Kadri Tammai / Marketing Manager / Startup Mentor of Science Park Tehnopol
If you have a cool product or service that has already gone beyond the level of an idea and which you are struggling to develop with your team, it is often the case that the entire time is consumed by development. I have seen a lot of startups with a super product, but they have no clue whom to sell the product and how to do it. Without a proper marketing plan and sales strategy, a very good product will be overlooked, and the whole venture will quickly collapse. However, with a few simple steps, you can avoid this scenario.

Create your customer’s persona

I recommend creating a written persona or your average client, who will compactly summarize who he/she is, where he/she will spend time, through which channels he/she receives information, and so on. Do not include any details that are not relevant in terms of your product – for example, that he/she loves dogs if your product is smart heating systems. If you consider your customer and his/her needs already during development, you will eventually end up with a product that people actually buy and you will be able to validate the product’s features on potential customers.

Make a marketing plan for the product launch period

If you have never done a marketing plan before, start with the launch plan of the product or service. Think about where you will sell your product, how your future customers should learn about the product and what you want to tell them about your product. You can start with an Excel spreadsheet with vertically marked weeks and horizontally marked channels through which you want to reach your target audience. Set up the steps you need to take to inform people about your product first and then make them want to buy it.
Usually I don’t recommend focusing on just one channel – like Facebook. However, if you are absolutely convinced that your target group spends time and makes purchasing decisions based on information coming only from this channel, you can, of course, do it. In general, make sure your website is working and speaks to your target audience, be active in social media, and take into account that you will no longer be able to reach a large target audience for free. Create a FB Business Account to pinpoint your target audience and link your website with Facebook Pixels for remarketing purposes. Create the content that would interest your consumer, and post it regularly to be visible through Google search.

Be the brand ambassador and the biggest fan of your product

For example, make a T-shirt or sweater that speaks of your product, and proudly wear it. You will be acting as a mobile advertising board, and you will soon notice that people will come to ask you about your product. Use different meetings and networking events to talk about your activities and do not be afraid to ask for help, if necessary. The Estonian startup community is very supportive, and you will definitely find solutions to your concerns!

Be open to communicating with the media

In addition to social media, think about interesting and newsworthy approaches to talk to your wider audience about your product through the media. The fact that you now have a great product is not news in itself. Think about how your product could help a media consumer and how a journalist could make an interesting story about it. When journalists turn to you, be always available, respond quickly and don’t be too caught up in the features of your product – rather, bring in a broader concept and context so that people would understand the benefits of your product.