Marketing with a Handicap: How to Promote Your Product on a Budget

I have a product, one of many, I plan to launch via my start-up. It’s a hardware device. I created a successful prototype and as I designed the final version, my thoughts began to turn towards the way I’d advertise the product when it was ready to launch.

I’m a first timer here, I’ve never launched a product before. I’d wager a guess that the first thought of most people in my situation would be to buy Facebook and Google ads when the product was ready to launch. However I have a problem. I strongly dislike the unethical practices of those companies. Anything by META (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp etc) or Google or Reddit is beneath the moral high (but financially low :/ ) ground I have pitched my tent. Heck even though (and probably because) I’ve never been a user of the site, I thought about the idea of advertising on 4ch-

Luckily I came to my senses just in time. As much as I’m not a fan of Elon Musk, his bold step to delete the Facebook pages of his companies Tesla and SpaceX made me think it’s not exactly corporate せっぷく to not have a Facebook page as a startup.

Anyway, now here we are. I have an upcoming product and I want to share the methods I have decided to use to market it, because I need to let people know about the product, and as telekinesis is not an option, then market it I will.

Influencers

This is one of the best ways to appear before an audience. Take YouTube for example, guaranteed views, and unlike static web pictures, you have a person, that your viewer likes, talking about your product. It seems like there are no downsides

The string attached to its effectiveness is its cost. It’s effective and those charging for it know it. It’s good to remember that there are other media to reach influencers than the most common ones such as YouTube and Instagram. Options like blogs in your product niche area is an idea worth considering.

My Strategy: I intend to contact bloggers in my niche as well as one or two YouTube channels. Where I cannot afford to pay them their standard rates, offering them a larger amount if the product launches successfully could be an alternative that benefits both.

Local/In-Person

People are people. It doesn’t matter if you reach them via a large online ad campaign or in person. Search for in-person events in your product area such as seminars or fairs. You have the big advantage that at these events, people come for the express purpose of seeing products and services shown to them. If there ever was the opposite of an ad-blocker, this is it. You could take advantage of this and display your products and these events. You may also even benefit from attendees sharing photos and videos of your products with friends, family and their social media followers.

And that my friends is how you spur growth in your product sales.

My Strategy: I have identified two fairs. One I intend to travel to display my products at. Though that's not local, the benefit from the size is amazing.

Co-Branding

If you watch YouTube a lot, then you probably know the Raid: Shadow Legends, Squarespace and NordVPN ads (and maybe the memes). Chances are you’ve also heard of CuriosityStream and Nebula. They are two streaming services frequently advertised together as a bundle. Now I don’t know the agreement between these two services but chances are there is a revenue sharing agreement between them.

You could also leave flyers at businesses with which you have an agreement to do so. Places where people have to wait for service, such as a dentist, make a great choice for this. Even though in the age of smartphones this would attract less attention, than it used to, still, less attention is better than no attention.

My Strategy: Join online groups, find other crowdfunding entrepreneurs and engage in mutual marketing.

PLANS FOR WHEN YOU'RE BIGGER

Sponsorships

Sponsorships are a marketing method traditionally considered the domain of large, rich companies. Personally I have found them more as a vehicle for engendering goodwill and a way in which companies maintain a prestigious reputation. Not as a tool for growth marketing. But the effect is in the application. For small companies looking for (future) growth, sponsoring university projects could lead to future customers. Once people are used to your (hopefully) solid product. You’ve handled the more expensive part of acquiring customers.

Hidden Gems

One thing to look out for are avenues with a large audience but without an established advertisement/sponsorship channel. Let’s imagine you live in a region with a fairly popular local amateur sports. There is an opportunity to be had by partnering with them. Organizations like that, that are set up without an expectation of or dependence on sponsorships would be willing to work with smaller players all without expecting you to re-mortgage your house to advertise with them.

Partners

One of my favorite methods! Just find someone richer than you!

Oh, I'm sorry, were you waiting for the joke to land? This is the part where I tell you there is none. There is a very real chance companies like SpaceX and Tesla would have been in the start-up graveyard if they didn’t have the US Government assisting them via development contracts, carbon credits, grants etc.

Apart from giving obvious desirables like grants, organizations such as local governments, non-profit business support groups and charities would happily broadcast your business across their channels if it offers a product or service they support or aligns with their goals. Win-win.