{OUT-THINK}
marketing start-ups from the ground, up

ben grossman
{
advertising, marketing,
and social media strategist
ben@ben-grossman.com
www.ben-grossman.com
@bengrossman

{YOU}

are ready to do
BUSINESS.

so…

GO.

hmmm…

GO!

a little better…

GO!!!

:-(
shucks… it’s not that easy.

:-(
:-(
nothing is these days.
:-(

26 year
unemployment rate high this month.
BBC | “US services see September growth” | 10/5/2009

“even if the recession miraculously ended tomorrow,
economists estimate that at least three years would
pass before full employment returned and output rose
enough for the economy to operate at full throttle.”
Louis Uchitelle
New York Times
April 6, 2009
BBC | “Economy Falling Years Behind Full Speed” | 4/6/2009

“We and others are funding start-ups
as slowly as possible, or not at all.”
Howard Anderson
Founding Partner
Battery Ventures
•New York Times | “Economy Falling Years Behind Full Speed” | 4/6/2009

the frustration with the economy:
“We played by the rules,
but the rules changed.”
Mary Tuttle, Pittsburg
NYT Letter to the Editor
April 10, 2009

the frustration with the marketing:
You can play by the rules,
but the rules changed.

traditional marketing doesn’t
work for start-ups.

consumers have more choices
and less time.
and less time.
Startup Marketing: Getting Off The Ground Floor | Sean Omalley and http://www.flickr.com/photos/cunaldo/

start-ups don’t have
robust marketing budgets.
robust marketing budgets.
Startup Marketing: Getting Off The Ground Floor | Sean Omalley and http://www.flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgw/

and, when you can’t out-spend,
you only have one option:
out-think
Startup Marketing: Getting Off The Ground Floor | Sean Omalley and http://www.flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgw/

and, when you can’t out-spend,
you only have one option:
{ OUT-THINK}
out-think
Startup Marketing: Getting Off The Ground Floor | Sean Omalley and http://www.flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgw/

{ OUT-THINK}
OUT-THINK
my philosophy that smart
and sound strategy is the best
policy to battle those who can
out-spend you and your company

{ OUT-THINK}
OUT-THINK
the philosophy to live by,
because there will always come a day
when someone else (competitor, ex-lover, etc.)
can out-spend you.

let’s start with the basics.
Startup Marketing: Getting Off The Ground Floor | Sean Omalley and http://www.flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgw/

what is marketing?

“Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and
processes for creating, communicating, delivering,
and exchanging offerings that have value for
customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
-American Marketing Association
http://www.marketingpower.com/AboutAMA/Pages/DefinitionofMarketing.aspx

but the better question is,
what is new marketing?

new marketing revolves
around relationships
(just as marketing has forever)

more specifically,
new marketing
revolves around
relationships between
consumers and brands
and relationships between
consumers and consumers

3 great reads, that I’m
about to mention and draw from:
(if used properly, they’ll help you out-think!)

THE OLD MODEL
The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier

THE BRANDED MODEL
The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier

what is a brand?

BRAND
logo
entity
product
ZAG | Marty Neumeier

BRAND is a person’s gut
feeling about a
product, service,
or organization
ZAG | Marty Neumeier

it’s not what you say it is.
ZAG | Marty Neumeier

it’s what they say it is.
ZAG | Marty Neumeier

THE NEW MODEL
Based on The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier

THE NEW MODEL
Maybe I should
Yelp about her!
Hrmm….
Based on The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier

THE NEW MODEL is all about
conversations and consensus
around brands.

so, what’s the point?

so, what’s the point?
1. make conversations about your product,
service, or organization easy and organic to
have -- enable storytelling

so, what’s the point?
1. make conversations about your product,
service, or organization easy and organic to
have -- enable storytelling
2. let those conversations drive sales for
protracted periods of time

so, what’s the point?
1. make conversations about your product,
service, or organization easy and organic to
have -- enable storytelling
2. let those conversations drive sales for
protracted periods of time
3. create RAVING FANS

the value of
RAVING FANS

the value of
RAVING FANS
1. they evangelize your brand for you

the value of
RAVING FANS
1. they evangelize your brand for you
2. they are loyalists--long time customers

the value of
RAVING FANS
1. they evangelize your brand for you
2. they are loyalists--long time customers
3. they are willing to engage with, take
ownership of, and support the brand

the value of
RAVING FANS
10% influence the
purchasing behavior of
the other 90%
The Tipping Point | Malcolm Gladwell

what does it take
to get these
RAVING FANS?

a charismatic brand
ZAG | Marty Neumeier

a charismatic brand
a product, service, or organization for
which people believe there is no substitute
ZAG | Marty Neumeier

a charismatic brand
let’s build one!

