Stop trying to find customers.

Get customers to find YOU.

Intro to Helpful MarketingTM

by Kevin Dewalt

FounderSoHelpful, 3 previous

Angel Investor Collabspot (JFDI), Power Supply (500 Startups), Vericant (???)

Mentor/Advisor 1,000s, mostly Lean Startup

Ruby Programmer

Former VC

kevindewalt.com@kevindewalt

Beijing, China

3rd Major Marketing Shift

Before 1995Mass Advertising

1995 - 2012Niche Marketing

TodayHelpful Marketing

You ignore 99% of your inbox

and 99.9999% of your ads

I hear …

“We can’t FIND customers to DO Customer Development”

“I have paying customers … and they STILL won’t talk to me”

“Nobody reads our blog … or opens our email”

Finding Customers + Winning Trust = EVERYTHING

Helpful Marketing

A strategy for winning customers by proving you help them solve problems.

Prove you are helpful and customers will …

• Find you

• Trust you

• Buy from you

• Tell everyone about you

About … Help

This is what struggling business do …

Case Study # 1 – Customer.io

“The CEO who writes email copy”

Case Study # 2 – Klinify

“The CEO who will sort your email”

“Do you need help with your email?”

Help them through…

Blogging … Speaking … Newsletters … Face-to-Face … 1-on-1 over Skype or Hangout … Webinars … Hangouts on Air … Drip email … ebooks … courses … workshops … organizing meetups … hackathons … office hours

But … how do I … ?

… identify WHO is my customer?

… know WHAT problems they have?

… know HOW to solve them?

… WRITE something?

… get them to READ it?

… use this trust to SELL to them?

… create EVANGELISTS?

… get customers to CALL ME?

Let’s Do Helpful Marketing!

1. Create a Target Persona2. Identify a key problem3. Write helpful content4. Get them to find it5. Develop your 1-on-1 help strategy6. Get customers to call you for help7. Take what you learn to develop products

& content that sells

Target Personas bring focus

A fictitious caricature of your customers.

My “Dave” Target Persona

Dave is a 35-year-old American who lives in Wichita, Kansas. He is married, college educated, and has a daughter. Dave’s life dream is to become an entrepreneur and sell web and mobile products online. He has a full-time job and is willing to work very hard to make his dream a reality. He has some technical skills but unfortunately doesn’t live near a startup hub - and thus he has a hard time connecting with entrepreneurs to get advice when he needs it.

Target Persona Tips

• Based on a REAL person

• Have 1 Target – or at most 2

• Don’t sweat details.

How to use your target

• Pick “Dave’s” problems

• Offer Dave solutions

• Write/Speak/ TO Dave

Dear Dave …

Closing

Why you should be VERY optimistic …

I met some of your future customers last week … in Manila

Helpful Marketing Workshop Omaha

By the end of the workshop you will …

Write helpful content that sells Build your evangelists by helping 1-on-1

SoHelpful.me/KevinDewalt

Sat Apr 19 8:30-5:00

workshop.sohelpful.me/omaha.html

$249

$99 – use code OEN99 by Friday

@kevindewalt

kevindewalt@gmail.com