5 questions to resolve when you make your startup marketing plan
Since I work with startup companies one thing is clear: they can be really messed up when they have to resolve their marketing strategy. I wanted to understand thire pain, so I made a short quest between ten pretty cool Israeli startups and asked what questions bothers you most in marketing? Here are what they said and what we think they should do about it.
1. Will people like/ need my product?
2. How to find the right message since my product is one of a kind?
3. How to find out what are the best marketing tools to use?
4. How to do social media well?
5. Do I have a market strategy?
Here are Gaia's ideas as an answer to the above questions:
1. Will people like/ need my product?
We believe the question should be Who are the people that will like / need my products most?
There are three stages in the way to find those people :
First – Studying your company and product (from an objective view point): What does your product really do? What benefits it brings? What are your start-up's unique characters and what are the company's most dominate strengths and challenges?
Second – To analyze the market overview. However, most of the time the market is not there yet. In that situation, the question should be what is the market for our product to play in? You should study what does people do today at the field your product is aiming to.
At the third stage, you should run a small objective market quality research among existing and/or potential customers, opinion leaders and professionals from the industry. To find out the best match between your product and the market potential or needs.
The combined answer will lead you to those people who will like your product most!
2. How to find the right message since my product is one of a kind?
The right message is the one that sits in the mind of your most potential customers, in accordance to the pain or needs your product is answering.
You will find that message through the three stages we offered at the previous question...
3. How to find out what are the best marketing tools to use?
This is an excellent question… since a lot of start-ups are tending to believe the ultimate marketing ruts for a start-up are through online marketing,… and it's not. I mean, not ultimate..
To find out what are the right marketing tools for your start-up, you should go back to answer number 1 (ahead). Once you follow the three stages, you know who your customers are or should be, and how do they perceive your product.
Then you should find those marketing tools that your potential customers use most on one hand, and the tools that will present your product most effectively on the other. Those tools that fit to both, are the right marketing tools to use at the current time.
4. How to do social media well?
First, you have to know whether your most potential customers (see answer #1) are using social media, what are they using and how active are they in regard to social media?
Assuming your customer do use social media, you have to find and make sure whether and what kind of social media fit to market your product (answer # 2).
From that point, you have two options – to do social media internally, or to use a professional out sourcing for that. Unless you have an internally social media pro, we strongly recommend you to go to an expert social media marketing provider.
5. Do I have a market strategy?
A market strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. (Wikipedia)
You have a market strategy if you know (based on objective data and research) the answer for these four questions:
A. What is the exact definition of your product/s (from the view point of your potencial customers)?
B. What is the right category for your company and produact to play in?
C. Who are your real primary and secondary target segments?
D. What is your prodoct's value proposition?
Reka Nemeth, Hayut Yogev.
