Growing a software startup can be a bumpy road. A few will thrive. Many others will fail. (They become those bumps.) Before you dive head first into a marketing strategy to grow your software startup, here are a few secrets to getting ahead and successfully gaining momentum.
Secret #1: Marketing Strategy keeps you out of the weeds
One of the greatest benefits of developing and committing to a strategy is the ability to confidently say “no”. Saying no is liberating. It allows you to concentrate on the execution of your plan to grow your business and not go down every path or rabbit hole that you are going to encounter.
If you don’t have a business strategy and marketing strategy that are aligned and synchronized you should invest the time, effort and dollars to develop them.
Secret #2: Keyword research will help you connect with customers
Understanding your target market and ideal customer are two of the keys to growing your software business. Without a clear picture of the ideal customers, you will never get to your difference and the core messages you’ll use to connect to the market. Without these elements, you’ll struggle to get new leads and clients.
One method of gaining a solid understanding of what your clients need from your startup is to conduct keyword research. While most people associate keyword research with SEO efforts, it provides additional value.
Keyword research fits nicely into your marketing strategy as it identifies the ways clients search for solutions – usually in their own words. Knowing these terms will allow you to build messages and content that connects prospects to your business.
Secret #3: Master the Pricing of Your Product
Pricing can truly make or break your business.
Set your price too low and you will devalue your services and attract less than desirable customers.
Pricing your product too high might make even your most qualified customers hang onto their wallets.
It’s important to carefully consider the price of your product, and find the middle ground where you’re making progress towards your goals of revenue, new customers, and market awareness, but not selling yourself short.
Keep in mind that you can always price your software services higher, and then lower the price later if necessary. It’s much harder to price your services too low and dramatically raise prices down the road.
Want to know where to start your pricing? Ask your customers and prospects the value of providing your solution. Talk about the cost of not solving their problem and the alternatives. You may find your software can be priced higher than you think.
Secret #4: Consistent execution wins
One of the biggest causes of failure in marketing a software business, or any other business, is being inconsistent with your efforts. It takes a lot of time and dedication to growing a software startup into a thriving brand, and you can’t afford to “market” your business whenever the moment strikes you.
Marketing is not an event, a website, or promotion. To consistently execute you need to think of marketing as a business system. A business system that is driven by a solid marketing strategy, plan, calendar and budget. Without these success-building elements, you are likely to have fits and starts of activity, unwisely invest, and become inconsistent.
Helping You Grow Your Software Startup
A solid marketing strategy to grow your software business doesn’t have to be complicated, in fact, the simpler the plan, the better.
Need help to create and to execute your simple and effective marketing system? Take advantage of our marketing checkup.
