Startup Marketing - When to hire (or Fire) your marketing manager

When to hire or fire your Marketing ManagerAmit Lavi

December 2014

2© 2015 Marketing Envy

Marketing Envy founders

Over 30 <gulp> years combined experience with tech start ups and multi-national brands

Google, Facebook, Ubuntu, Fuji-Xerox, HP Scitex, Askem, Cloudyn, BlazeMeter, DMG, ICQ, Tuteboard,

GetEvents, Mantis Vision, Cliqdo, Outbrain

Billy Cina Amit Lavi


Our customers


Can’t see the plan from all the buzzwords

Marketing as a process


So you want to hire a marketer


Initial clients

Buzz / traction

Hockey Stick Growth

New markets

Because everyone has one

Because my investors told me to get one

I want a marketer for


Asking around what type of marketer should I have


Confused?

Don’t know who to choose?


4 stages of the startupocopalypse

Test Launch GrowthTech

Company


Test Phase If you can’t measure it – it doesn’t exist


“Let’s Launch, the product is ready. I just feel it”

Why Test?


Startup Launch is not an event – it’s a process you have to be ready for

Why Test?


A target audience

Great messaging

Bring enough users

Analytics

Test – What do we need


Never Assume

Test – Messaging


Cheaper to test top of funnel

Adapt tests to dev cycle

Test – What to measure – Decide on KPI


Login – Native email or Facebook/ Google login?

Test KPI No. 1 in funnel – Let’s start with Log-in

Email login and Facebook

Facebook only


Greatest impact on changing the top of the funnel

Test KPI No. 1 in funnel – Let’s start with Log-in

Email login and Facebook

Facebook only


Test B2B – Make you’re your site is ready

Try:

PopupTop bar Exit bannerSignup form Visible CTA


• Stop when:

o You reached your KPIs

o Messaging is effective

o You ran out of time

Test – When to stop testing


Test – Build your presence from day -1


• Experienced with:

o Product analytics

o Basic experience with PPC

o Managing copywriters

o Define KPIs

Test – Marketing Manager needed: The Analyst


“Marketing is just about the story”

Doesn’t know what KPIs mean

Can’t play along with Product team

Not hands-on

Test – Marketing Manager needed – Fire If

© 2015 Marketing Envy 23

Ready, Set, Launch!


Launch – Process , not one off

Analyze

Execute

KPIMeasure Plan


Launch – Present your story

Be Bold


• Use starting point from Test

• Measure without a starting point:

o Activities KPIs

o Incremental increase

o Minimum KPIs

Launch – How to set meaningful KPIs with no prior data


Choose your channels (B2B and B2C)

> 1 Channel

Focus on Core Audience

Test less promising channels

Launch – Go to market


PPC campaigns

Mobile App installs

Search campaigns

SEO / ASO

Content marketing

Reviews

Native advertising

Offline conversions

Viral content

Launch – Acquisition – B2C


Paid lead generation campaigns

Lead nurturing

Social Media Biz Dev

Industry reviews

LinkedIn direct emails

Gift campaign

Conference

Launch – Acquisition – B2B


2 things to remember about PR:

1. No one cares that you’ve launched

2. No agency is the best in all verticals

Solid, effective PR that will not make you cry over the monthly retainer requires:

• An interesting product

• With users &/or customers

• Data about the market &/or customers

• A good English (?) speaker for the journalists/analysts

Launch - PR


Pareto specialist

Execute

Adaptable

The Launch Phase - Who and what we we are looking for


Gets holistic marketing and can plan ahead

Define KPI and know how to reach

Tie channels together

Execute in many channels

Numbers driven

Launch – Marketing Manager Needed: The Marketing Director


Can’t see beyond his channel

Can’t commit to KPIs

Can’t get his hands dirty

Launch – Marketing Manager Needed – Fire If


Growth When we know launch worked


Build the machine – Automate and create procedures and monitoring

Growth - Build the machine


Non-linear process

Takes a long time

Data heavy, ROI focused

Constantly test new markets and verticals

Integrate channels into BI

Growth


Analyze data from launch

Become / Hire experts

Manage processes not channels

Building the marketing machine

Growth – Excel in chosen channel(s)


• Hire Channel pros

o The best Content Marketers

o PPC – Expert in best channel – the rest will come

o Analytics – Dedicated resource, connects all the dots

Growth – Build team


Method and process, not miracles

Integrating the product into marketing

Get traffic first

Growth - “Hacking “


Growth - Hacking examples


The buzzwords :

• Inbound

• Content

• Native ads

Growth – Inbound and Content marketing –The buzzwords


Got a story to tell? Now it’s the time for PR

Growth - PR – Should I start PR now?


• Optimize for

o Retention

o Purchase

o Premium

o In-App

o Virality - K Factor

• Ask for Feedback from users

Growth– Product – Optimize down the funnel


Growth – Product – Optimize down the funnel


Growth - Marketing Manager: The Machine builder

Yearly planning

Yearly budget

Build team

Clear ROI goals

Product feedback loop

Innovate with channels


No managerial experience

Lack of vision

Can’t see beyond marketing

Isn’t process driven

Growth - Marketing Manager needed – Fire if


Bye Bye Startup The Marketing Factory


Multi-product strategy

Multi-market strategy

Distributed team

Refines story

The Marketing Factory – the challenges


The Marketing Factory – CMO

Strategic to the core

Visionary

Managers’ manager

Branding experience

International experience

Startup Marketing - When to hire (or Fire) your marketing manager

Marketing

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