Selling the Dogfood: Startup Marketing Before & After Product/Market Fit

selling has changedproduct + marketing product as marketing mute customer vocal influencer focus on copy focus on contentdigital as extension digital as foundation be interesting be imperative ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 7

elements of positioning• target – actionable universe of buyers• segment – key, predisposing attribute• brand – a name you call yourself• category – a competitive frame for the buyer• distinction – what makes you unique• proof – perceived evidence of truth ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

made-up examples• For drivers who value automotive performance, BMW provides luxury vehicles that deliver joy through German engineering.• For people around the world, Coca-Cola is the soft drink that is the real thing since 1886.• For industrial manufacturers who are challenged to differentiate, BASF is the raw materials supplier that makes products better through engineering depth. ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

startup stages CONVICTION VS. FLEXIBILITY RIDING THE ROCKET shared race vision to scalepassionate proven realhypothesis opportunity business SELLING THE DREAM DISCONTINUOUS CHANGE ©2011 ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 18

who wants…“…an intuitive but powerful approach thatallows UML diagramming to be code-centric instead of model-centric by givingusers an interactive exploratoryvisualization platform.” ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 20

the point• Need to tell your story in a way people can grasp, get behind, and share.• Few people do this well. It’s hard.• Wanting to get there is the first step. ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 26

the positioning goal Find the One Simple Thing™ (OST)GOAL To take the complicated and make it simple. Take the simple and make it compelling.TASK “Everything should be made asBELIEF simple as possible, but no simpler.” – A. Einstein ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 28

message model TARGET a twenty word depiction of who this person is POSITIONING for [target] who are [segment], [brand] is the [category] that [point of difference] because of [proof.] ONE SIMPLE THING the idea and feeling we want to own COCKTAIL PITCH above, quickly expressed in conversational and distinctive form FUNCTIONAL the 3 most important rational value propositions of the brand BENEFITSEMOTIONAL BENEFITS the 3 most important emotional value propositions of the brand STORIES the 3 best anecdotes that emotionally support the OST PROOF the 3 strongest data points that tangibly support the OST PERSONALITY the 3 most important attributes of the brand’s character TAGLINE an engaging, distinctive and short expression of the OST ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 35

viable alternatives• A greener alternative to car ownership• Join the collective commerce revolution!• Parking spot cost more than rent?• Dump the jalopy. Grab a Zipcar.• Access to a car for $60 / year! ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Zipcar message model TARGET urbanites For urban dwellers who need a car, Zipcar is the sharing service that gives you freedom POSITIONING from car ownership and the hassle of renting.ONE SIMPLE THING Freedom TAG LINE Wheels when you want them. FUNCTIONAL convenience, savings, service BENEFITS EMOTIONAL community, fun, sustainablility BENEFITS STORIES • a fun experience from start to finish • the market leader, with Industry defining service • better for the community • more cars = more cars within reach PROOF • more automotive makes and models = more variety and choice • cheaper than owning PERSONALITY approachable, clever, fun ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 38

kibits TARGET (primary: through 1000) Boston Digerati with like-minded network For Boston Digerati lost in the noise of hard-wired communications, Kibits creates a context POSITIONING for connecting naturally with the people in their existing networks about what matters, when it matters most. ONE SIMPLE THING Belonging COCKTAIL PITCH Kibits is a real-time app that brings people back together. FUNCTIONAL mobile-centric, flexible/’natural’ grouping, intuitive/non-intrusive interface, BENEFITS sharing many media types, real-time/immediate interactionEMOTIONAL BENEFITS authenticity, belonging, connection STORIES Thanksgiving, TBD, TBD PROOF use cases, functionality, integration PERSONALITY TBD, TBD, TBD TAGLINE Kibits and you’re closer. ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 42

5 important ideas1. Marketing, not marketing2. Declare your hypothesis3. Product Market Fit changes things4. Keep it simple, or be stupid5. Getting aligned is worth a lot ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

great product "We made the buttons on the screen look so good youll want to lick them." human responseInsanely great products evoke a human response.Creating one isn’t an accident. It’s marketing. ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 46

capabilities• what does your business do?• why does what you do matter?• what skills or capabilities enable this?• which are core strengths today?• which must it be better at to win? ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 50

customers• what kinds of customers will pay us?• why will they pay us?• who will decide whether to pay us?• how will we sell to them most effectively?• will they push back on price? why?• what might make them pay more? ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 51

context• how we define our market?• what’s the state of that market today? needle in a ➊ ➋ ➌ ➍ ➎ ➏ ➐ ➑ ➒ ➓ fish in a haystack barrel• which external conditions encourage our success?• which external conditions discourage our success?• how challenging will the market be in 2 years? ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 52

competition• with whom will we compete most intensely?• why will we win when we win?• why will we lose when we lose?• about whom should we worry?• what is or might become a source of sustainable competitive advantage? ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 54

ost candidate development• how would you describe the rational associations you most want from your target prospects?• how would you describe the emotional responses you most want from your target prospects?• what word or clause represents each to you? ©2012 HOLLAND-MARK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 56

http://marketingstartups.com	1037
http://www.holland-mark.com	909
http://socialfresh.com	619
http://sellingthedogfood.com	123
http://feeds.feedburner.com	56
http://holland-mark.com	35
http://hm.arkitect.org	25
http://paper.li	19
http://bostinno.com	15
http://www.twylah.com	7
http://translate.googleusercontent.com	5
http://a0.twimg.com	3
http://gujar.blogspot.com	3
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com	2
http://qatest239a.qa.linkedin.com:8080	2
http://www.slideshare.net	2
url_unknown	2
http://www.govloop.com	1
http://bottlenose.local	1
http://www.ronaldvandenhoff.nl	1
http://onesimplething.com	1
http://mail.jimcut.arvixevps.com	1
http://www.onesimplething.com	1
http://socialmediasolutionsllc.com	1
https://si0.twimg.com	1

Selling the Dogfood: Startup Marketing Before & After Product/Market Fit

by Michael Troiano on May 05, 2011

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

25 Embeds 2,872

Statistics

Selling the Dogfood: Startup Marketing Before & After Product/Market Fit — Presentation Transcript