thing
Find “movers and shakers”
Make them privileged partners
Email marketing:bad rep, great results
• Perfect for keeping in touch with your customers
• Follow basic rules for success
• Plenty of good free tools around
http://www.b2bemailmarketing.com/
Social media: BEWARE!
Not free: costs you time!
Not everyone is (really) on Facebook
More miss than hit – It’s not as “viral” as you think– Takes a lot of skill to do it right
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Social media crash course
Stick to the big 3
Good content wins
Be social!
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Do-it-yourself PR
Don’t forget about “traditional” press!
Choose right journalists, focus
Bring them storiesto copy / paste
Partner power!
Ideal partner:– Same target– Awesome power– Complementary
(non-competing)
Find a win-win
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To create word-of-mouth: under-promise and over-deliver
“€ 75 for a life-changing experience”
Dann Rogge
Get professional help
Wait till you’ve run out of free stuff to do
Think three times before choosing the cheapest service
Always watch out for bullshit
