Early stage strategies of growing your customer base for online start-up?

I wonder what do you recommend are the best strategies for growth and promotion of your online start-up in the early stages after launch?

How do you get your name out there and how do you effectively expand your traffic as well as customer/user base?

I'm interested to hear your advice or preferably real life examples of growing your business in any business area as long as it is online based business. I am especially interested to hear ideas how to grow social/business networking and b2b networking sites.

You incubate your business, develop a product (platform), launch a beta... what next? Surely there is something to be done other than waiting, hoping that people will find their way to you through SEO. What is it that could be done?

How to convince the first few subscribers to sign up, when you have no or little traffic at your website?

Thank you for your advice!

• Go to user groups and run demo's of your site/product. If it's a great product, people will spread the word for you.
• Social media. Follow relevant people on twitter, post on their blogs. Or even better, invite influential bloggers to test/review your product.
• The press is your friend. Invite reporters from online publications to try out your product and if they like what they see, you may get just get some articles.
• Getting a group of active and influential users should be a good start, as they will advertise your product for you.

I think Seth does a great job of explaining some great things for you to do.

There are a couple of things I would add, however.

First, you need to have a great, well-designed product. Allow a free test/trial of it. If it's not absolutely fantastic, most people won't care. On the web, we look for the best, or the free.

Then, and this is so important, you have to go out and interact with your audience. Try finding a blog that is related to your topic and post comments there. No, not links to your website, but meaningful comments and advice. Do this with several other blogs.

Gary Vaynerchuk, of winelibrary.com fame, built his brand this way. He would get on search.twitter.com, what used to be known as Summize.com, and search for merlot, find people with questions, and answer them.

You've got to start by helping people. You really really have to be generous in the beginning.

Watch this:
Gary Vaynerchuk on giving a shit