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Using the power of PR and marketing in a mobile world – advice for start-ups in emerging markets

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Public Relations (PR) and marketing are often at the bottom of the priority list for emerging market start-ups – who more often than not – have limited resources of time and cash. Faced with the option of focusing on product growth or sales, entrepreneurs (with good reason) tend to focus on those concerns first. Yet, a positive media image and audience engagement is one of the fastest routes for a start-up to gain exposure, build brand recognition and reach emerging market consumers. A well-played out PR and marketing strategy can attract new investors and funding, as well increasing the customer base.

With this in mind, the Ecosystem Accelerator team ran a clinic for the programme’s current portfolio start-ups and Mobile for Development Utilities grantees. We invited two industry experts, Jessica Hope from Wimbart PR, who is a leading PR expert working across Africa, and Murtaza Lukmani, a marketing data guru who is a visiting Lecturer at the Lisbon Digital School and an Attribution Lead at Google. Both experts presented to over 40 Mobile for Development Utilities and Ecosystem Accelerator start-ups who are based in Asia Pacific and Africa. Here are some of our key takeaways.

[Photo taken of Wimbart PR slides during webinar, copy of Wimbart PR]

The fact that a start-up exists is not big news. So, what is newsworthy?

As the start-up ecosystems across Africa and Asia Pacific continue to blossom, it is vital to ensure that you can stand out from the crowd. With the right PR strategy, emerging markets start-ups can expand their reach and build trust in their solutions. Here are some of Jessica’s main tips for start-ups:

  • Own your narrative. Be consistent with your messaging. Plan ahead (e.g. have your start-up case study ready to go) and be opportunistic.
  • Know your audience and tailor your message. In Africa, for instance, there are many diverse cultures and languages – within Nigeria alone there are 520 languages! It is therefore critical to segment and narrow your target audiences. Ask yourself – ’how does my target market consume content? Who am I aiming to reach – consumers, investors and or partners? Is my audience online and or offline? What are the best channels to reach them – through the radio, a billboard, a local newspaper or an influencer?’
  • Be certain that you have the time to prepare for and speak to journalists. Investing in PR is not only a monetary expense but it is also a time-consuming endeavour.
  • Evaluate the competition and work out what makes your start-up unique. Which other tech companies are regularly featuring across press and social media? What are they doing right? What can I do to replicate their PR success? Make your own mark on social media platforms.

[Photo taken of Wimbart PR slides during webinar, copy of Wimbart PR]

Communications and PR is all about relationship building and forming bridges

Managing your PR strategy entails managing the brand perception of your company’s rapport with a vast range of stakeholders, including journalists, influencers, investors and ultimately your customers. Like all long-lasting relationships, there will be bumps in the road, and it takes time but essentially, the best PR campaigns and opportunities come from mutually beneficial partnerships between companies and journalists or influencers. With this in mind, Jessica recommends that you:

  • Do your homework. If it’s your goal to be featured in TechCrunch, The Economist, Forbes, The Financial Times, it is imperative that you understand journalists. They have the potential to be your closest ally and cheerleader as they can help you advocate your core offering and uniqueness.
  • Start with your local press first. Remember that when journalists from international media forums are considering you for a story, they will look to see what else is being written about your company.
  • Don’t try and dictate too many ‘terms’ with the journalist. If you offer a journalist exclusive news, keep it exclusive! Before you approach journalists with a story, make sure your investors/partners are on-board before you start pitching. Any delays or inconsistencies will deter journalists. Give yourself and the journalist time (up to two to three weeks).
  • In the specific case of news on a new round of funding, read previous fundraising announcements to learn from them. Structure your narrative around a similar formula. Keep the press release short, name check only top investors.

[Photo taken of Wimbart PR slides during webinar, copy of Wimbart PR]

Measuring marketing: Cross-channel marketing attribution

Consumer journeys are complex. Nevertheless, understanding marketing analytics can illuminate a typical customer journey. Start-ups that measure and analyse data will learn more about their audience. One effective method to do this is to monitor cross-channel marketing attribution. Measuring marketing attribution identifies a set of user actions or steps taken that result in a conversion (sale). It is helpful because companies can dissect multi-touch attribution points, enabling marketers to see their return on ad spend (ROAS). Simply put, which marketing tactics are working and which are not.

[Photo taken of slides during webinar, not for reuse]

Data is king: Marketing data is imperative to making smart decisions

Digital attribution works across several channels ranging from Google software, to Bing and Facebook and so on. Even if you do not have the budget to invest in a complex attribution programme there are still free services for start-ups. Below are some of Murtaza’s main tips:

  • Leverage free platforms (including Google ones like Firebase or Google Analytics).
  • Invest in search engine optimisation (SEO) and explore smart bidding.
  • Clean up your start-up’s digital footprint. One option is to check your Search Console Account so that your start-up can be found more easily online.
  • Be aware that sometimes giving credit to only one digital attribution can actually hurt your business if you ignore all the other potential components.
  • Keep in mind that attribution is not a silver bullet, especially if your targeted customers are not all online! It only helps you design all the online touch points in a digital system and to analyse the data intelligence. For instance, TV, radio, SMS, or print marketing will have an impact on your business but as they are offline marketing channels so their impact cannot be measured through digital analytics.

We would like to thank Jessica Hope and Murtaza Lukmani for sharing their expertise, experience and knowledge with our portfolio start-ups. We would also like to thank the start-ups from the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator and Mobile for Development Utilities portfolio for making the session an interactive one.

The GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator Innovation Fund provides selected start-ups in Asia Pacific and Africa with equity-free funding, technical assistance, and the opportunity to partner with mobile operators in their markets to help scale their products and services into sustainable businesses with positive socio-economic impact.

The Ecosystem Accelerator programme is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Australian Government, the GSMA and its members.

The post Using the power of PR and marketing in a mobile world – advice for start-ups in emerging markets appeared first on Mobile for Development.


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