Your Awesome Product Won't Sell Itself

tara hunt - limefoundry.com/tarahunt.com by tara hunt

tara hunt - limefoundry.com/tarahunt.com

about me

www.tarahunt.com (formerly horsepigcow) www.buyosphere.com (built product)

www.limefoundry.com (current project)www.citizenspace.us (sold in 2010)


about me

1. ran one of the first 100% social media campaigns in 2006 with unprecedented results

- in 24 hours after launching, Riya.com had over 1 million uploads (then like.com and now

google product search)

2. was on Twitter before it had vowels (TWTTR)

- number 112 to join (1st Canadian!)

3. worked with many early ‘web 2.0’ startups through Citizen Agency

- including Slideshare, Tripit, Get Satisfaction, Social Text and Songbird.

4. wrote The Whuffie Factor (2009) - published in 7 languages

- promoted it with a cross-country (US) karaoke roadtrip


the big question:what are the elements to a

product’s success?


it’s never one thing


product marketing

external factors


product

some factors:• knowing the market

• building for that market

• solves what it sets out to

solve

• emotional design

• great user experience

• low switching cost

• differentiation

• ‘public’ presences

• enjoyable

• functional

• engaging

• analysis/data/feedback

• content


marketing

inbound• customer service

• content

• beta testing

• user experience

• transparency

• storytelling

• opt-in updates/newsletters

• SEO/SEM

• thought leadership

• social media

• community building

• analytics/testing/feedback

• influencer earned

• word of mouth

• landing pages

outbound• direct mail (not opt-in)

• ad placement (tv, radio, online,

etc)

• coupons

• press releases

• influencer paid

• sales calls

• trade shows

• spam

• sponsored posts/articles

• giveaways

• tell a friend incentives

• growth hacking

• notifications

• onboarding/removing barriers

NOTE:

marketing

+ product

aren’t that

distinct.


external factors out of your control

• competition

• social changes

• legal restrictions or policies

• technology

• taxation issues

• political influences

• weather

• economy

• trends

• customer tastes

• technological changes

in your control• financial (sort of in your

control)

• talent (hiring the right people,

firing the toxic ones)

• reputation (you can’t control

what people say about you,

but you CAN act in a way they

say good things)

• misjudging enthusiasm for

potentially paying customers

• bad product/market fit


product marketing

external factors

A B

CD

A - niche success

B - unsustainable

C - bad luck

D - bingo!


product

market

the goal is to:


still skeptical?


a few stats


484,224new businesses started in the UK in 2012


1 3in every

businesses fail within the first 3 years. (UK)


400 millionindividuals all around the globe are engaged in entrepreneurship

tara hunt - limefoundry.com/tarahunt.comhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/28291679@N06/4039684475/

“Of COURSE everyone in the world will choose

your product. It’s special...just like you!”

Mom


product

market

so now...about that


case studyproduct:

subscription model


“Subscription services are a fad.”

BEFORE“The market isn’t big

enough.”

“We don’t invest in high costs with low

margins.”

“Women don’t need this service.”


[insert $6000 video that goes viral]conceived over takeout food by a few friends.


“What a brilliant idea!”

AFTER

“Best tampon ad in the history of the world.”

“What [revenue] took me a month, I now do

in an hour.”


“My tiny company that had been limping along released a video. And the video exploded...Suddenly I had a flood of orders and received an outpouring of support in the form of emails from women and girls

around the world.”Naama Bloom, CEO HelloFlo


product marketing

external factors

A B

C

A - smart/fun idea

B - amazing/funny

video

C - great timing


case studyproduct:

kitchen appliance


100% earned


story overview:• "Even though we had the best blender in the world,

people didn’t know who we were. We wanted to demonstrate the power and durability of the Blendtec blender."

• first video launched November 2006

• $50 budget: white lab coat, marbles, McDonald’s meal, garden rake, safety glasses

• online sales grew by 700%

• almost half of those who have viewed the videos have visited Blendtec.com. 15% of those have made a purchase

• made over $50,000 from ad revenue from YouTube

• increased SEO because of the hundreds of thousands of inbound links


product marketing

external factors

A B

C

A - solid product

B - great videos

C - early on YouTube/

taking advantage of hot

news items (iPad)

tara hunt - limefoundry.com/tarahunt.comcase studyproduct: spread an idea


story overview:• 23 year old student Elise Andrew

• started March 2012

• a ‘boredom’ project

• 1,000 page likes in 24 hours

• wasn’t intended to be successful, but at 100,000 likes, she thought she should get more serious about it.

• “Science communication is just preaching to the choir, speaking to the converted...All those people who were turned off of science at school...we can show them that they should want to learn, not because they have to but because this stuff is fucking cool.”

• started as a hobby, but is now a commercial venture. She sells merchandise, is offered book deals, is offered tv deals, etc.


6.9 millionlikes on her facebook page ‘I Fucking Love Science’


2.2 million= the number of likes the official NASA page has.

NASA!!!!


product marketing

external factors

A B

C

A - cool/engaging

topic (well curated)

B - great branding

C - science is hot


the next question:what draws attention to a product?


http://jonahberger.com/books/contagious/

social currencyHow does it make people look

to talk about you?

Can they feel like insiders?

