How to start your product marketing from scratch ?
Vlad Zivkovic
104 replies
Hey Product Hunters, share your strategy on how to start product marketing from zero.
Replies
Kenny William@kenny_william
@vladimir_zivkovic Very interesting question.
Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
1. Understand Your Product
2. Identify Your Target Audience
3. Competitor Analysis
4. Set Clear Goals
5. Develop a Unique Value Proposition (UVP)
6. Pricing Strategy
7. Create Marketing Collateral
8. Build a Website
9. Content Marketing
10. Social Media Presence
11. Email Marketing
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@vladimir_zivkovic This is a very nice question!
At the very early stage, I started the marketing by acquiring the users from people around me, then, based on my target users, I visited the social platforms that they mostly use and engaged them their!
How about you? I would love to know how did you start your product marketing from scratch?
@dot_brand My first customers actually came through networking on LinkedIn, and I think one also came from my friends connections.
Launching soon!
@vladimir_zivkovic @dot_brand We started off really similarly, just by speaking to people we already knew and focusing on building our presence on the social media platforms they used most. That's how we got our first hundred users. After launching on Product Hunt, we were able to double our user sign ups!
Well, since I've been making products for a while now I have a list of my users who want to hear from me. When I create a product the first thing I do right after is do a closed presale for my existing customers. They get the best prices and deal...
Once they are done, then I start the process of introducing the product to the rest of the world. That means organic marketing, advertising... Launching on ProductHunt is a part of it.
What about you? I'd like to hear about your process too
@cyriljeet That's good when you have some customer base. For me it's social media, mostly Linkedin.
@cyriljeet It's awesome that you have a customer base right at the beginning! I work on Founder-led-growth strategy on LinkedIn and build my connections from 0 to 2000 right now. Keep working on it! Followed your product btw! God speed man!
@patrick_sao_e14 Thanks! In most cases I recover the cost of building the product with a little bit on top
@cyriljeet @vladimir_zivkovic What is your strategy with Linkedin? We have tried running paid campaigns and it is very expensive.
I believe creating a plan and choosing the right Product Management platform (ie Notion) is key to set up shop. After that you should just identify the channels you want to use and go from there. For us it was Social Media -> Conferences -> Newsletter -> BD -> PR
@vladimir_zivkovic noob question - how to effectively use social media? Do you mean ads? Searching for target communities? Others?
To start product marketing from scratch, first, need to identify our customers and what makes our product unique. create compelling content and share, use social media, collaborate with influencers, send emails to interested people, and track our progress to continuously improve our marketing efforts.
@neo_heri As a marketer, connecting with influencers can be a valuable strategy to promote your product .
To connect with influencers as a marketer:
Identify influencers relevant to your product or target audience.
Research influencers in your industry or niche with a significant following and engagement.
@neha_8 @tra_dao_004 Build a Relationship First:
Before reaching out, engage with the influencer on their social media profiles by liking, sharing, and commenting on their content. Building a genuine relationship can increase your chances of getting a positive response. If it doesn't work you can discuss it in Telegram Groups Links.https://telelinkshub.com/
Since our product is basically niched on Festivals, we'll do targeted ads on the specific area of the festival 1-2 days before, and 1-2 days within the festival, on our specific target audience and see how this will behave.
Did not test it yet and I'm excited to see how this goes, if someone things I'm terribly wrong please reply below haha!
@claumarin That actually sound like a good strategy.
@claumarin Cool man! Based on what our target audience's lifestyle, I use LinkedIn and freelancer platforms! Followed your product, God speed!!
1) Social media where do people connect
2) Mass media where do people read
3) Community where do people like you try to launch their product (PH for example)
Then
4) Advertising campaings (CEO too)
5) Offline conferences
@anna_kasumova based on what our target audience's lifestyle, I use LinkedIn and freelancer platforms!
@dot_brand what is your audience?
@anna_kasumova Our audience is freelance graphic designer, 2 year experience or more, 3-4 projects a month~
What do you should remember: you have a tool, but people don't know about this tool. So the main purpose of the marketing - is to reach people. And also, don't try to sell. Try to let people want to buy
Digging this concept. Starting product marketing from scratch can be a daunting task. Honestly, you've gotta know your audience and deliver what they want. Never forget to test and iterate, can't stress that enough.
@cathall84cc Agreed! Based on what our target audience's lifestyle, I use LinkedIn and freelancer platforms!
Well, if you test an idea for an app, and you have an MVP, it's crucial to acquire early adopters and gain some initial publicity.
