Ask IH: What are some low-cost marketing tactics to grow a userbase?
I'm currently building a platform for people to easily find others to work next to (cowork with) in cafes. The purpose being that it motivates people to get their work done and allows the opportunity to network (productively).
I started off in Toronto and now am in Silicon Valley trying to grow a userbase here. I have some funds but not enough to go all in on online ads. I've tried flyers, handing out info cards, and posting in various online groups.
I'm running short on ideas and in order for my project to work, I need to build a strong network effect. Thoughts? Ideas? I'm all ears.
What if you found just one cafe and make a partnership with them, they can promote your idea, your idea can bring more people into the cafe.
Pick a quiet place in an urban area with a lot of offices nearby.
Cafes are not too much thrilled to have digital nomads in the place, they sit long hours, and they do not order too much. I just remembered that one cafe charge per hours, not per orders, and that make huge success.
In your case you want to make both sides happy, a cafe manager and digital nomads.
The cafe can treat Nomads with some snacks. Digital nomads will like the free snacks, and saltier sneaks lead to more drinks :) Only two+ laptops at one table gets the free sneaks.
The same cafe can organize the meetups with a few talks about a specific subject at least once a month.
Everybody wins.
True, cafes kinda hate nomads. The pay-per-stay model seems to be spreading around though, I keep seeing locales like this in different cities.
I also started speaking to cafes too and just got word back from one. Officially partnered to cross-promote and they're offering a special combo deal for anyone that coworks at their cafe through us.
Not sure how much of their social media followers will convert into our users since they dont have a large following though..
That sounds like a very good start. Do not be disappointed that one responded, that is expected.
A lot of great business started by constant rejecting and founders persistency. Often people do not know what they want until you create an opportunity for them. It takes time and effort to create traction.
Cool project!
I think you're right to start focusing on one city at a time.
Basically, if you've the time, I will go to every cafes of your target, and just talk to them to present your product.
Like that you'll first know if they are interested or no:
Yea most cafes that I spoke to were interested more or less. Now I'm just following-up with them.
Whenever I went up to people working out of these cafes to share what we were doing and see if they'd be interested in joining, it was always a challenge because it's considered soliciting and most cafes dont like that so I've been asked to leave before lol
In this case the best thing will be that these cafes place become your ambassadors.
If visitors of the cafes invite some people to work with them (to co-work), it will increase the number of people in the cafe, so It could be an incentive for the cafe owner.
You could create a kind of "label" for them, displaying:
"this cafe X promotes the co-working culture"
It's just a random idea, but good luck!