marketing basics for tech start-ups - shira abel from hunter & bard

Social / Digital Marketing for Start-ups

Things You Need to Know(an overview – does not include

email marketing)

@shiraabel

• CEO, Hunter & Bard• 10+ years in hi-tech internet marketing• EMBA from Kellogg School of

Management, Tel Aviv University Branch• Lectured worldwide on digital marketing• Marketing blogger, Twitter fiend

Shira Abel

Questions

1. When should I start thinking about marketing?2. How do I test my ideas before spending money on development?3. What do I need to know about packaging my app? 4. How do I encourage people to share?5. Ok - I’ve launched – Now what?6. Where does social media marketing fit in?7. What is the cheapest way to get user acquisition? 8. What is the future of app stores and external devices + how to

make the best out of it?9. Viral marketing for close communities - how to get to people who

know each other to share?10. B2B marketing – where does social fit in?

@shiraabel

When should I start thinking about marketing for my product?

FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

@shiraabel

Create a Product Worth Spreading

An intuitive (and gorgeous) user interface can occasionally get press all on its own.

@shiraabel

Marketing will not save a bad product@shiraabel

How do I test my ideas before spending money on development?

@shiraabel

Create a Free App (or Several) & Test*@shiraabel

*Disclosure: clients

Test Via Adwords@shiraabel

*Disclosure: clients

What do I need to know about packaging my app? (People need to find & download the app, before they can share the app)

@shiraabel

Naming is Crucial

Make sure you can be found

@shiraabel

What is Your Product?

Descriptive names help you be found in the iTunes store

@shiraabel

What are People Searching For?

Key words in the title and text

@shiraabel

Show the Pretty

Great screen shots will take you far. People react to what they can see.

@shiraabel

How do I encourage people to share?

@shiraabel

Make it Easy for Them

Make sharing a part of the product experience

@shiraabel

Turn It Into a Game

Give an incentive for people to share (leaderboard, badges, etc…)

@shiraabel

Reputation Economy@shiraabel

Give a Warm Fuzzy Feeling

Build a community

@shiraabel

Social Proof

Ratings

@shiraabel

What do Others Think (in detail)?

Reviews

@shiraabel

Possibly The Best Review of All Time

The Mountain Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeve Tee

@shiraabel

Ok - I’m ready to launch – Now what?

@shiraabel

The Trinity of Internet Marketing

Good Product

Earned Media

Pull MarketingSEO / SEM

@shiraabel

Define Your Objective@shiraabel

What’s Your Strategy@shiraabel

Sample Marketing Strategies for Apps

• Create several free apps that have in-app advertisements directing to your paid app

• Have your free app represent a much larger service (store, blog, service, company this is where the monetization is)

• Have in-app rev-share advertising and go for large numbers (Interactive, Admob, etc)

• Have a Lite Free and a Premium Paid version (Lite having advertising – Premium having none)

@shiraabel

Sample Marketing Strategies for Products

• Become known as a product leader in a chosen niche (think about crossing the chasm)

• Increase average purchase rate (in-store recommendations are great for this)

• Create evangelists who will bring in a wider client base

• Increase customer lifetime by giving information that the customer values (creates loyalty / increases switching cost)

@shiraabel

Sample Tactics

• Facebook • YouTube• Twitter• Quora• LinkedIn• Blogging• Newsletter• Google+• Blog commenting

• Seeding posts• Infographics• Forum• E-book• Webinars• Community• Guest blogging • Alter product with game

elements (e.g. leader board, 80% signed up)

@shiraabel

PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT• What is your objective (SMART: specific, measurable, aggressive, realistic

& time specific)?• What are your strategic initiatives?

– Build awareness– Expand distribution– Build penetration– Build buying rate– Increase loyalty

• Funnel– Where do you want people to go?– What action do you want people to take? – Track the movement– Conversion rate / A/B Testing– Test & iterate

@shiraabel

Where does social media marketing fit in?

