Startup MarketingGetting off the ground floor

Sean O’MalleyProduct Guyhttp://seancomalley.com

You have a new product

You want it to go viral

But traditional marketing doesn’t work

1. Buy Ads

2. Get More Distribution

Buy Ads3. Sell More Products

4. Make a Profit

Traditional marketing machine

From Seth Godin on Sliced Bread at Ted, Feb 2003

It doesn’t work because consumers have more choice and less time

It doesn’t work because startups don’t have the money

You need a marketing elevator to get your startup off the ground

Push Button to: acquire users build a brand get recommended

1. Build a remarkable product

2. Market to passionate influencers

3. Build loyalty through community management

1. Build a remarkable product

“Something remarkable is worth talking about...It’s a Purple Cow… Remarkable marketing is the art of building things worth noticing right into your product or service.” Seth Godin

Remarkable is hard

“A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.”

Steve Jobs

Let’s say you build a remarkable product so influential people can’t help but talk about it

The product is the marketing

But what if my product isn’t Google?

Watch, Listen and Iterate

Scientific Product Development

Be an astronomer ....not an astrologer

AcquisitionActivationRetentionReferral

Monetization

Problem,Hypothesis

& Test

Keep or kill feature

Traditional methods

Surveys

Google Analytics

1:1 Interviews

Ethnographic studies

Usability testing

Focus groups

Emerging Methods...Social media

2. Market to the passionate Influencers

10% influence the purchasing behavior of the other 90%

Malcolm Gladwell The Tipping Point

Where do you find the influencers?

Ask the question...

Who do my customers listen to?

Reach the Mac user....not the PC user

Methods

Word of Mouth Marketing

Buzz Marketing

Community Mktg

Grassroots MarketingEvangelist Marketing

Product Seeding

Cause Marketing

Evangelist Marketing Brand Blogging

Referral Programs

Viral Marketing

Your biggest bang for the buck...embrace the influential bloggers

3. Build loyalty through Community Management

A happy customer is the greatest endorsement

Basically, it comes down to treat me well and I’ll return the favor

Be a talk show host... not a preacher

Methods

Give a great experience

Give customers a voice

Listen

Foster customer reputations

Engage the community

If you remember anything...

Most successful marketing elevators are about making lives better

Sean O’MalleyProduct GuyVenrock Quarrysomalley@venrock.comhttp://seancomalley.com

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