We are about to finish coding our first public beta of hotelninjas.com which means we can finally accept high volume of customers. And I was wondering what is the best way in your opinion to let the world know we're out there?<p>We're a bootstrapped startup with very little resources so everything we're looking at is low-budget, guerrilla stuff.<p>What launch tactics worked best for you?<p>What is a complete waste of time that needs to be avoided?
In the past week, I've experienced a fairly epic failure in the launch of a project of my own. Perhaps you can learn from it?<p>I wanted to run a fundraiser for Syrian refugees, and I spent a lot of time with a mock-up product that fit my sense of humor (and that of several friends). I got the first 10 donors lined up, so I thought, now I should launch.<p>I used GoFundMe for the project (<a href="http://www.gofundme.com/2d64j4" rel="nofollow">http://www.gofundme.com/2d64j4</a>), but I did very little initial publicity. I worked my email lists of potential victims and shared it via Facebook. Well, many of the original donors decided not to contribute and I only heard from two random donors that found my project via the FB shares. Out of 115 visits, I have three donors, whereas I originally only contacted 20 people, out of whom I received 10 orders.<p>So, I would say that this is not the best way to launch. It's possible that I planned the entire project poorly, and I'm currently trying to think of other ways to tell the world about it.<p>With tourist season starting here in Turkey (where I live), I would suggest contacting hostels and pensions that are advertising online. Pitch them directly and give them a trial.<p>In my experience, there isn't a lot of planning ahead and I have been shuffled around as part of a hotel managers efforts to juggle their availability. Larger hotels surely have a solution for this, but small and mid-sized venues clearly don't. I encounter lot's of ledgers kept on paper, and little to no automation. Meanwhile, the owner has a laptop open on the desk displaying FB or an online game. So, I think you have a market here in Turkey, if you can convince them to pay the price. That would probably mean getting into the local language though.<p>Good luck,
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Find a cheap resource who can do the sourcing work for you. I know startups who hire interns (for free!) and have got the database ready.<p>In your case, can you get a team of interns to get a list of hotels and the email ids of the right person (GM or atleast the front office manager) ready. Getting hold of 10K email ids is probably a weeks job if you get 2-3 interns.<p>Then there are these email marketing companies who give you free emails ( You are a startup, look around, you will find deals)..<p>In a week if you reach out to 10K hotels, even with a 0.1% conversion, you make some money. After you do it 3-4 times, you would start making enough money to start arranging your sales force.<p>PS : Interns in Eastern countries need to do live projects as a part of their MBAs. This helps them have a better chance of getting a job.
I am personally employing couple of interns for totally different reasons. :)
Shoot me an email. I have a package that I offer to startups like yours. It helps them start quickly, and reduces the amount of stress of a launch. Plus it only costs $249. Includes a marketing package that simply works. Email templates, phone scripts, tactics, help with the copywriting, etc. Let me know you are from HN in the message.
Launch now.<p>What is "launch" exactly? Do a Show HN. Tell all friends/family you're live and to start spreading the word. Email your personal networks and do the same. If you have a mailing list, let your list know you're live and ready to go.<p>Start getting feedback as soon as possible and don't ever stop listening.
I was also looking for sources for showcasing my website: bizcoterie.com. One of my search results...<p><a href="http://www.quora.com/Startups/How-do-you-promote-your-startup-without-being-annoying" rel="nofollow">http://www.quora.com/Startups/How-do-you-promote-your-startu...</a>
Do it now. And do it several times. Airbnb "launched" 3 (4?) times.<p>If your launch fails to gain you any traction, good, that means you can launch again and no one will know the difference.