@shiraabel

Integrate Social Into Your Marketing Strategy

This one scares me…

Discovery & Retention@shiraabel

@shiraabel

Give People a Reason To Return@shiraabel

Paid Media/Advertising(SEO / SEM)

Social / Relationship Marketing

Earned Media / PR

•People find you via a search (better) or an ad (hit & miss)•Brings in people•Lower conversion rate•Lower retention rate

•People find you via an article or blog post online•Brings in a lot of people (top tier publication•Higher conversion rate•Higher retention rate•Social proof (so and so has written about you, you must be good)•One time. Once the article has passed, so have the people.

•People come to your website & see your social media profiles•OPT-IN means people are choosing to get your daily updates•High conversion rate•High retention rate•Social proof (your friends are following)

$

Strategy & Real Engagement Works

YouTube Views 2009

YouTube Views 2010An ave. increase of 176%

Be Where the Customer Lives@shiraabel

Be Where the Customer Lives@shiraabel

Be Where the Customer Lives@shiraabel

What is the cheapest way to get market penetration and user acquisition?

@shiraabel

When You Don’t Have Money

GET TO KNOW THEM AND DON’T ASK FOR ANYTHING!!!!!

Who are the industry leaders / influencers?

Media?Who are your target customers?

@shiraabel

Getting Started

• Build buzz before launch• Start social• Closed beta – invite only• Launch• Build in social / sharing elements• SEO / Media Buy / Earned media• Keep the social going • LISTEN & ITERATE

@shiraabel

How do you do Facebook marketing without "spamming"

@shiraabel

NO SPAM@shiraabel

Facebook

• Ask for permission• Give interesting content that isn’t about you• Ask questions• Put the right mix on the page• Controversy• Create an app• Give something exclusive on the FB page

@shiraabel

What is the future of app stores and external devices + how to make the best out of it?

@shiraabel

From the App End - Cannibalize@shiraabel

Viral marketing for close communities - how to get to people who know each other to share?

@shiraabel

Getting Started

• Build in social / sharing elements• Start social for feedback & start community• Soft launch – no advertising or buzz (get the

kinks out first!)• Launch• SEO / Media Buy / Earned media• Keep the social going • LISTEN & ITERATE

@shiraabel

Build Community into Product

• Ratings & Reviews (push request reviews)• Game mechanics• Build sharing into the product• Give give give• Build a reputation economy • And when you get comments from users – USE

THEM & TAILOR ACCORDINGLY

@shiraabel

B2B marketing – where does social fit in?

@shiraabel

Where does your customer live online?It’s not about having numbers, it’s about having The Right Numbers

Create a communityUtilize Q&A sites (like Quora)

DO NOT MAKE EVERY BLOG POST ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT

Create a LinkedIn group for your industry or join & be active in groups already open (without spamming your product)

Give the customer information that they can use

@shiraabel

Hat tip:

Take Aways

• Marketing starts the second you have an idea for a product / service / business

• Social is more than just engagement – it’s listening and reacting to criticisms

• When you listen and respond, the result is a better product and a happier customer

• Opt-in is more powerful than push

@shiraabel

THANK YOU

Thank Yous & References & Reads• Hillel Fuld• Shai Tsur• Kfir Pravda• Ahuvah Berger• Daniel Waisberg• http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Three-Wolf-Short-Sleeve/product-reviews/B002HJ377A• http://flowingdata.com/2011/09/18/yoda-pie-chart/• http://blog.bitly.com/post/9887686919/you-just-shared-a-link-how-long-will-people-pay• http://www.briansolis.com/2011/09/whats-the-r-o-i-a-framework-for-social-analytics/• http://www.slideshare.net/setlinger/altimeter-social-analytics081011final• Breakthrough Marketing Plans• http://www.seomoz.org/blog/tracking-the-roi-of-social-media• http://blog.inner-active.com/2011/04/a-complete-list-of-app-stores-across-all-mobile-platforms/• http://ideas.deloitte.ca/blog/2011/09/social-media-going-beyond-roi/• http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/09/20/the-10-key-mistakes-many-bloggers-and-writers-make/• http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/03/01/the-10-best-facebook-campaigns/• http://www.facebook-studio.com/• http://www.seomoz.org/blog/tracking-the-roi-of-social-media

@shiraabel