We are very shortly launching around 10-12 products in the cosmetic Herbal range in India and have a shoestring budget to work with. What is the best way to go about entering the market. We already have some medicines running in the Rural Market but without any advertising majorly. Its doing quite nicely for now and now we want to expand into cosmetics.

Should we first go for advertising and then launch products
OR
do we first launch products and then advertise
OR
Do we first try and get some distributors and then let them go ahead with the whole thing by offering them a Bulk Discount.

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Jay’s Answer: It all comes down to identifying the type of person you believe will be your ideal customer, then finding ways to communicate your product’s unique benefits to them (a marketing strategy).

First, who are your ideal customers? Women? How old? Living where? Single or married? Social class? What products do they already use? Why do they like/dislike them?

Next, why should your ideal customers believe your products are better than your competitors? Why should they trust your claims?

If you don’t have the budget to advertise to the customers yourself, then you really only have one choice: finding other people who already are in conversation with your ideal customer and teaching them why your product should be the customers #1 choice.