Why should tech startups have all the fun with bootstrapping? Every business, even your b2b traditional business, can expand client base by marketing with minimal financial resources. Gone are the days when small businesses had to spend big money on events, brochures, trade ads and cold calls to stay alive among the behemoths.
Moreover, isn’t it financially prudent to market your business that cost little and are not the more riskier for your business? So what are these cos-effective new marketing techniques that everyone seems to be talking about?
If you hit google and ask for cost-effective marketing ideas you will get them in hundreds, in-fact most of them can work for virtually every business. So why are many businesses still fighting for survival with zillions spent on marketing, you ask me?
All Bootstrapping Ideas Are Not Ideal.
You can keep trying different ideas and burnout in the process. For generic, same-formula-for-all, done-by-competitors, marketing ideas are not the end solutions. You will require expert guidance to select the idea(s) that best suits you business objectives and take a holistic approach to sales demand generation.
So here are 3 basic steps that will help you get the most response while marketing your business in bootstrapping mode.
- Define Your Target Client Profiles.
You do not want to spend your time and resources on targeting people who do not require your products and services. Spend some time on an in-depth analysis of your competitors customers. Refine the list by filtering the most profitable client profiles that will give you most return on your investment. - Select Most Engaging Channel(s).
Why spread your time and resources thin by going all across the board to start with. Again a competitive research of your competitors and target audiences will give you the information required. So instead of starting with seo on all search engines and social media marketing on all networks and email and sms, et. al, it will be prudent to identify ONE CHANNEL that reaches your Target Clients, best. - Build Your Brand Advocates.
Getting the word out about your business seems to be a very logical and conclusive step, isn’ it? This is where most businesses start with and then get stuck up. Because most of them restrict their publicity to the 300-500 friends and family members in their social circle. The idea here is to keep growing this publicity network by engaging more people as brand advocates.
Bootstrapped Marketing. Easier said than done?
Well, as mentioned earlier, you may require skilled hands to get started with these 3 steps. Connect with a marketing consultant to discuss your objectives and brainstorm on best roadmap. Then go all out for not more than a handful of marketing practices without burning your valuable resources.