INTERNET MARKETING COMMUNICATION IN PAKISTANI TECH STARTUPS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Abstract

Startups are at their boom in current Pakistani economy. Among the several factors that define their success, one is the way they market their services and products to audience. The purpose of this research was to understand how startup owners practice internet marketing communication to promote their products and services. 10 startup owners were interviewed which are based in Technology Incubation Centre at the National University of Sciences & Technology, Islamabad. Their semi structured interviews were analysed for thematic similarities. The findings showed that startup owners were not treating each of their marketing communication goals as distinct from each other. Experienced startup owners did considerably well and had higher satisfaction level. Availability of budget, expertise in marketing and past experience in running startups was some factors that paved way for effective internet marketing. Startup owners used a variety of tools to market their products/services, most common being Facebook, SEO, ASO and email. While they understood that the choice of tools was derived from their goals, they did not actively distinguish between their goals and the marketing tools used to achieve each goal. Keywords: Internet Marketing Communication Mix, Startups, Facebook, SEO, ASO and Email marketing, Video marketing, Measurement of Online Marketing Efforts, Satisfaction Level