By Maureen Ogwu
In a multitude of products and startups, sustaining a tech business can be more or less a herculean task. Statistics show that about 90% of tech startups fail and 10% fail in the first year.
The Sales and marketing industry has metamorphosed from traditional channels and methods into a digital sphere with emerging models and tools fitting today’s digital climate. Literally, every industry is tapping into digital marketing and of course, tech startups are not left out.
Product marketing employs the most user-friendly approaches to endear and retain customers. It’s easy for a lot of people to want to try out your product when it launches, but the main goal and where the work lies is customer retention.
Many entrepreneurs still prefer traditional marketing methods over modern tech startup marketing techniques.
However, with more than four billion internet users globally, and over 3.4 billion active social media users, what excuse would you have to not invest in advanced marketing techniques for promoting your tech startup?
That’s a sea of potential customers.
This might sound ironic or maybe funny to you but the first step to acing your marketing game is to actually not focus on marketing.
Wait a minute, I’ll explain.
People are drawn to value, if you provide value to them, they will stay. And if you do not, they will leave. This is the real trick that takes some startups ahead of others. Even though you need marketing to create awareness about your brand, build an audience and convert them into customers, and so on, it’s not going to be enough. For your marketing efforts to succeed, you would first need to create an impression about why your brand is so unique, how it’s going to solve their problem, how it’s going to add value to their lives, and what they would miss out on if they don’t get involved with you.
Another great strategy is to build your network. No business stands solo. Get into your industry and network. Workshops, trade shows, and seminars are good places to start. From there you can keep up with trends and gradually carve a niche.
Tech expos or niche events can put you in the limelight and make you an authority figure who shares new, groundbreaking ideas with an audience that is open to absorbing them. You’d most likely find press people or bloggers at such events and that’s free buzz and PR for your startup.
As you build your network, pulling in loyal customers through content and value provided, your online community begins to grow and voila, you’re getting your own pound of online potential customers. These in turn would become returning customers and would spread the word to acquire new customers for you.
One of the most overlooked product marketing strategies for tech startups is Search Engine Optimization. The market is all about people searching for you and finding you. Though a long-term goal, SEO can be the game changer in driving sales for any tech start-up.
In summary, ensure that all your strategies are a good combination of good brand positioning and messaging and an in-depth understanding of your customers.
Maureen Ogwu is currently a Product Manager with GlobalCharge ltd. She also leads the Product engineering and marketing team while serving as both a Product Manager and Digital Marketing Expert for the company. Prior to that, she served as a Product Marketing Trainer and Mentor with Utiva. She has also served as a Paid Marketing Specialist at Digital Marketing Skill Institute, an EdTech Company. She has been recognised for her extensive experience leading digital transformation initiatives and managing the development of highly innovative tech product marketing. She holds an MBA degree from the University of East London.