In our case, we started with
1. Posting on Quora
2. Posting on Reddit
3. Reaching out to people from the target group on LinkedIn
4. Cold mailing campaigns
5. Writing SEO-optimized articles for niche keywords
6. Adding our app to all the catalogs like BetaList, G2, Capterra, and others.
Worth noting is that points no. 3 & 4 were very time and effort consuming, but we were able to get around 30 meetings to get some initial feedback on the product and learn more about the pains and workflows of our target group.
@aajn88 We researched niche topics that are somehow related to what our product does. Sometimes people ask "what's the best SaaS X?". I replied, listing my competitors and also mentioning my product. I said directly that I am a founder of one of such tools, but I tried to be as impartial as possible, without doing any additional 'promo' of my solution. Other times, people are asking about solving a specific issue.
Just do it with the attitude to solve the person's problem the best, and care less about telling how your product is awesome. Just a mention is enough.
With Reddit, it's a bit more difficult as most of subreddits prohibits any type of self-promotion, but for example, there's always a Weekly Self-Promo thread on r/SaaS.
Launching soon!
1. Define your product
2. Research your target audience
3. Create a strategy
4. Develop content and market it
Launching soon!
@ali_shaheen 100% agree. Would add to this: understand the competition and trends, build brand awareness by leveraging social media platforms, and regularly track performance using analytics tools.
The first step is to identify your target market and create a strategy for reaching them. Next, you need to build a presence online by creating a website and social media accounts, and engaging with potential customers. Finally, you need to create a marketing plan for getting your product out there, which could include advertising, public relations, and even word-of-mouth marketing.
Product marketing is the process of bringing a product to market, positioning it for the right audience, and creating a strategy to drive demand and adoption. If you are starting from scratch, here are some steps you can follow:
• Define your target market and customer persona.
• Conduct a competitive analysis.
• Craft your value proposition and messaging.
• Develop your go-to-market strategy.
• Create your marketing collateral and content.
• Test and optimize your marketing campaigns.
These are some of the basic steps to start product marketing from scratch.
When are you looking to get started with marketing?
Good luck with your product marketing journey!
@deluar_001 Thanks for sharing! Based on our target audience's lifestyle, I use LinkedIn and freelancer platforms!
@dot_brand glad that find you helpful! If you are interested to getting start with marketing then contact: nyoxagency@gmail.com
A lot of other responses have already pointed out some great general strategies. But there is one more thing that's really important:
Figure out how your users/customers can become advocates. ‼️
We've all become used to online ads to the point that many of us just tune them out.
When a sales person tells me about a product I don't believe half of what they tell me.
It's a recommendation from a friend that makes me really pay attention.
@vincentropy Agreed! Find "100 users who love you instead of 1,000 of them kind of like you"!
Is it more like product-led-growth strategy?
@dot_brand
Love the "100 users who love you instead of 1,000 of them kind of like you", I had forgotten that phrase.
I think this one is true even outside of a product-led-growth strategy. Even if you just do consulting, with a traditional sales dept, getting intros through happy past customers is super powerful.
Understand your product and who needs it. Check out the competition and be different. One should make a clear marketing plan with goals and how to reach people. Build an easy-to-use website is the key! Share helpful stuff on blogs, social media, and emails for more user engagement. Show off happy customers and their stories to attract new ones. Launch with a bang and track results.
Love reading the answers🥳
Market Research and Target Audience Identification:
Conduct thorough market research to understand your industry, competitors, and potential customers.
Identify your target audience best hiking sandals 2023 and create buyer personas to gain insights into their needs, preferences, and pain points.
@dane_jadiel As an entrepreneur, I even have to know my target audience more than they know about themselves; and, that's the hard part!
Any thoughts on B2B SaaS?
Hey Product Hunters, I've got some suggestions on how to start product marketing from scratch.
First, identify your target audience and conduct thorough market research to understand their needs and pain points.
Next, develop a compelling brand story that resonates with your audience and sets you apart from the competition.
You can leverage social media platforms and content marketing to create buzz around your product.
Consider influencer collaborations and strategic partnerships to expand your reach.
Lastly, track your marketing efforts using analytics tools and iterate on your strategy based on data-driven insights.
Good luck!
@konok_nazmul This reminds of finger soft gaming studios company they started developing apps but it did not work. The owner suffered but never stop trying. He started from scratch and now he has worlds most downloaded game Hill Climb Racing Mod APK. Thanks for the tips it really helped a lot Sir.