marketing for startups techchill shira abel 2014

MARKETING FOR STARTUPS!Because if people don’t know you exist, it really doesn’t matter how much your product rocks!

BEFORE   AFTER  

DOUBLED VIEWS & REVENUE!

We Help Companies  

!   CEO, Hunter & Bard!!   Marketing strategy!!   Marketing implementation!!   Full branding & design!

!   Teach Marketing for Startups at StartHub (Tel Aviv/ Jaffa Academic College)!

!   Mentor at: Google, Microsoft, Founder Institute, Seedcamp, & more!

!   Cover Israeli startups for TNW!

Shira Abel !

“A true unfair advantage is something that cannot be easily copied or bought.”!- Jason Cohen!

Agenda!!  Strategy!

!  Alpha!!  Launch!

!  Web / Tablet vs. Mobile!!  Building Marketing Into the Product!

!  Branding!!  Product market fit!

!

@shiraabel!

MARKETING SHOULD START THE MOMENT THE PRODUCT IS CONCEPTUALIZED!

@shiraabel!

What’s Your Strategy!

@shiraabel!

Example!@shiraabel!

!!

Business Objective!

Improve Financial Performance!

Business Metric!Reduce Long-Term

Dependence on Ads & Lower Overall Costs!

Marketing Metric!Increase Relationship / Content Marketing – Raise percentage of traffic from blog versus

ads!

EXAMPLE

Sample Marketing Strategies for Web!!  Become known as a

product leader in a chosen niche (think Martha Stewart – home, or Buffer – social media management)!

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

@shiraabel!

!  Create evangelists who will bring in a wider client base!

!   Increase customer lifetime value by giving information that the customer values (creates loyalty / increases switching cost – think Kissmetrics blog)!

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 ß this is where the monetization is)!

@shiraabel!

!  Have in-app rev-share advertising and go for large numbers (Inneractive, Admob, etc.)!

!  Have a free Lite and a Premium Paid version (Lite having advertising – Premium having none)!

Performance Measurement!!   Is your objective SMART: specific, measurable,

attainable, realistic & time specific?!!   What are your strategic initiatives?!

!   Build awareness!!   Expand distribution (i.e. increase downloads)!!   Build penetration!!   Build buying rate!!   Increase loyalty!

!   Funnel ß e.g. when purchases through the app!!  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!

Marketing for the Concept Phase!

Build the marketing into the product. Create an incentive to share. Make sharing easy.!

Test assumptions (cost, messaging, bundle mix, etc.). Mobile ads à app/ Ads à landing page!

Get to know influencers & media people on Twitter. Give a lot. Don’t ask for anything.!

1!2!3!

@shiraabel!

How to Test Your Idea - Web!!  Create a Minimal Viable Product MVP!

!  This’ll be ugly and basic!!  Take people through the motions!

!  Ads to landing pages to test messages – see what people click on!

!  Can build an entire product & take’m down to BUY!

!  Once product/market fit has been reached à do a Big Launch !

@shiraabel!

How to Test Your Idea - Mobile!!  Create a rough app & have friends & family test

via Testflight (very beginning)!!  Make a MVP and launch in the app store of a

smaller country only!!  Create a Minimal Viable Brand !

!  Purpose – Why do we exist!!  Positioning – Where do we fit in the market!!  Personality – How do we tell that story*!

!  Once product/market fit had been reached, build the main app and do a Big Launch !

@shiraabel!

Alpha Phase!!  Start the blog with newsletter sign up

(think Daniel Morrill & Mattermark)!!  Landing pages à more sign ups!!  A/B test messaging & optimization using

unbounce.com or launchrock.com (more sign ups)!

!  Social outreach starts to the media!The point is to begin building an interest and an audience through good content before launch!

@shiraabel!

AFTER PRODUCT MARKET FIT – SEEK TO ACQUIRE MASS USERS!

The  Holy  Trinity  of  Marke8ng  Online    

GREAT!PRODUCT!

Earned Media / PR

Relationship Marketing

SEO / Ads / Affiliate

@shiraabel!

The Holy Trinity of Mobile Marketing!

GREAT PRODUCT!

Earned Media / PR! / Reviews!

Social Integration!

SEO / Ads / !Localization!

@shiraabel!

GREAT  PRODUCT  IS  REQUIRED  

After Product Market!

!  Ask the media people and influencers who now know you if they would be willing to check out your product & give feedback !

!  PR on a slow news day (avoid days where Apple announces anything, election days, CES, DLD, etc…)!

!  Send an announcement to the list you’ve been growing through the blog, ads, and social!

!  Attempt an act of virility (I say attempt, because nothing is guaranteed)!

@shiraabel!

Sample Tactics (not in order)!•  Mobile Ads (FB, Google & in

complimentary apps)!•  PR (Media Kit recommended)!•  Facebook !•  Podcast!•  YouTube!•  Twitter!•  Quora!•  LinkedIn!•  Blogging!•  Newsletter / Email (highest

ROI of all digital media)!•  Google+!•  Games!•  Forums!

