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R is for REACH [Z-A for Start-ups]

Z-A for Start-upsDream & DoComment

R is for REACH

How are you going to get your business in the hands of those who need it?

Just like having a simple (but flexible) business plan, it’s also good to have something substantial in place for your marketing. HOW are you going to actually sell the thing that you’ve been working on building or making?

Marketing. Another one of those “scary” words. Getting your product to market can be the toughest part of the whole start-up process. Getting your name heard, your face out there, your music listened to… whatever it is you’re interested in gaining, you need to have a marketing strategy in place.

We reached out to marketing and communications guru Kian West, for his advice on creating a marketing strategy, which is a little more left-of-centre than some, but definitely just as viable!

“Once you work out the demographic that you’re targeting, find out where they hang out - both digitally and physically, and tailor towards that, but broaden that out a bit to include some other potential demographics. Because when you pivot (and your business will change in some way when starting out!) the demographic might evolve to be something slightly (or completely) different.

Honestly, the best advice I can give anyone is: work out how expensive it would be to fail, evaluate that expense against what you will learn, as well as what you will earn if you succeed and if you are prepared to lose it all then go for it! Chances are you won’t fail, but if you are willing to lose it all you are also willing to gain it all. Then, I’d also say it is worthwhile finding mentors as you gain skills, someone to bounce ideas off of and those around you willing to give honest constructive feedback to keep you on track.”

Think outside the box. We recently wrote an article about ‘How to Sell Without Really Selling’ that was featured on the Business Chicks website.

Welcome to the new age of marketing. As business owners, we’ve entered the age of the entrepreneur, where 15-year-olds are being paid for product placement on their Instagram. We need to move with the times; be gone with old-school, stuffy marketing. In an era where we’re glued to our smartphones and have the attention span of less than a goldfish (generally speaking), people need to grab and hold our attention faster than ever before.

How many of us skip those annoying YouTube ads? But you can’t skip something that’s right in front of you, and particularly something that is cleverly disguised in a funny video or a witty blog post.

In other words, passive marketing is a “thing” now. It’s all about crafting amazing creative content to draw attention to your brand; it’s about giving something back to your consumers. It’s about selling an idea, not just a product. If you keep creating good work, and making good products, customers or clients will come. It’s about being genuine and open, rather than shoving it in people’s faces.

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