Startup Marketing
Getting off the ground floor
Sean O’Malley
Product Guy
http://seancomalley.com

You have a new product

You want it to go viral

But traditional marketing doesn’t work

1. Buy Ads
Traditional
4. Make a 2. Get More
Profit
marketing Distribution
machine
3. Sell More Buy
Products
From Seth Godin on Sliced Bread at Ted, Feb 2003

It doesn’t work because consumers have
more choice and less time

It doesn’t work because startups
don’t have the money

You need a marketing elevator to get your
startup off the ground
Push Button to:
acquire users
build a brand
get recommended

1. Build a remarkable product
2. Market to passionate influencers
3. Build loyalty through community management

1. Build a remarkable product

“Something remarkable is worth talking about...It’s
a Purple Cow… Remarkable marketing is the art of
building things worth noticing right into your product
or service.” Seth Godin

Remarkable is hard

“A lot of times, people don't know what
they want until you show it to them.”
Steve Jobs

Let’s say you build a remarkable product so
influential people can’t help but talk about it

The product is the marketing

But what if my product isn’t Google?

Watch, Listen and Iterate

Be an astronomer
....not an astrologer
Scientific Product Development
Acquisition
Activation Problem, Keep or
Retention Hypothesis kill feature
Referral & Test
Monetization

Traditional methods

Surveys
Google Analytics
1:1 Interviews
Ethnographic studies
Usability testing
Focus groups

Emerging Methods...Social media

2. Market to the passionate Influencers

10% influence the purchasing
behavior of the other 90%
Malcolm Gladwell
The Tipping Point

Where do you find the influencers?

Ask the question...
Who do my customers
listen to?

Reach the Mac user....not the PC user

Methods

Word of Mouth Marketing
Evangelist Marketing Brand Blogging
Viral Marketing Buzz Marketing
Grassroots Marketing Product Seeding
Evangelist Marketing Referral Programs
Cause Marketing Community Mktg

Your biggest bang for the buck...embrace the
influential bloggers

3. Build loyalty through
Community Management

A happy customer is the
greatest endorsement

Basically, it comes down to treat me
well and I’ll return the favor

Be a talk show host...
not a preacher

Methods

Give a great Give customers a voice
experience
Listen
Foster customer
reputations
Engage the
community

If you remember anything...
Most successful marketing
elevators are about
making lives better

Sean O’Malley
Product Guy
Venrock Quarry
somalley@venrock.com
http://seancomalley.com

Image Credits
By Theti By Dalla* By Hikaru501
on Flickr on Flickr on Flickr
By Froot Smoothie By Jódís By Snelvis
on Flickr on Flickr on Flickr
By Benegizer By Unhindered by Talent
on Flickr on Flickr
By walter*sylvia By Toma01
on Flickr on Flickr
By TylerKnott
on Flickr By Piglovescow.com