Customer Acquisition Guide For Bootstrapped Startup Founders π
Sveta Bay
37 replies
Don't know how to acquire your first paying customer? This guide for Bootstrapped Founders in 2023 will get you going π
π Step 1. Focus on acquisition tactics.
One marketing channel has multiple tactics.
Example: Twitter is an acquisition channel. But you can do a lot of stuff there: sending cold DM, building in public, writing Threads, running giveaways.
When you say, "I want to get traffic from Twitter", you are not saying anything in particular. Because different tactics will get you different results. You need to be specific.
π Step 2. Start with the easiest quick wins.
Sure, you can get 10 paying customers from 6 months of doing SEO. But you can get the same result from sending 100 cold emails or launching on Product Hunt.
It's important not to do tactics that just feel good to you. You need acquisition tactics that feel good to you and are efficient for your product.
π Step 3. Experiment to check the ROI
Your goal is to get a clear answer to the question, "Can this tactic become my growth driver for the next 3 months?". Even if it will cost you a few bucks or a wasted week of effort.
Run a cheap and fast experiment β Get the results β Make the decision
π Step 4. Nail one tactic at one time
Finally, donβt chase 10 tactics simultaneously. You will just fail them all. There is a better way:
1. Pick one acquisition tactic
2. Understand it deeply
3. Get significant results
4. Automate it
5. Run new experiments to pick a new tactic
6. Make sure your new tactic leverages the existing one
7. Repeat
Bootstrapped Founders should approach marketing channels smarter. Don't try to jiggle multiple channels at once. Instead, focus and experiment.
There are more acquisition tactics in MakerBox Workbook (https://www.makerbox.club/workbook). Some of them are easier, and some require more effort. But all of them are budget-friendly and can be done in a one-person business β
Replies
Surekha S@psurekha_s
WowTo.ai
That's a clean list! Thank you @ Sveta Bay. What is your take on Ad campaigns - Google ads / LinkedIn ads?
Share
@psurekha_s My take is based only on my product π
They are not as effective as content marketing & audience building.
Inodash
Fantastic post, thanks for it.
@mutlusakar happy to be of help!
PHPRunner
Thank you, Sveta, awesome guide!
@phprunner Thanks π
Love this guide for bootstrapped founders!
It's all about being specific and experimenting with different tactics to find what works best for your product. Nail one tactic at a time and automate it for significant results.
Keep up the good work, Sveta!
@code_rams Thank you!
PromoteYourAI
What do you think about the Directory websites? Websites like G2, Capterra, and Startup directories, will those be good acquisition channels? Especially for lead generation?
@sushil_kumar_ they won't generate tonnes of traffic as there's a high competition. If you're featured there and have paid ads - then yes π
PromoteYourAI
This is a success path that can be replicated.
Copy Text Easily
These are very helpful tips.
> Nail one tactic at one time
This is so important to follow and to keep in mind.
Thanks for sharing this amazing info, Sveta!
Step 4. Nail one tactic at one time - is what many miss out on. Do you think cold calls are still relevant?
@priyank_sharma13 It depends on the niche and product. For some products they work perfect
AI TikTok Assistant
If I should pick the best π out of these. It's definitely Step 4.
@bernard_bado π
Very useful! Thank you ππ»
ApyHub : The All in one API Platform
Interesting guide, we've been doing a lot of #3 which is experimenting with ROI, we've found the tactics to drive growth for the next 3 months atleast, but beyond that we still have to figure out and diversify.
Say for example twitter works as an acquisition channel and has the best ROI, but you can't keep relying on just one channel to drive all your growth, right?
@maria_hayat yep, relying on one channel is risky. That's why we all need experiments!
ILLA Cloud
this is so practicalοΌ Very useful to all the founders.
@donquixote thank you!
Carril Workspace
Great work
Thanks for sharing!
I find a great one is actually just doing extensive outreach and cold DMs on linkedin and twitter
I've bagged a few high value customers and partnerships from that with evoke-app.com
π
Wavel AI
Great thanks
@nikhil_mehra2 happy to share it!
Alconost Localization
Sveta, thanks for sharing π»
Those are some interesting insights!
Right now we are experimenting with LinkedIn acquisition for our https://uptiq.app/ growth product and we are only going for other tactics when we reach the limits given by LinkedIn (invites, daily actions, etc.).
Any specific tips for LinkedIn for B2B SaaS? :)
@nuno_ms_reis content marketing can be a good fit for you :)
Culturama
@basv I absolutely love this statement from your content: "Learn marketing by doing marketing." It's such a powerful and practical piece of advice for anyone looking to become a skilled marketer. And I have to say, it's truly amazing that you've chosen to support Parity Purchasing Power for incoming marketing learners! Your commitment to helping others succeed is truly inspiring. Keep up the fantastic work!
Headlesshost
What a fantastic post! Thanks.
@headlesshost Happy to share it!