Maria Dykstra

MARKETING LESSONS FOR EARLY STAGE STARTUPS

MARIA DYKSTRA @TREDIGITAL

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LESSONS LEARNED:

HOW TO BUILD COMPANIES WITH 7 FIGURES IN SALES

AND PRACTICALLY N0 MARKETING $$

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THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS YOUR FUNNEL

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WHAT DOES THE BASIC FUNNEL LOOK LIKE?

Image credit: Neil Patel

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EVERY FUNNEL REQUIRES THESE 4 STEPS

DETERMINE WHO THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS ARE

CREATE A COMPELLING STORY TO TELL THEM

FIND PROFITABLE TRAFFIC CHANNELS TO REACH YOUR CUSTOMERS

DESIGN SMART SALES SEQUENCE TO CONVERT LEADS INTO BUYERS

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YOUR CUSTOMERLET’S TALK ABOUT….

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\"Almost every failed startup has a product. What failed startups don’t have are enough customers."

~Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers

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WHAT DO MOST STARTUPS DO?

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“WANT” AND “NEED” ARE NOT THE SAME

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SPECIFIC “MUST HAVE” + SPECIFIC PERSON = “PROBLEM CUSTOMER FIT”

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HOW TO GET TO THE RIGHT “MUST HAVE”1. Tell me about the last time you

had... <problem> <context> 2. What was the most challenging?3. Why was it challenging? 4. How do you solve it now?5. Why is this solution not great?

Do NOT ask about the future (i.e. no “Would you” or “Will you” questions)

Absolutely NO PITCHING!

IT MAY TAKE 5+ “WHYs” TO GET TO THE CORE EMOTION

@TREDIGITALJustin Wilcox, Customer Dev Labs

1 - CUSTOMER “MUST-HAVE” EXERCISEInterview someone you do NOT know. Ask Customer Interview Questions. Document your findings:

- What was the most challenging? Why?

- How did they solve the problem?

- Listen for: Beliefs, Fears, Frustrations

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COMPELLING STORY

MOVING ON TO…

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CONNECT YOUR STORY TO CUSTOMER BFFs

BeliefsFearsFrustrations

@TREDIGITALImage credit The Ultimate Answer

OUTCOMES VS. FEATURES

YOUR STORY GOES BEYOND YOUR WEBSITE

YOUR WEBSITE = THE HUB OF YOUR STORY

Social Media

Blog + Guest Blogging

Email + Newsletter Whitepapers +

ebooks

Public Relations Offline Materials

Podcast

Video Series + Webinars

SEO + Referring Links

Video Series + Webinars

Document Sharing Sites

Forums

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2 - STORY EXERCISEFor every product feature, determine customer benefits and outcomes. How do your product features address BFF (beliefs, fears, frustrations)

FEATURES OUTCOMES/BENEFITS

1 123

2 123

3 123

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PROFITABLE CHANNELS

TIME TO DISCUSS….

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“If you get even a single distribution channel to work, you have a great business.

If you try for several but do not nail one, you are finished ” — Peter Thiel

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24 Marketing Channels

B2BB2C

❏ VIRAL MARKETING❏ INFLUENCER

MARKETING❏ LIFESTREAMING❏ WORD OF MOUTH❏ PUBLICITY STUNTS ❏ DISPLAY ADS

❏ EMAIL MARKETING❏ SOCIAL MEDIA

(ORGANIC)❏ CONTENT MARKETING❏ SEO❏ SOCIAL ADS ❏ EARNED MEDIA/GUEST

BLOGGING❏ REMARKETING❏ SEM/PPC❏ AFFILIATE PROGRAMS❏ EVENTS/TRADE SHOWS❏ MOBILE MARKETING❏ COMMUNITY BUILDING

❏ WEBINARS❏ PUBLIC RELATIONS❏ BUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT❏ SALES❏ INFLUENCE BUILDING❏ SPEAKING

ENGAGEMENTS

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CHANNEL PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK

1.PICK A CHANNEL

2.DESIGN A FUNNEL

3.RUN AN EXPERIMENT

4.MEASURE RESULTS

5.OPTIMIZE

6.RE-RUN THE EXPERIMENT

7.DETERMINE ROI @TREDIGITAL

CHANNEL PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK

1.PICK A CHANNEL

2.DESIGN FUNNEL

3.RUN AN EXPERIMENT

4.MEASURE RESULTS

5.OPTIMIZE

6.RE-RUN THE EXPERIMENT

7.DETERMINE ROI @TREDIGITALImage Credit: Sean Ellis

3 - CHANNELS EXERCISEDETERMINE THE CORE CHANNELS AND STEPS FOR THE EXPERIMENT. DETERMINE THE SUCCESS MEASURES

KEY CHANNEL(S) TO TEST IF WE DO <insert experiment>

OUR KEY METRIC <x> WILL INCREASE BY <y>

CORE STEPS

SUCCESS METRICS

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SMART SALES SEQUENCE

FINALLY….

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“ONLY 3% OF PEOPLE ARE IN THE “READY TO BUY NOW” MODE” ~ Chet Holmes

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GIVE VALUEGIVE VALUEGIVE VALUE

then ask for business

@garyvee

YOUR FIRST SALE IS JUST THE BEGINNING

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CREATE A FUNNEL FOR EACH CHANNEL

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YOUR COMPLETE FUNNEL MAY LOOK LIKE THIS

S

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AT THE VERY MINIMUM MAKE ALL OF YOUR CHANNELS WORK TOGETHER

@TREDIGITALImage Credit: Kate Grunton, buildalittlebiz.com

4 - FUNNEL EXERCISEDesign a Basic Funnel for the Channel that you picked. Determine different offers and nurturing sequence

How and where do you integrate BFF into the Funnel?

1.

2. @TREDIGITAL

RESOURCES/TOOLS CUSTOMERHow to Find & Interview Customers at CustomerDevLab.com

STORYValue Prop and Other Critical Story Components via Lean Canvas from Leanstack.com

CHANNELSOverview of the Traction Channels from Traction (the book)

NeilPatel.com - Tools + Tips on Maximizing channels

SALES SEQUENCETools to create sequence: ConvertKit (email) & ClickFunnels.com

Growthhackers.com - Online Community of GrowthHackers

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LET’S STAY IN TOUCH!

@TREDIGITAL IN/MARIADYKSTRA MARIAD@TREDIGITAL.COM

FIND THIS DECK: http://content.tredigital.com/StartupLessons

PUT THEORY INTO PRACTICE