Startup Marketing 101 - Startup Breakfast Club Jun 18 2013

Startup Breakfast Club Montreal, June 18th 2013

Tuesday, 18 June, 13

Code,

This is the advice you’ll get most often.

code, code ...

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... and it’s WRONG!

well, almost.

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If you build it

they will come!

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They won’t!

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Ask a technical founder about his startup, and he'll proudly

describe his stunning software

simple, compelling, useful, fun,

cloud-based, scalable, distributed

version control, continuous

integration, one-click-deploy.

as

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blah, blah, blah ...

“So how will people find your website?”

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★ "We're going to A/B-test AdWords campaigns until we discover our hook."

★ “We're going to A/B-test our landing pages until the right message appears."

★ "We're better than everyone else at SEO."

★ "A friend of mine knows how to get popular on Twitter."

★ "We're going to get reviews on blogs."

★ "We're going to start with our own network and grow it from there."

★ "We're going to use an affiliate program so our customers sell it for us."

★ "We're putting a 'Retweet' button inside the product to encourage viral growth."

Response ...

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Every new startup on Earth says exactly these things.The Problem:

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Yes, you’re still going to do these things, but since

millions of other people are too, you’re still invisible.

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Visibility

Anyone gives a crap

= FAIL

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So now what?

I thought this was a

marketing talk?

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It is, so let’s talk

marketing!

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Here are 5 BIG marketing tips for startups

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The number one mistake founders make when trying to generate press is talking about

what the company does

1

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1

they should talk about why they are doing it!

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Does Twitter get press when it helps Iranians fight an illegitimate government or when it creates a

new internal IT process to increase up-time?

1

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1

Does Apple win the hearts of millions because of their obsession with design or because of

their development APIs?

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Does 37signals have over three million users because their software is "better" than the competition, or is it because they motivate designers and entrepreneurs

through their writing and philosophy?

1

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“Without a powerful narrative, your chances of getting big press and enthusiastic users who spread

the word for you approach zero as a limit.”

Jason Cohen, Smart Bear Software

1

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1 One thing we do really well is ...

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1We tell a compelling and honest

story through social media, blogs, and events, and community outreach.

... and it works!

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2

Going viral ...

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2Just adding a like or share button

does not guarantee viral!

buttons are good but they don't make your product intrinsically viral

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2Tip: If your product is not viral you

still need a killer way to find customers.

If it is, it better be encoded in the DNA of the application, and not an afterthought.

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2Don’t bloat!

Don’t just add features you think are cool, build your software around your

users. Ask them what they want?

This can do more harm than good!

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3

Advertising

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3

Today, marketing is about building “relationships”

and “authority”

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3 We strongly believe ...

Even if your community is

small, it provides you with an

opportunity to get to know

your readers

Interactivity engages

readers and creates a

positive impression

A sense of community creates loyal readers

Readers who like you will help you out in

various ways

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3True, but ...

Spending money to make money is also still true. Advertising is not dead; you can still buy eyeballs!

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3A simple strategy

$C < $R = You have a business

The average cost of acquiring a customer is $C (advertising, sales, support, doing demos) and the lifetime

revenue you get from that customer is $R.

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3Tip: Read this great interview with

Sean Ellis at VentureHacks for a great discussion of how to seek a repeatable, profitable model

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4

Honesty

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Need I say more?

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4

Celebrity Championship

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4Celebrity endorsement can

serve as an untouchable competitive advantage.

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4But a good community

manager, marketing manager, or CEO can do the same!

It’s all about connections.

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5

Start your marketing from day 1!This is the biggest tip!

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5You can spend all the time in the

world building a product but if you don’t have a Go To Market strategy

no one will ever find it!

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Follow steps 1 - 5 daily and you’ll be ok!

or, gives us a call

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Want to learn more?Come check out STARTUP MARKETING 101

http://thebrendans.com/startup-marketing

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Thank You!www.TheBrendans.com

www.KeepMarketingFun.com@TheBrendans

www.facebook.com/thebrendans

@digibomb

Tuesday, 18 June, 13