How to market your start-up on a tight budget

Mithun Bhardwaj

Marketing during the pandemic has become a minefield for start-ups.  Start-ups need to communicate directly with their customers, especially now that physical approach is no longer advisable. While it may not be the time to blindly push a product, it is the moment to show what the start-up stands for. Use that to make a play for customers' attention, and, eventually, their money. Don't rely on the same old banner ads and Google reviews. The good news is that it’s possible to deliver big marketing results, no matter how tight your budget.

Invest in a good product first

If you have an idea for a brilliant invention (you know you have at least one!) and are thinking about pursuing it, you don’t need to invest much on marketing. Investing is not only monetary investment it also includes thoughts and if articulated in a right manner you don’t need to spend extra for marketing.

Do you know that Zara, the Spanish Clothing Brand, spends 0.03% on Ads and Marketing? Zara uses an Anti-Marketing Approach and is still able to drive huge amount of sales. It could also be argued that Zara gets away with minimal advertising thanks to its reputation. However, they focus on their products and timely execution rather than marketing makes it possible for them.

Happy customers are your best marketing agents

Potential buyers care less about what you have to say about yourself, and more than ever about what your customers have to say about you. People trust each other. People may be paying less attention to ads, but they’re paying more attention to what they hear.

Looking for return on investment from your marketing? Turn your customers into advertisers. Putting your customer first can help improve relationship with your audience, retain customers and bring in more customers.

Use the power of organic marketing on social media

Organic marketing on social media is when you get customers to come to you naturally over time, rather than “artificially” via paid links or boosted posts. This approach will produce long-term results that will help you maintain your audience. Organic marketing is successful because it acts like word-of-mouth recommendation; if people are hearing about it or seeing it from other people, they are more likely to be interested. This will spread awareness about your product through publishing articles on several available websites like LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, etc. These platforms are a great source of marketing your product with least bucks involved.

This will often offer a bigger bang for the buck. Younger customers are not reading a magazine cover to cover. They see products on Instagram. It means to convert into a buyer is easier, and more effective through organic marketing. And now, it’s only one click away.

Content is King

You must have heard this phrase earlier many times. It’s really important to make people read about your product. It’s even more important to make people aware about your niche especially when content is known as the king of online marketing.

Focus on Storytelling v/s “STORYSELLING”, you don’t have to use your website to merely tell your own story. The stories that matter are those of the people who have used your products and services and found them to be beneficial. Limited funds give you an excuse to flex your creative muscle and truly share your vision with the world.

Set up days dedicated to brainstorming, outlining, creating/scheduling, polishing, and promoting. Yes, the content production process is pretty tedious, but having a solid plan laid out in writing can make all the difference.

Be right on time

Digital is not the medium where you can wait devising your next canny move in a marketing strategy. Everything on social media happens in the blink of an eyelid and it’s not days or hours that count, but minutes or even seconds. The faster you can react the bigger advantage you can gain over competitors.

Consumers are always watching, but they are watching more intensely now.

Indulge in barter

Recommendations by influencers can be even more powerful, given their approach of creating content and connecting with the audiences. Barter with upcoming blogger/vloggers instead of big players, which are looking for opportunities and are good at creating content. Startups should use influencers during this time.

As many businesses, and even influencers, are in need to produce new content given that consumers stuck at home are spending more time than ever online.

Marketing elasticity

Elasticity helps consumers find the best deals available, increasing demand, and creating strong brand loyalty. When the price of a product or service goes up, consumers will either pay the increased price or search for a substitute at a more affordable rate. Marketing helps businesses educate consumers on their products, services, and offerings, especially when they offer lower prices. The ubiquity of the Internet means the availability of substitute goods and services is almost infinite.

With search engines and other eCommerce sites, consumers now have more options than ever. Internet marketing uses the power of so many options to educate and inform consumers on the wide array of substitute products that are available at more affordable rates. Marketing a lifestyle around a product increases the demand not only for the item, but for the culture it fosters. When the demand for a product is less about the item itself and more about the brand, price changes have less impact on consumer demand. Companies like can help you cultivate and maintain such a brand for your business.

Often, people aren’t interested in buying a product or service. They’re interested in the benefit that comes from buying, not the product or service itself they are interested in why you’re selling it.

Consider Apple, a brand with a very large and very loyal following..

Yes, everybody loves Apple, including marketing people. So what is it that Apple does so well?

Apple goes beyond just selling amazing computers. Instead of focusing on how advanced the technology is or the speed of their latest processor, they stop to ask what it is that people want.

One thing they determined is that people don’t just want a faster computer or a mind blowing operating system – they want a cooler self-image. In short, they want a computer that does everything they need and that also functions as a fashion accessory at the same time.

This is why it’s important to ask what it is that you’re selling. Without asking this question, you can stop short and just sell your product or service. If you sell fertiliser, you’ll tell people how great your fertiliser is and how much they need to buy it.

Apple found another market. They found a group of people who not only want a computer or mp3 player but also a fashion accessory that makes them look cool. The result? Apple is now the most valuable company in the world. Not bad for a business that sells fashionable computers.

Outsourcing a social media expert vs DIY

Learn to do the work yourself, or give chance to someone in-house that has a skill to handle it. Sometimes it makes no sense to outsource, before you dive in, there is a fair amount of knowledge that can be learnt through free sources and can be put together. It’s always a good idea to first do it yourself than outsourcing it.

—     The writer is Director, Zashed Fashiontech

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