Here is the use case - it is 2020 and everyone is still using graph paper and calculators and word docs to track calculations. Spreadsheets only exist in physical, paper form and as a startup, you've gone stealth and built Excel (or Google Sheets). You've validated the issue, solution and concept through customer discovery calls, etc. The challenge is that this General Purpose Tool you've built can be used in so many verticals and in so many different ways. But no one is looking for your solution yet because (like the Henry Ford quote) everyone is just looking for a faster physical spreadsheet as opposed to a fundamentally different solution.
Limited bootstrap or seed-stage type budgets.
No one is googling for "digital spreadsheets" as you are defining a new category.
How would you go about building brand and product awareness?
Hyperfocus on a niche use case? Go after a large fortune 500 proof of concept? Grassroots it and port real traditional paper spreadsheets over to a digital version and post like mad to social media and hope for virality?
The root of the question is suggestions on effective, budget-friendly ways to market and get traction on a category creation type of application when the market isn't actively looking for that solution... yet.
Very familiar with the book Traction and all of the channels. The nuance here being category creation.
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