I’ve been doing online tech startups my entire life (past 30 years). Sometimes I had a big marketing budget, sometimes I had zero budget. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But I started with zero budget. And having nothing is the mother of invention when it comes to finding creative ways to build a brand. 🌟

So this post is for all those AI and SaaS startups that WANT to create a brand but just don’t have the budget for it (don’t worry, you are not alone). 💪 Watch the video for the WHY behind these strategies or read below for the summary on smart, sneaky tricks to do it. 🚀

Oh, and do you like snack-sized videos better than these mammoth long ones? 😅 Hey, I can’t blame ya. But rejoice, I’ve got you covered there. Get your SaaS CMO Pro fix on any of these platforms which have lots and lots of shorts. 🎥📱

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🌟 What is a Brand?

To me, a brand is the sum of every single experience someone has with your company. It’s not just your logo or slogan—it’s every interaction. With this mindset, you can start creating better experiences that help you stand out.

✍️ Creating a Unique Editorial Tone and Voice

Most B2B SaaS software sounds the same—boring and monotonous. At Slack, we created a unique, witty, and charming voice that we used everywhere, not just on our website. Train your team to use this voice in all customer interactions, from support tickets to release notes.

🎨 Unique Visual Identity

Don’t be afraid to be bold with your visual identity. At Zendesk, we embraced green, which helped us stand out. Your visual identity should be consistent across your website and product. Remember, users spend most of their time in the product, so make it visually engaging.

🌟 Put that brand INSIDE your software
Too many times as marketers we spend all our time on the top of funnel (website, content, ads) and ignore the product itself. I get this is harder as you need to work with product and engineering to make changes (whereas you normally have full control over the other areas). But it is such an easy win to infuse your brand into your AI and SaaS software.

😃 Having Fun with Your Brand

Create fun, delightful moments within your product. For example, Carta adds a fireworks display when you receive a stock option grant. These moments make the experience memorable and enjoyable. Measure how fun your product is by sending simple surveys to users.

💡 Small, Delightful Moments

Small gestures, like handwritten notes, can make a big impact. At Slack, we sent Slack socks with handwritten notes to customers, which generated a lot of positive buzz online. These little things can create a strong, positive perception of your brand.

🦥 Using Mascots

Mascots can add personality to your brand. At SaaS CMO Pro, we have a sloth mascot that adds a fun element to our communications. Consider incorporating a mascot into your user experience to make it more engaging.

📊 Measuring Success

It’s important to measure the impact of your branding efforts. Use surveys to gauge brand sentiment and see how users feel about their experience with your product. Adjust your strategies based on this feedback to continually improve.

🚀 Final Thoughts

Building a brand with zero budget is possible. Focus on creating unique, engaging experiences and measuring their impact. Start with small steps, like improving your signup flow or adding fun moments to your product.

Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