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
Based on The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
• Start-ups are in a unique position to build
brand value into the offering, due to its
nascent stage
Based on The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
• Start-ups are in a unique position to build
brand value into the offering, due to its
nascent stage
• The key is to build a remarkable feedback
and to include consumer suggestions during
development--these advisors are your future
RAVING FANS
Based on The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
• Start-ups are in a unique position to build
brand value into the offering, due to its
nascent stage
• The key is to build a remarkable feedback
and to include consumer suggestions during
development--these advisors are your future
RAVING FANS
• Building in differentiation and innovation
makes the branding process much easier!
Based on The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
• Give your brand focus:
Based on The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
• Give your brand focus:
– Who are you?
Based on The Brand Gap | Marty Neumeier

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
• Give your brand focus:
– Who are you?
– What do you do?

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
• Give your brand focus:
– Who are you?
– What do you do?
– Why does it matter?

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
• Give your brand focus:
– Who are you?
– What do you do?
– Why does it matter?
• If you don’t have answers for all of these,
step back to re-focus brand and business
goals.

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
• Give your brand focus:
– Who are you?
– What do you do?
– Why does it matter?
• If you don’t have answers for all of these,
step back to re-focus brand and business
goals.
• Create an “onliness statement”
Based on The Brand Gap and Zag | Marty Neumeier

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
our offering is the only category
that benefit.
Based on The Brand Gap and Zag | Marty Neumeier

STEP 1: differentiate & innovate
1. Best SellingBASIC MARKET POSITIONS
NINE
2. Only
3. Best Known
4. Easiest
5. Most Competitive
6. Fastest
7. Most Powerful
8. Newest
9. Most Affordable Based on The Brand Gap and Zag | Marty Neumeier

STEP 2: market to influencers
• Build the
brand for them:
B2B B2C Service Product customers trust the company branding tends to be visible | customers trust the company branding tends to be invisible customers trust the people branding tends to be
visible | customers trust the people branding tends to be invisible
Based on The Brand Gap and Zag | Marty Neumeier

STEP 2: market to influencers
• Build the brand for them:
VISIBLE BRANDING INVISIBLE BRANDING
Collateral CEO vision
Advertising Employee training
Partner communication Pricing strategy
Photography Customer relationships
Web presence Customer wins
Positioning advertising Sales force communication
Action advertising Sponsorships
Point of sale Public relations
User experience Vendor selection
Based on The Brand Gap and Zag | Marty Neumeier

STEP 2: market to influencers
• Build the brand for them
• Make it easy to tell stories about the
brand and to spread those stories

STEP 2: market to influencers
• Build the brand for them
• Make it easy to tell stories about the
brand and to spread those stories
• The value of stories: they’re ‘Made to
Stick’

STEP 2: market to influencers
• Build the brand for them
• Make it easy to tell stories about the
brand and to spread those stories
• The value of stories: they’re ‘Made to
Stick’
• Include influencers in offering
development and improvement

STEP 3: loyalty and recommendations

STEP 3: loyalty and recommendations
• Embrace and support engaged
influencers to becoming raving fans

STEP 3: loyalty and recommendations
• Embrace and support engaged
influencers to becoming raving fans
• Optimize content so that it is easily
shareable and desirable

STEP 3: loyalty and recommendations
• Embrace and support engaged
influencers to becoming raving fans
• Optimize content so that it is easily
shareable and desirable
• Create outlets for loyalists to tell their
stories

STEP 3: loyalty and recommendations
• Embrace and support engaged
influencers to becoming raving fans
• Optimize content so that it is easily
shareable and desirable
• Create outlets for loyalists to tell their
stories
• Tap into the power of social media to
personalize brand

STEP 3: loyalty and recommendations
• Embrace and support engaged
influencers to becoming raving fans
• Optimize content so that it is easily
shareable and desirable
• Create outlets for loyalists to tell their
stories
• Tap into the power of social media to
personalize brand
• Engender trust in the staff, who serve as
brand touch-points

after bolstering the
brand and supporting it
through these steps,
you’ll be armed with an
army of RAVING FANS
ZAG | Marty Neumeier

their strength as brand
evangelists and supporters
just goes to prove that
when you can’t outspend,
you can always…
ZAG | Marty Neumeier

{OUT-THINK}
marketing start-ups from the ground, up

ben grossman
{
advertising, marketing,
and social media strategist
ben@ben-grossman.com
www.ben-grossman.com
@bengrossman