Customer Experience Strategy

Marketing Strategy

Welcome to the Robert Clegg blog. If you are a startup owner or planning to become one, the road ahead is rough. We don’t mean to discourage you because the reality is, most start-ups are bootstrapping their way toward growth and 20% of startups fail in their first year and nearly 50% of them close down within five years. Unfortunately, you will encounter some challenges along the way. How do you decide where to focus your marketing efforts? Where do you allocate your limited budget? etc.

The good news is that there is a lot more easily-accessible advice on marketing and sales to guide entrepreneurs in this digital era than was available before. Put yourself on solid ground by following the Robert Clegg marketing strategy for startups.

First things first research your target market thoroughly. This seems to be a no-brainer but it’s something that 42% of small businesses get wrong. They don’t assess the needs of their target market correctly. They build products that the market doesn’t need or appreciate. While you may be excited about your new product or service, it may not click as well with your consumers. Every new product or marketing campaign should be planned with the intended audience in mind.

Once you’ve research your target market thoroughly. Next on Robert Clegg's list is to earn customer trust because the value of customer trust cannot be downplayed for any business, but it’s especially important for startups. A startup needs to earn customer trust and this should be their top priority. Your customers are your brand advocates too. They can market your products even better than experienced sales reps. Their testimonials can help you attract new customers. So, make sure that you reward your loyal customers amply.

OK, so now create marketing messages that appeal to people's emotions. The key is to create a message that is distinct and memorable so that it leaves an impression in the audience’s mind. For that, you need to highlight your unique selling proposition (USP).

To create establish credibility in the marketplace. Industry events are an ideal place to network. By doing this, you can pitch your product and company in an impactful way. This can also help you learn about the latest developments happening in your niche. Using this information, you can strategise for future campaigns.

Social media has also become a potent marketing and selling channel. So, you’ve got your social media profiles – now what?  It’s important that you leverage methods that are working best on your chosen networks. If you want even more targeted outreach, you can invest in ads on Facebook and Instagram. In 2019, 61% of brands adopted this method to improve conversions and engagement.  You can also collaborate with influencers to spread the word about your brand. Influencers have a deeply-invested community of followers who trust their recommendations.

Lastly, sell first and build later. How can you sell something that doesn’t exist? Naturally, you need to have a well-defined vision about what your product will look like and what it will accomplish. But you need not go into overdrive trying to launch it. There’s one more benefit of marketing a product which is still on the drawing board. You can gauge how optimistically it will be received by consumers.With time, you can strive to become a pro at it.

That's it for today!


Robert Clegg provides a balanced view of the business landscape based on industry news and trends, as well as real-life experiences. Read more about Robert Clegg online here. Follow Robert Clegg on Twitter. Alternatively, you can also read the latest Robert Clegg news here.

Investment Strategy

Welcome to the Robert Clegg blog. A recession is not the time to experiment or take risks with your investments. The most important aspect of anyone’s recession-time investment strategy should be playing it safe. This involves avoiding investments in companies that are highly leveraged or speculative. Focus on finding companies with good cash flow and low debt for the safest investment options. And as a general guideline, try not to take any major risks at an already uncertain time.

Cyclical goods and services are best avoided during times of uncertainty. During a recession, it’s best to focus on finding non-cyclical industries offering goods and services that are in constant, year-round demand like grocery stores, discount stores, alcohol manufacturers, cosmetics and funeral services.

A good general piece of investing advice from Robert Clegg is not to pile into a single sector, even when it includes the aforementioned consumer staples. Equally important is diversification across asset classes, e.g., equities, in addition to fixed income and commodities.

Though a major recession can bring seriously loses too many industries, real estate — provided wise investments are made — is usually not among them. Recession usually leads to a drop in home values, meaning that you may be able to buy a property at a lower price and sell it for a large profit when prices rise back up after the economy and markets have recovered. In the meantime, you can rent the property out to a tenant, generating reliable passive income during the interim period.

Be well, and invest wisely!