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An inside look at how BrandYourself.com (unexpectedly) acquired 60 thousand users in 60 hours following the official launch of its free Do-It-Yourself online reputation management & personal SEO tool. Co-founder & CEO, Patrick Ambron, takes you through the steps that led to the unexpected growth and how startups and fellow entrepreneurs can apply similar tactics to grow their business, including tips for press pitching, website design, referrals, marketing / branding tactics and more.
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How we (unexpectedly) got 60K Users in 60 Hours
Patrick AmbronCo-Founder & CEO
and other ways to get users without spending $$
•Background: what/who is BrandYourself
•Tipping Point: 60K users in 60 hrs (what happened)
•What we learned: lessons you can apply
AGENDA
We started BrandYourself when co-founder Pete couldn‘t get an internship because employers were Googling him and finding...
A criminal with the same name The REAL Pete Kistler, NOT a criminal
INSTEAD OF
1 BILLION
75%
names are Googled every day
of HR departments are required to research candidates online
We realized this is a BIG problem for A LOT of people
…And most people are not well-represented online
NEGATIVEIRRELEVANT
HEY! THAT’S NOT ME
To help everyone control their search results with a simple & FREE do-it-yourself platform
So we made it our mission:
How BrandYourself Works
Users can also create a BrandYourself that’s optimized to rank high in search results for your name
•30 full-time employees •Over 300,000 customers •$2 Million in funding
(more on way) •Named #1 Emerging
Business in NYS ($200K prize), top app at SXSW
WHERE WE STARTED WHERE WE ARE NOW
•Launched in 2010 from a dorm room at SU
•No marketing budget, no resources, no clue
HOW DID WE GET FROM A TO B?
It started with a lot of building…
and rebuilding
and more rebuilding
UNTIL FINALLY …
We were ready for launch!
Growth was pretty good right out of the gate
BUT THEN…
…we hit a tipping point
60K users in 60 hrs
SO WHAT HAPPENED?
We announced a feature that (accidentally) went a little viral
first, Mashable picked it up
Not all Mashable articles are created equal
an article trending on the front
Once the story was “hot” other places picked it up
All these new users began sharing BrandYourself, which compounded growth even more…
Signups from direct sources and direct Google searches sky-rocketed
We signed up over 10,000 people from sources that signed up less than 200
people each.
Finally, all the new users created a huge Long Tail Effect
Some sent us users through
Others wrote personal blog posts
SO WHAT DID WE LEARN ?(THAT COULD HELP YOU)
Pitch the right publication
(choose wisely)
1
Promote one feature at a time
(make sure it’s the one people care about)
2
Bad Pitch:
We have a new feature that helps you do something
amazing that no one else can help you do
Good Pitch:
Here’s a list of ten technical features
you won’t really understand. Will you
write about it?
Focus the story on specific people, not you or your company
3
Bad Pitch:
Millions of people—like my friend Jim—could never speak Spanish.
With this new product he was fluent in 2 weeks!
Good Pitch:
I just stayed up all night releasing this. You
should write about it.
Focus on your sign up flow4
(optimize conversions)
Ideal Homepage
Pretty good homepage (thank you)
Really good homepage
Obvious really bad homepage
Not as obvious bad homepage
Know where your product can be viral
*People will always share an interesting experience
5
(even if it isn’t a social network)
People like to brag about accomplishments
People want to do what their friends do
Other Companies that use the Buddy
DROPBOX: Invite a friend & you both get free storage space
SKYPE: Invite a friend & you both get to talk to each other for free
Have a great product that solves a real problem
6
VS
Solve a specific problem
7
Originally, we tried to be everything:
“Put your best foot forward on the web”: • Manage your entire online reputation
• Own your Google results
• Track your digital breadcrumbs
• Create effective social media profiles
• Get more fans and followers
• Figure out how to blog
• Automate your social media outreach
• Manage your online privacy
• Build a personal brand
• Improve your online presence
Now, we have a concise message:
Own Your Google Results.
Listen to your users and give them what they need
8
With feedback from our users, we realized some situations still require more hands-on help….
So, we launched Concierge Services where a reputation specialist will handle the work for them.
…this accelerated revenue and led to massive company growth
Patrick, one of our reputation specialists
Look great when employers, clients and even dates Google you.