•  White papers / Case studies!•  Peer review!•  Seeding posts!•  Infographics!•  E-book!•  Webinars!•  Community!•  Guest blogging !•  Teleseminar!•  Affiliate Marketing!•  Game elements (e.g. leader board,

80% signed up, awards for actions)!•  SEO / SEM!•  Pinterest!•  Blog commenting!

@shiraabel!

Earned Media & PR!

!  Brings big numbers all at once!!  Gives a spike of traffic!!  May not be aimed at the target market

(i.e. much of the time TechCrunch isn’t the target market, but it’s what VCs read & gives social proof)!

!  Has a strong trust rate!

@shiraabel!

Affiliate, SEO & Media Buy (Ads)!

!   Immediate!!  Targeted!!  Mobile has a stronger conversion than web!!  Strongest conversion is mobile FB!!  Costs (which is fine if you charge, could be

a dilemma if you’re free)!!  Doesn’t build a relationship !!  Has the lowest trust rate!!  Affiliate needs to be well vetted in order to

not destroy the brand!

@shiraabel!

Relationship Marketing!!  Takes time!!  Builds the brand!!  Costs (yes, time is money)!!  Builds a relationship!!  Increases referral rate!!  One key point – social needs to be built

into the product!

@shiraabel!

BEHAVIORAL!ENGINEERING!

@shiraabel!

“Simplicity changes behavior.”!- BJ Fogg!

T-shirt Economy!@shiraabel!

T-­‐Shirt  Economy  

!  Reputa8on  based  !   Incen8ves  are  about  doing  something  for  the  love  of  it  NOT  financial  reward  

!  Easier  to  get  someone  to  do  something  for  free  than  for  less  money  (e.g.  lawyers  would  rather  do  pro  bono  than  get  paid  less  per  hour  for  the  same  work)  

!  Changes  the  way  we  perceive  the  work  we  do  !  When  we  already  have  our  basic  needs  met,  we’re  more  likely  to  do  something  for  our  own  joy  

!   This  is  where  the  evangelists  should  be  –  that’s  why  not  paying  them  is  a  good  thing  

Financial Economy!@shiraabel!

Financial  Economy    

!   People  judge  if  something  is  “worth”  their  8me  !  Become  less  enthusias8c  if  the  work  is  not  paid  according  to  expecta8ons  

!  Make  sure  incen8ves  are  aligned  with  goals  !   Proven  to  be  a  bad  way  to  build  incen8ves  to  get  people  to  work  harder  !  Studies  have  shown  that  for  cogni8ve  work,  a  larger  reward  results  in  worse  results    

!   Loss  aversion,  however,  brings  beZer  results  !   This  will  affect  the  affiliates  the  most  

Priming!@shiraabel!

Framing!

ONCE PEOPLE START TO COME – HOW DO YOU GET THEM TO COME BACK? AND SHARE?!

@shiraabel!

Action Triggers!@shiraabel!

What  gets  your  customer  moving?    

Nir  Eyal  –  If  you  don’t  know  him  –  you  should.  

Jack Dorsey: The Power of User Narratives!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acMXhhdWylQ!

@shiraabel!

UserOnboarding.com – Web !

UXArchive.com – Mobile!

Give an Incentive!

@shiraabel!

Keep in Touch – Email!!  Keep it short!!  A/B test several subject lines!!  Action-trigger emails have a higher opening

rate!!  Keep it relevant!!  Appropriate landing page à funnel them in!!  Let people choose what they want to be notified

for!!  DON’T BUY LISTS OR SPAM!

Keep in Touch – Notifications!!! iOS 108 characters max!!  Android – recommended 50 characters max (1-

line on the notification bar) * ht/ Danya Schwartz Bar-El !

!  Localize sending so user receives notification between 9-11am or 2-5pm (but test first)!

!  A/B test messaging for a couple of days then blast everybody else with the winner!

!   In-app landing page – like all landing pages - fitted to the message and the push campaign!

Community!@shiraabel!

Community!@shiraabel!

Know Your Market!@shiraabel!

Viral If You Can!@shiraabel!

Watch the Funnel!Acquisition – !

Learns About Product!Conversion – !

Signs Up!Retention – !

Uses Product!WOM

(Sharing)!

Buys!

@shiraabel!

Build an App Family!

!   Send  adver8sing  to  main  app  !  Do  complimentary  apps  –  NOT  same  app  with  different  names  (branded  house  or  a  house  of  brands)    

!   Lite  and  paid  versions  

Main App!

@shiraabel!

@shiraabel!

Localization!

Chevy Nova!In Spanish “no va” means No Go!

hZp://americanmusclepictures.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2013/09/Chevy-­‐Nova-­‐SS-­‐1.jpg  

@shiraabel!

