Startup Breakfast Club Montreal, June 18th 2013
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Code,
This is the advice you’ll get most often.
code, code ...
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... and it’s WRONG!
well, almost.
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If you build it
they will come!
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They won’t!
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Ask a technical founder about his startup, and he'll proudly
describe his stunning software
simple, compelling, useful, fun,
cloud-based, scalable, distributed
version control, continuous
integration, one-click-deploy.
as
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blah, blah, blah ...
“So how will people find your website?”
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★ "We're going to A/B-test AdWords campaigns until we discover our hook."
★ “We're going to A/B-test our landing pages until the right message appears."
★ "We're better than everyone else at SEO."
★ "A friend of mine knows how to get popular on Twitter."
★ "We're going to get reviews on blogs."
★ "We're going to start with our own network and grow it from there."
★ "We're going to use an affiliate program so our customers sell it for us."
★ "We're putting a 'Retweet' button inside the product to encourage viral growth."
Response ...
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Every new startup on Earth says exactly these things.The Problem:
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Yes, you’re still going to do these things, but since
millions of other people are too, you’re still invisible.
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Visibility
Anyone gives a crap
= FAIL
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So now what?
I thought this was a
marketing talk?
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It is, so let’s talk
marketing!
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Here are 5 BIG marketing tips for startups
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The number one mistake founders make when trying to generate press is talking about
what the company does
1
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1
they should talk about why they are doing it!
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Does Twitter get press when it helps Iranians fight an illegitimate government or when it creates a
new internal IT process to increase up-time?
1
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1
Does Apple win the hearts of millions because of their obsession with design or because of
their development APIs?
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Does 37signals have over three million users because their software is "better" than the competition, or is it because they motivate designers and entrepreneurs
through their writing and philosophy?
1
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“Without a powerful narrative, your chances of getting big press and enthusiastic users who spread
the word for you approach zero as a limit.”
Jason Cohen, Smart Bear Software
1
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1 One thing we do really well is ...
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1We tell a compelling and honest
story through social media, blogs, and events, and community outreach.
... and it works!
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2
Going viral ...
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2Just adding a like or share button
does not guarantee viral!
buttons are good but they don't make your product intrinsically viral
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2Tip: If your product is not viral you
still need a killer way to find customers.
If it is, it better be encoded in the DNA of the application, and not an afterthought.
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2Don’t bloat!
Don’t just add features you think are cool, build your software around your
users. Ask them what they want?
This can do more harm than good!
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3
Advertising
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3
Today, marketing is about building “relationships”
and “authority”
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3 We strongly believe ...
Even if your community is
small, it provides you with an
opportunity to get to know
your readers
Interactivity engages
readers and creates a
positive impression
A sense of community creates loyal readers
Readers who like you will help you out in
various ways
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3True, but ...
Spending money to make money is also still true. Advertising is not dead; you can still buy eyeballs!
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3A simple strategy
$C < $R = You have a business
The average cost of acquiring a customer is $C (advertising, sales, support, doing demos) and the lifetime
revenue you get from that customer is $R.
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3Tip: Read this great interview with
Sean Ellis at VentureHacks for a great discussion of how to seek a repeatable, profitable model
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4
Honesty
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Need I say more?
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4
Celebrity Championship
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4Celebrity endorsement can
serve as an untouchable competitive advantage.
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4But a good community
manager, marketing manager, or CEO can do the same!
It’s all about connections.
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5
Start your marketing from day 1!This is the biggest tip!
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5You can spend all the time in the
world building a product but if you don’t have a Go To Market strategy
no one will ever find it!
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Follow steps 1 - 5 daily and you’ll be ok!
or, gives us a call
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Want to learn more?Come check out STARTUP MARKETING 101
http://thebrendans.com/startup-marketing
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Thank You!www.TheBrendans.com
www.KeepMarketingFun.com@TheBrendans
www.facebook.com/thebrendans
@digibomb
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