When should you start marketing?

The best time to start marketing is way before you have anything to sell.

Real estate developers are great at this. They haven’t even broken ground yet, and they are already promoting the project.

The building name hasn’t been trademarked and the construction plans haven’t been approved. They can’t officially sell anything yet, so the building is being promoted with a code name….. “Code Name: Glitter Explosion Towers”.

At this stage families who want a house can’t buy anything, but early-stage investors who are willing to risk their cash are welcome to take part.

The developer wants to start staking claim to your awareness of real estate projects in the area. As you hear the name again and again over the years, it seems familiar.

It can also scare off rivals who are considering projects in the area.

And it acts as a barometer of interest. Are people calling up to ask about your project? What are they looking for? What questions do they ask?

Many startups screw this up. They are sometimes paranoid that their (anyway unoriginal) idea will be copied. Other times they don’t want to promote something that isn’t ready.

Unless you have a truly groundbreaking piece of technology that is going to change the world, there is no reason for you to be in ‘stealth mode’. Almost any business model or product that you can think up has already been considered and discarded by other companies. It doesn’t mean that it is a bad idea, maybe it just wasn’t a fit for them. But it’s not a secret.

The best time to talk to investors is long before you need the money. The best time to start marketing is long before you need to sell anything.