VIPs?

triggersWhat are the stimuli that

prompt people to think about

you? What are common

environmental triggers?

emotionHow does your content stimulate

states of high emotional arousal?

publicCan people see when others are

using or engaging with you?

(beyond FB shares)

practical valueHow can we show them your

product drastically improves their

lives? Is the content incredibly

useful?

storiesWhat broader narrative can we

wrap your story in? People share

stories, not information.

STEPPSthe 6 keys to what people remember and talk about.

source: Contagious by Jonah Berger


social currency

1. inner remarkability - unusual, extraordinary or worthy of notice or attention.

What is that thing that makes you stand out from the pack?

2. game mechanics - igniting friendly competition. People don’t just care about

how they are doing, they care about their performance in relation to others.

Feedback encourages more use + social sharing.

3. make people feel like insiders - scarcity and exclusivity help products catch on

because they seem more desirable. It creates ‘insider knowledge’.


social currency inner remarkability

Panache Chauffeur.in a world of commoditization (so many car services, taxis, drivers, Ubers, etc), Darren’s company is remarkable. It’s the attention to detail, the desire to over-deliver and the understanding his customer’s needs.

candy!

power points!

pre-loaded iPads

wifi!


social currency inner remarkability


social currency game mechanics

reports.

badges.

leaderboards.


social currency in-the-know

fab.com.already a member club, but those who have been loyal members got a special card.


triggers

1. opportunistic triggers - what is going on in the world that you can attach

yourself to to leverage WOM? (memes, ideas, current events)

2. everyday triggers - what are the triggers - the little environmental reminders -

that people do everyday that will keep you top of mind?

3. competitive triggers - making a rival’s message act as a trigger for your own.

This is called a ‘poison parasite’ because it renders the competition’s message a

trigger to think of you.


opportunistic triggerstriggers

yes. serious organizations CAN participate in memes.


everyday triggerstriggers

can you see a gnome without thinking of travelocity?


everyday triggerstriggers

these make me smile. I’m already thinking of shoes (neg.) + now Zappos steps in (pos.)


competitive triggerstriggers

#2? no problem. now the company in the #1 spot has to defend themselves.


emotion

1. high arousal emotions - awe, excitement, humor/amusement, inspiration, joy,

love, anger and anxiety are all high arousal emotions that encourage sharing.

How can we make the content align to this high arousal state?

2. focus on feelings - rather than harping on features or facts, we need to focus on

feelings; the underlying emotions that motivate people to action. How do you

make people feel?

3. the three whys - to find the emotional core of an idea, write down why you think

people are doing something then ask, “Why is this important?” three times.


emotion high arousal emotions


emotion high arousal emotions


emotion focus on feelings

Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ focuses on making women feel beautiful at any size or shape, not their products.


emotion the three (or more) whys

1. people do this thing....

- why is this important?

2. because they want to achieve this...

- why is this important?

3. because they are driven by this deep desire...

- okay...that’s where the magic is.


public

1. visibility - how do you make the invisible (someone’s personal actions, for

example) visible?

2. the psychology of imitation - people imitate because others’ choices provide

information + help resolve uncertainty. (“the line up is long, so the food must be

good!”)

3. behavioral residue - the physical traces or remnants that most actions or

behaviors leave in their wake.


public visibility

the white headphones created a public statement of the private act of listening to music on a personal listening device.


public psychology of imitation

mimetic desire:“we desire objects because someone else desires that object”


public behavioral residue

encouraging people to share publicly their private actions (buying a book, rsvping to an event, etc) creates behavioral residue others can follow.


practical value

1. availability - restricting availability makes things seem more valuable: whether

it’s time (act now! for a limited time!) or quantity (one per household!) or limited

to certain people.

2. useful information - short lists focused around a key topic are very sharable.


practical value

availability

when people feel like they got a deal, they’ll let everyone know.


practical value

useful information

infographics showing useful stats and ideas are very popular.


stories

1. the trojan horse - stories carry things: a lesson, information or messages. What

is that story to tell where you are at the center of the message? Make sure the

information you want people to remember and transmit is critical to the

narrative of this story.

2. creating stories for customers - What are those little touches that are worth

talking about?


stories trojan horse

Chipotle tells the tale of a future of manufactured food where you can be the scarecrow that saves us all. It’s a follow up from their amazing Back to the Start

campaign - focusing on the story of local sustainable farming, not their food.


stories give customers a story to share

social currencyHow does it make people look to

talk about you?

triggersWhat are the stimuli that prompt

people to think about you?

emotionHow does your content stimulate

states of high emotional arousal?

publicCan people see when others are

using or engaging with you?

practical valueHow can we show them your

product drastically improves their

lives?

storiesWhat broader narrative can we

wrap your story in?

STEPPShow can you incorporate these into the core design/marketing of your product?

source: Contagious by Jonah Berger


conclusion

1. marketing, product and world events/ideas/technology are not isolated

- their functions cross over and work in tandem to make for a successful product

2. there are oodles of businesses making products and services

- you need to give people a reason to not only choose you, but want to spread the word

that others should choose you

3. the ‘secret’ to sharable, remarkable products, services + content can be codified (but there is no formula)

- social science - and science in general - is uncovering core factors that make for

sharable, remarkable experiences.


tara [email protected]

@missrogue

www.tarahunt.com

www.limefoundry.com

Business

Your Awesome Product Won't Sell Itself