To most of the start ups, marketing is simply some ‘necessary evil’ because it is something which they embrace only after recognition of the fact that it is the time in which they have no option but to tell their story to the public which as we know is larger audience. This means that they must do better job that involves putting in the spotlight in which they are currently doing to more people.
In most of the cases, the decision of engaging in marketing (not necessarily being on Facebook or Twitter) comes after development of the product and the pipeline of sale is gaining traction or being ramped up.
So how can a start up know that it is the high time of engaging in social media marketing? The following are some vital tips.
#1: when your product is about or ready to be launched:
This also means that it is the time in which you have to get out of low profile or stealth mode and begin passing out the message to the targeted audiences that include investors, media, bloggers, partners and customers. You should keep in your mind that you should tell good stories which attract attention. You must therefore work on those stories before you turn on the machine of marketing.
#2: when your organization is on the spotlight
The executives or founders need to go a step further and spread the word. The website is reflection of activities of the company and how the users benefit from its products or services. In this regard, there is some commitment to the market on the basis of content instead of assessing just one off an ad than try to grab that spot light activity.
#3: when there is understanding and appreciation of what can be done by the marketing and areal expectations about the social media marketing process, the resource and goals that are needed so as to realize the objectives. Social media is a marathon but not sprint. It takes some period of time before the required traction can be attained.
#4: when there is marketing budget:
Whether it is done with external help or internally, marketing needs money for accounting for the content, resources and people which must be used in the process. For the start ups, this means that understanding marketing is not just about having some person or agency that spends time on the social media sites publishing updates or tweets and other minor activities.
#5: everyone is on board:
In some instances, marketing may be perceived or seen as cost to the business because it does not involve building of the product or have a person who is trying to increase sales. Thus, it may not be very easy to realize the reasons and benefits of doing it without realizing why it is such an integral part of the evolution and development of the company. In consequence, every person has to get involved in the marketing and ensure that it is a people driven process.