Branding!Apps are all about branding. The app store is like the supermarket shelf.!

@shiraabel!

Ugly Icon* !

@shiraabel!

*What NOT to do!

Pretty Icon!

@shiraabel!

Best Pics of the App!

@shiraabel!

Text is Below = No One Reads It, ASO Only!

@shiraabel!

Social Proof = Ratings & Reviews!

@shiraabel!

B2B!

Sample Marketing Strategies for B2B!!  Become known as a

industry leader in a chosen niche (think about crossing the chasm – Outbrain does this well)!

!  Connect with those who use your product where they live online (Objet has a FB page for that reason)!

@shiraabel!

!  Let the end-user (who may not be the client) know about your work (i.e. Intel inside)!

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

Sample Tactics (not in order)!•  Online Ads (FB, Google & more)!•  PR (Media Kit recommended)!•  Facebook !•  Pinterest!•  YouTube!•  Twitter!•  Quora!•  LinkedIn!•  Blogging!•  Seeding posts!•  Google+!•  Blog commenting!•  Games!•  Infographics!

•  White papers / Case studies!•  Peer review!•  Newsletter / Email (highest ROI of

all digital media)!•  Forums!•  E-book!•  Webinars!•  Community!•  Guest blogging !•  Podcast!•  Teleseminar!•  Affiliate Marketing!•  Game elements (e.g. leader board,

80% signed up)!•  SEO / SEM!

@shiraabel!

Communicating to an International Market!!  Americans spell correctly. However, the

British disagree. There are more Americans than British J (localize your English – even when it’s for Australians)!

!  Spelling and grammar count – mistakes lower trust levels in all languages and cultures!

!  Find someone from the culture you’re aiming to sell to, who knows marketing – to do your marketing. OR – go there & live for a bit. Understanding culture is critical.!

@shiraabel!

International Partnerships!!  You’re in Europe – use it to your advantage –

partner with other European & Israeli companies!

!  Find companies in complimentary industries to do joint partnerships with – e.g. A high end organic bed company does a joint promotion with a high end organic bedding (sheets) company – email lists are combined & both companies & customers benefit!

!  Face to face is ideal, but Skype works wonders when F2F is not possible!

@shiraabel!

Thought Leadership is Critical!!  Blogging and guest blogging is one of the

best ways to do this!!  Webinars / Presentations that give helpful

industry related information (think Crunched and its Growth Hacker series)!

!  White papers (sign up to our newsletter and get this white paper for free!)!

@shiraabel!

Marketing is a Sales Tool!!   Case studies show your ideal customer and how

things go when everything is perfect!!   Connecting with individuals on social builds the

relationship, e.g.!!   Object can showcase customers design work on its FB page!!   LinkedIn group about industry – lead generation!!   Social CRM on Twitter!

!   Email marketing reminds companies that you exist & what you can do for them!

@shiraabel!

Social Media for Research!!   What is the title of the person in the organization that

typically makes the decisions? !! Rapportive!!   LinkedIn!

!   Who are the media people who cover your industry?!!   Twitter !!   FB!! Quora!!   LinkedIn!! Pinterest!

@shiraabel!

Rapportive!

Find the email of the person you want to connect to by checking names through the Rapportive plugin.!

@shiraabel!

LinkedIn!

Choose who you want to connect to:!!What groups is the person in? !!If you know the title but not the whole name – do a search in Google of the partial name and title & you’ll get the whole name.!

@shiraabel!

Who Are You Looking For!@shiraabel!

Google Search!@shiraabel!

First & Last Name Found!!@shiraabel!

Random Stuff !I Like!

THE Best Review Of All Time!!The Mountain Three Wolf Moon !!Short Sleeve Tee!

@shiraabel!

Close Running!BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen !!

@shiraabel!

Hat tip:

References & Reads!!!     THANK  YOU’S:  Dan-­‐ya  Shwartz  Bar-­‐El  &  Ze'ev  Rosenstein!! http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2011/09/web-content-conversions/!! http://www.slideshare.net/startuplessonslearned/eric-ries-the-lean-startup-google-tech-talk!! http://www.slideshare.net/gzicherm/nir-eyal-hookedatgsummit!! http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/canvas!! http://www.briansolis.com/2008/08/socialization-of-your-personal-brand_28/!! http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2004/03/its_a_small_wor.html!! http://www.quora.com/Udemy/How-did-Udemy-get-11-000-courses-online-so-quickly !! http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Three-Wolf-Short-Sleeve/product-reviews/B002HJ377A!! http://www.amazon.com/BIC-Cristal-1-0mm-Black-MSLP16-Blk/dp/B004F9QBE6 !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QmCUDHpNzE !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI !! http://www.macadamia-apps.com/app-launch-7-mistakes-to-learn-from/  !! 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://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!! http://marketingfortomorrow.com/tag/marketing-tone/ !

@shiraabel!