Launching a start-up may appear to be more about the commerce of things than the actual marketing side.

While some degree of this is true, it is equally important — if not more — to understand that while the product or service offered is what will sell eventually, it is the message- or idea — prospective customers will interact with first.

And how we tell our story determines why a customer will walk through our doors. But the question is: How do we tailor the message? How do we differentiate from existing competitors? This is usually one of the challenges faced by start-ups.

It is important that you know who you are and focus on the services you are good at. Don’t fall into the trap of copying someone or pretending to have the experience others do. The value of branding is clearly illustrated in every commodity industry. For instance, Nike is known for making running shoes, while McDonald’s makes burgers.

Each brand sells an idea, Nike sells excellence via ‘Just Do it’, while McDonalds sells taste through ‘Am Loving It’.

Therefore, the winning combination for marketing a start-up brand is to identify any strengths and use them to your best advantage. Make sure to package the brand message in a compelling way that will intrigue an audience and be sure to craft that message in a way that gets the phones ringing.

In today’s market, being different is what sells. Don’t promise to be better. Promise to go against the grain. While competition is obviously present, real success is in evaluating your best against your second best.

It’s necessary to be aware, but more important to be self-aware. So when putting a brand out there, always measure yourself on what you are offering. If during the process we learn where we stand against the rest, it’s a bonus.

With Dubai’s vision to continuously grow as an investment hub, it is now becoming easier to build a start-up with a relatively small capital. After a change in the laws, an initial capital of less than Dh150,000 is required. A sizeable, yet doable, investment.

But what we need to remember is how to break-even in a market where it is a struggle to even keep afloat.

• First, it is important to value the solution and not the product.

• Put a number on a service by measuring a viable outcome.

• Evaluate the cost by the value a service adds to the consumer. With that proposition in mind it only makes it easier for the customer to agree to the valuation.

When managing costs, how feasible and cost-effective is marketing for start-ups? The answer really lies in what media or channel start-ups use.

A billboard on Shaikh Zayed Road is not only an over-kill but it may not be your right audience. With the myriad possibilities of cost-effective to no-cost digital marketing and word-of-mouth, a start-up doesn’t necessarily have to invest heavily in marketing the new brand.

Start-ups need to believe in themselves and take that leap of faith.

The writer is Managing Director of Elephant Nation.