In 2013, Canva, a small Australian startup was staring down graphic design giants such as Adobe. Their challenge? Not just entering a saturated market, but convincing potential users to even try their platform. Instead of burning through their limited budget on aggressive advertising, they made a bold decision: give their core product away for free
This wasn’t just generosity – it was strategic lead generation at its finest. By providing thousands of customizable templates at no cost, they transformed every free user into a potential advocate. The results? By 2023, Canva’s strategy helped them grow to 170 million users, with 16 million paying customers. This brought in $2 billion in revenue and made the company worth $49 billion.
Break the Lead Generation Barrier
HubSpot estimates indicate that lead generation is a pressing issue for 63% of marketers. This is especially the case for startups. The small budget available, the other players in the market, and the need to have a client base to service can be too much. However, as Canva demonstrated, the right lead generation strategies can transform these challenges into opportunities for exponential growth.
This guide goes over practical, proven methods to achieve success at a reasonable price, so look no further. We’ll examine top lead generation strategies for startups on a budget that has helped numerous emerging companies establish their market presence.