Acquiring Your First Set of Users
Hey Tribe
Today we have someone who we have had conversations with on 0 to 1 and Kleekpod, Chima Ezeokoye, Co-founder and Director of Marketimg and Development at Wemove technologies Ltd, an on-ground heavy logistics management for FMCG companies. He has transitioned through different markets in his corporate career and was previously Head of Corporate Communications at VConnect Global Services.
Read on for a snippet of our podcast session with Chima talking about what to focus on to acquire users.
Pick A Niche…
Before selecting a niche:
- Explore values that can be retained over a period of time
- Offer something people already want and will come to you for
- Find a place where you can scale
Acquiring Your First Set Of Users
- Key into Branding
The first thing for you as a business is to be perceived right by your prospective customers. The right perception leads to engagement. Brand like you are multinational before you even start selling and you will have an edge.
Your branding attracts people to you.
- Who Are You Trying To Attract?
You need to think of who your message is for, the ideal customer for your product. You can’t create for everyone — this will make your message unclear and confuse your customers. Focus on one thing, build on it and find customers for it.
Don’t try to build for everyone
- Where Can You Find Them?
Where is this person at? Look for communities where you can communicate directly with your target audience. “Infiltrate” these communities strategically to get their trust.
People buy from those they trust.
- Word of Mouth
Treat your customers right and they will refer other people to you. Customers will be more willing to share your business with others if they had a good experience working with you. Get your product and your customer service right.
- Topnotch Communication — Don’t try to push the brand first
You know who your customers are, you know where they are at, now you need to talk to them the way they understand. Talk to them as an indivudual that knows them. Let your personality shine through in your communication.
You have to build trust around yourself as an individual in the startup.
It is easier for new customers to connect with you as an individual than to connect with the brand . At the early stage, it has to be you and your person that they like, and as the company grows to a larger organisation, they start to connect with the brand as beyond the individual
- Market! Market!! Market!!
At the early stage, you don’t have a lot of money but you need to get your product out there. You have to balance out paid advertising and organic content creation to effectively reach your customers at this stage.
People have to see your product to know if they like it or love it before wanting it.
Final Words
Put your leg in the deep end first, get customers, get money.
You are building a business, you need traction and traction equals money. Find a way to be stable as an individual building a product.
Scaling, Perfection and Aesthetics should be secondary to making money.
Don’t forget to check back every week for new content specially curated to help, educate and teach you on your journey as a founder.
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