Sales & Marketing: Your Plan to Turn Strangers into Customers
How to show funders you have a credible, specific plan to acquire customers.
Marketing Strategy That Funders Believe
The test for your marketing section is specificity. A funder reading "we will use social media" learns nothing. A funder reading "we will run Facebook and Instagram ads targeted at women aged 25–45 in Johannesburg, with a R2,000/month budget, aiming for 20 new customers per month at an acquisition cost of R100 per customer" can evaluate whether that plan is realistic.
Channels That Work for South African SMEs
Not all marketing channels are equal for every business type. Common combinations that work:
- Retail / food: WhatsApp Business, Facebook, local community groups, signage
- B2B services: LinkedIn, referral partnerships, industry associations
- Professional services: Google Ads, referrals, local chamber events
- E-commerce: Instagram, Google Shopping, email lists
Pick channels where your specific customer actually spends time — not channels that sound impressive.
The CAC/LTV Frame
Funders think in terms of economics. If you spend R5,000 to acquire a customer who pays you R200/month and stays for 18 months, your LTV is R3,600 and your CAC is R5,000 — that is a problem. If they stay for 36 months, the LTV is R7,200 — much better.
You do not need exact figures, but showing you have thought about this ratio signals commercial maturity.
Retention Is Marketing Too
Do not just plan for acquisition. How do you keep customers coming back? Loyalty programmes, follow-up calls, subscription models, and community building are all valid retention strategies worth mentioning.
Checklist
- [ ] Marketing channels are named specifically, not generically
- [ ] Monthly marketing budget is a real number in the financial projections
- [ ] Customer acquisition journey is described step by step
- [ ] At least one retention strategy is mentioned