Don't know how to acquire your first paying customer? This guide for Bootstrapped Founders in 2023 will get you going π
π Step 1. Focus on acquisition tactics.
One marketing channel has multiple tactics.
Example: Twitter is an acquisition channel. But you can do a lot of stuff there: sending cold DM, building in public, writing Threads, running giveaways.
When you say, "I want to get traffic from Twitter", you are not saying anything in particular. Because different tactics will get you different results. You need to be specific.
π Step 2. Start with the easiest quick wins.
Sure, you can get 10 paying customers from 6 months of doing SEO. But you can get the same result from sending 100 cold emails or launching on Product Hunt.
It's important not to do tactics that just feel good to you. You need acquisition tactics that feel good to you and are efficient for your product.
π Step 3. Experiment to check the ROI
Your goal is to get a clear answer to the question, "Can this tactic become my growth driver for the next 3 months?". Even if it will cost you a few bucks or a wasted week of effort.
Run a cheap and fast experiment β Get the results β Make the decision
π Step 4. Nail one tactic at one time
Finally, donβt chase 10 tactics simultaneously. You will just fail them all. There is a better way:
1. Pick one acquisition tactic
2. Understand it deeply
3. Get significant results
4. Automate it
5. Run new experiments to pick a new tactic
6. Make sure your new tactic leverages the existing one
7. Repeat
Bootstrapped Founders should approach marketing channels smarter. Don't try to jiggle multiple channels at once. Instead, focus and experiment.
There are more acquisition tactics in MakerBox Workbook (
https://www.makerbox.club/workbook). Some of them are easier, and some require more effort. But all of them are budget-friendly and can be done in a one-person business β
PHPRunner