You are starting your Alternative Delivery Platform (let's call it ADP). You have a lot to take care of – from partnering with merchants, to hiring and training staff, to setting up your tech stack.
One thing that is most likely not on your mind now is… marketing.
- There is nothing to market yet!
- You can market your intention.
- Why?
- First, this is a way to test the interest. If the interest is there, this gets you a customer database that you will reach out to once you launched. It can give your platform a very good head start.
- How?
- A signup form.
- What?
- A simple form that captures people's names and emails. You need it out and attached to your name on every social platform you are on and ideally, your merchant partners will help to distribute it as well.
- Why?
- If you are not making your intention a secret (I wouldn't), if you signing up merchants (you are), if you are talking to the press already (I would), potential customers may hear about you and get interested. They look up your name, they find your profile, and then you lose them. A simple contact form can help you capture them instead.
- How?
- There are plenty of ways. For starters, you don't even need a website. Google forms will do the work, and so will Typeform (it's beautiful and has a free plan). If you have a website – check out for a built-in forms modules (Wix and Tilda have it, most of the other website builders do).
- What to say there?
- "An early-bird signup", "a pre-launch", "a beta-tester campaign". Promise a discount (or don't). Ask for a person's name and email. If you don't have a name and logo for your business – just use something like "An alternative city of________ delivery platform".
- How to distribute it?
- Start with making sure it is attached to your social media profiles. Create a post. If you are having a conversation with the press – mention that early signup is open. Create a QR code (it's free here and takes 4 seconds), give it to your merchant partners and ask to attach it to their deliveries, put it on a door and elsewhere around their business.
- What then?
- Move on to doing other things, this is enough for now, and it's just good enough.
