{"id":3321,"date":"2018-07-12T13:02:14","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T07:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techjockey.com\/blog\/?p=3321"},"modified":"2025-12-31T13:44:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T08:14:02","slug":"7-marketing-hacks-start-ups-shoestring-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techjockey.com\/blog\/7-marketing-hacks-start-ups-shoestring-budget","title":{"rendered":"7 Marketing Hacks for Start-Ups on a Shoestring Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Marketing is to a brand what oxygen is to the human body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It takes your brand to the masses in the first place and makes sure they are aware of its USPs. Marketing is a continuous process that keeps a brand going and ensures its healthy survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usually, it comes to many minds that popular brands don\u2019t need to set aside a budget for marketing. Well, those heads need to be scratched harder! Marketing isn\u2019t something that is confined to start-ups in the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, next time when you come across headlines such as, \u201cBrands So Popular Don\u2019t Need To Advertise\u201d or \u201cSome Brands Thrive Without Advertising\u201d, don\u2019t roll your eyes. Whether you a big fish in a small pond vs. a small fish in a big pond, you need to try new ways to get noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, there is a twist in it. A start-up might need to be more engaged in marketing activities as compared to an organization that has already established its name in the market. But saying, \u2018more marketing demands more money\u2019 won\u2019t be right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you don\u2019t believe then let\u2019s go through some promising marketing hacks which will give results despite your start-up running on a shoestring budget:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Social Media Is Calling You<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When you are cash-strapped, social media is your go-to-go friend. If you do not participate in advertising opportunities, you can market your product at zero cost as well. All you have to do is prepare the post and publish it. The leads you will generate without boosting your post will be organic. And there are more chances of conversion of such lead as the customer came on his\/her own. Your post can vary in terms of only image, content, image + content, video, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are plenty of social media platforms to showcase your product\/service. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, and YouTube are a few of the famous ones. Since these platforms demand minimal investment for advertising that doesn\u2019t mean you start promoting your brand on all of them. They might not cost you money, but they demand your time. Therefore, you have to find out which all are the right medium for you to reach the target audience.<\/p>\n\n\n
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If your product is a millennial digger, Snapchat should be your call as it is dominated by the under-25. Similarly, if you want to cater to an age group of 25-60, Facebook is your goldmine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Referral marketing is an economical marketing hack for lead conversion. Also known as word-of-mouth marketing, new customers under the referral program come by relying on the opinions of their acquaintances. The driving idea behind this marketing hack is that you reward your current customers when they bring new ones to you. Your own customers become your marketing personnel and brand ambassadors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Top brands that have graduated from the Institute of Referral Marketing with distinction are Uber, Dropbox, Airbnb, Booking.com, and Paypal. Uber\u2019s \u2018Free trips\u2019 section provides its users with an invitation code. You share the code with your friends and if they sign up using the code, they get the first ride as a free ride. Also, you are rewarded for your loyalty in the form of a free ride or discount!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>The Game of Word-of-Mouth<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Unlike the above point, here we are going to talk about the scenario where happy customers just can\u2019t hold the urge to spread positive words about your products or services. All you have to do is render impeccable service to customers. Once your customers are happy with your service, they become one of the best mediums of marketing. Then, it\u2019s just impossible for a brand to not succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House parties and get-togethers are perfect examples to describe it. At such parties, people meet family, and friends and try to find solutions for each other\u2019s problems. Imagine one of the problems is, that a friend has got skin allergy due to one of the chemical-based beauty products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And your customers know about your start-up, which is engaged in selling organic beauty products. Moreover, he or she has been using your products for the past few months and is happy with it. Of course, your brand will be recommended. And you never know, you will have one more customer in your kitty soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the game (power) of word-of-mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Did you realize, it is a no cost marketing strategy? The sole thing that it demands outstanding customer service like no one in the industry. You must provide unprecedented and unsurpassed service; your customer will care for the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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