A team is found, the authorities are done, the product is ready: the dream of owning a business lives on. Will he survive, too? The way to the customer has yet to be found, because without a customer no company! For founders on a budget, no easy task. Unless social media is part of the startup agenda right from the start.
Why is social media worthwhile for founders?
Viral spots and influential campaigns are still a long way off, but the social networks still provide an easy entry into the marketing world. A fan page is created quickly, the right hashtag easily found and create an account, does not take long. Decisive are the contents, with which the different channels in the Social Web are recorded. Prepared accordingly, you can quickly achieve remarkable results. A correct approach and a valuable information content for the target group determine the success.
Where to start?
As a founder not only the own product must be marketed, in particular the team must convince. Business partners such as investors or business developers not only want to see the business plan, but always want to know who the people behind the idea and the product are. A bold and offensive presentation is worthwhile. In the end, social networks tell stories, and no matter how great the product or service is, no one listens to a bad narrator.
To convince the users, potential customers and possible partners of their own appearance, is a good start to the project Social Media. A successful social media presence requires a sympathetic and honest appearance, if the selected channel is to establish relationships for further business.
Choosing the right channel?
The range of social networks is diverse and the question of the right platform should not be too light-hearted. Basically, there are three points to consider:
Is the product or service more in B2C or B2B?
Which format (text, video, images, etc.) fits best with the goods offered and the personality of the team?
Where can I find my target group?
Of course, these questions are related. A startup that wants to realize a B2B idea is much more likely to find its target audience in a network that specializes in making business contacts, as a platform that for the most part provides its users with a pastime. Likewise, should not be too stubbornly clinging to these guidelines, some products may well meet in various industries on interest.
Here, a return to the beginnings of founding life helps.
Most ideas are already designed with a clear idea of possible customers. Although this may change over time, it helps to design the first social media marketing trips.
The target group envisaged in the initial development of the idea represents a good reference point for the choice of the channel. Their preferences are good entry points for the first postings. Nevertheless, one should always feel comfortable when designing one’s own social media page. Those who prefer to write and like to interact with others are happy about the functions of the microblogging on Twitter. If, on the other hand, the smartphone camera is a constant companion in everyday life, why not document the experiences of the start-up life on Instagram and thus let the users participate in the company’s development.
In addition, the own offer should flow into the considerations regarding the channel selection. An explanatory-intensive product is much easier to understand in a YouTube video than in a dry and long blog post. How-to videos and recordings, in which the customers themselves speak in the use, make bulky ideas appear easy and interesting.
The next steps
The right channel has been found, the first contributions have been published and some users could already be won as fans. What’s next, after all, should an appearance on social networks not disappear from the scene again? Therefore, it is advisable to create an editorial plan initially, which helps to publish new content. At the same time, a defined plan determines their type, frequency and quality.
How often are the fans provided with interesting links, which interaction options do we offer or how is the weighting between stories from the founding life and purely product-related contributions? All these questions can be dealt with in an editorial plan.
After the first steps it is time to combine sales and social media marketing
Once again, the most varied creative freedom opens up, but one that should always focus on the product, target group and own abilities. If the most important distribution channel is telephone acquisition, an interesting social media page can be used to search for and find new interested parties for a later telephone call. In an online shop as the core of the sales strategy, it is advisable to the users in the social networks to point out special offers.
There are many perspectives on how startups can design successful social media campaigns on a low budget. The most important thing is to get started: to present yourself and your own idea to the social media world.
Statements of the author and the interview partner do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editors and the publisher