About StartNExcel
StartnExcel was launched as a platform to connect early stages start-ups from tier 2 & tier 3 cities to Mentors, Investors & Accelerators (MIA) community in big cities of India, thus giving them the apt exposure for growth.
Challenge
To get brand visibility & recognition in the Startup ecosystem in Gujarat, and then pan-India. To build Brand Credibility, as the firm in itself is a Startup.
Strategy
To make StartnExcel stand out amidst the clutter of start-up service providers, a unique brand identity had to be established. Secondly, in a Startup Ecosystem; knowledge sharing, networking & learning is the key. So StartnExcel needed to actively contribute to the ecosystem & its members, spread their hustle stories & experiences to in-turn get more Brand Visibility & Reach.
Branding
The first step towards establishing a visual brand language for StartnExcel was to clearly set its Brand Identity.The brand mantra for StartnExcel was understood to be ‘Business Advisory Platform For Early Stage Startups’.To support this brand mantra, certain design principles & signature elements were locked ex: Color Psychology & Website lingual was used to finalize the shades of communication as Blood Red & Snow White, which reflect vibrancy & calmness, core traits of a successful entrepreneur. The brand guideline doc helped remind the creative team to follow uniformity across communication, be it social creatives, e-mailers or otherwise.
Communication Plan
4 core content pillars were built which would drive StartnExcel’s communication with the objective to enhance brand visibility & drive engagement
- Promote Startup Journeys
- Share Industry Relevant Information
- Showcase Industry Expertise
- Contextual Content
Part One- Promote Startup Journeys
a) Startup Talk Series
We introduced a talk show ‘Startup Talks’ where budding & promising entrepreneurs across India shared their interesting start-up growth journeys. The narrative-based talk show published on YouTube was cut into 2 halves for wider reach on FB & Twitter.
Agile Akanksha Communication, Social Gamification Platform
Watch Here: bit.ly/StartupTalkAgileAkanksha
Result: 24,576 Total Combined Video
Solo Travellers Meetup, A Travel Site For Solo Travellers
Watch Here: bit.ly/StartupTalkSoloTraveller
Result: 6,451 Total Combined Video Views
b) Women Entrepreneurial Stories
We focused our energies on digging out stories of grit & determination from Women Entrepreneurs, as #WomenEmpowerment had become a buzzword. A section on the StartnExcel blog was dedicated to it.
Watch Here: http://bit.ly/HirvaMD
c) One Minute Video Stories
To welcome the new year, we asked budding start-ups to delve on their start-ups journeys in the previous year, 2017, and share their vision for the coming year, 2018.
ReMaterials Modroof, High Quality Roofing Solutions For Slums & Villages
Watch Here: https://bit.ly/2mE3SZh
Result: 9117 Combined Video Views
Watch Here: https://bit.ly/2uRNDMX
Result: 7509 Combined Video Views
d) Startup Quotes
Inspirational quotes always work with start-ups. But rather then picking on quotes from the big-wigs of the startup world, which is very generic, we decided to share words of wisdom from StartnExcel registered budding start-ups who are fighting hard to make it big, and have learnt lessons the tough way.
Part Two- Share Industry Relevant Information
a) Daily Startup News
‘Startup Funding News’ is something which is widely read & circulated amongst startup peer groups,as it brings in a sense of hope & aspiration for budding start-ups. We capitalised on this very sentiment & started rolling out Funding News From Across The Country on a daily basis.
b) Startup Glossary
Knowing the Startup lingual is the key to interactions with fellow ecosystem members. A brandproperty ‘Startup Glossary’ was launched with the sole purpose of educating start-ups on key startup terminologies which are a must to thrive in the ecosystem.
c) 3rd Party Event Associations
If a Startup has to stay visible, it’s essential they attend Startup Events, especially in their circle, and interact with the MIA community. StartnExcel started getting associated as ‘OutReach Partners’ withauthentic Startup Events across the country, and spread those event updates amongst the ecosystem members so as they can benefit from it.
Part Three – Showcase Industry Expertise
a) Insightful Content Pieces
Multiple info-graphic blogs were coined where insightful learnings for start-ups were shared based on StartnExcel founding team’s cumulative years of experience.
b) Hosting Startup Event
StartnExcel hosted SMARTup Ahmedabad, which was one of the biggest privately held startup event in Ahmedabad, Gujarat at that point. A lot of round table seating meets were also headed by StartnExcel’s Chief Mentor & Founder, which were live streamed & recorded to share in snippets later
c) Twitter Chat
StartnExcel introduced #StartupChat, a Twitter chat where prominent personalities in the startup ecosystem shared their valuable experiences & insights to assist budding entrepreneurs.
Part Four- Contextual Content
The brand gave its own twist to create moment marketing pieces which would be contextually in sync with trending topics. We also established a quiz property ‘Friday Trivia’, where the winnerswere offered Free Consultation Session With Our Chief Mentor.
Listicles:
‘Toh Startup Ho Tum’ : https://bit.ly/2M0uCSe
‘Bootstrapping vs VC Funding: https://bit.ly/2OFY9PD
Entrepreneurs & Ecosystem Members Lapped Onto These Topical Pieces
Results:
Facebook Reach: 1.2mn
Twitter Impressions: 1mn
Linked-In Views: 1.4mn
Avg Post Engagement Rates
LinkedIn: 2.67% | Twitter: 1.25% | Facebook: 0.75%
Video Views: 1,04,282
Leads Generated Through Social Listening & Ad Campaigns: 280
