Skilled marketers can execute on a $0 budget, and this is how you can do it too.

When it comes to the success of any startup, your go-to-market strategy plays a crucial role. But what if you don't have any budget to market your product?

That's where skills come in.

Similar to building a product. Building is hard, but deciding what to build is harder.

Highly skilled developers are not always those who make the most complex stuff. The most skilled makers are the ones who decide what to build when resources are limited. Typically they do extensive customer research, ask a lot of questions and create a roadmap that aligns with the company objectives. The most skilled developers build features that create the biggest impact and have the lowest cost/time to implement.

The same applies to marketing and there is a framework you can follow and questions you can ask to start creating impactful marketing strategies at the very small or no cost. And that's what marketers call a "Big Idea."

Big Idea does not require ad spend to:

• increase signups and paid users
• retain customers
• convert loyal users into your brand advocates

How to find your Big Idea?

First, the Big Idea is NOT a hook nor a value prop. The Big Idea is a combination of 2 things:

1. Your ethos - what YOU believe in, your objectives/mission and what your company stands for. After all, companies are extensions of founders.

2. The hidden truth about your ideal customer profile - what is the most painful thing your customers are going through but no one talks about.

Once you find the connection between these two things, you will find your BIG IDEA.

You and your customers are the answer to everything!

Advertising agencies don't have those answers. But they know where to look and what to ask, and that's why they get paid a fortune. They first do multiple briefings with clients, then they do field research, market research and focus groups to figure out the foundation for the ad campaign.

All you need to do is to dig deeper into yourself and get chatty with your users. And trust me, you will start connecting those dots.

BIG Ideas don't only work for DTC companies.

As a b2b SaaS founder, I'm happy to share a personal example. And I hope this will help you find the Big Idea for your ad campaign.

I'm a co-founder at DeckLinks - a b2b SaaS tool where you can create video sales decks.

What we believe
We believe that personal characteristics outrank everything else. Our mission is to make b2b sales more human.

Hidden truth about b2b sales
Buyers first decide what they think about the salesperson, and only then what they think about the company and the offerings.

Big Idea: Sales professionals close more deals just by being themselves and showing buyers who they are.

Execution: Run a series of rapid-fire questions with sales professionals where they answer the first things that come to their mind to show their human side.

Here is the latest episode: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lidiavi_salesrush-b2b-b2bsaas-activity-6932370777010802688-ooVd/

I'm new to Indie Hackers, and if you find this content helpful, let me know with the comment or a follow. I'm happy to share more of my other marketing ideas on the 0$ budget.