Building Community via Product Development and Marketing Vinnie Lauria May 26, 2009 - N2Y4 Co-Founder Lefora.com Forum Hosting Organizer of the SV NewTech Meetup

Vinnie Lauria

May 26, 2009 - N2Y4

Co-Founder Lefora.com Forum Hosting

Organizer of the SV NewTech Meetup

3 Methods to Build Community Address Customer Needs Feature Focused Development Creative Marketing

Address Customer Needs

Feature Focused Development

Creative Marketing

Address Customer Needs Understand your customers Have a clearly identified problem

Understand your customers

Have a clearly identified problem

Avoid Buzz words If you can't describe the problem you're solving to your customer in 2 sentences or less, you're not in a good starting position

If you can't describe the problem you're solving to your customer in 2 sentences or less, you're not in a good starting position

Feature Focused Development Iterate on your featured development Release early, release *very* often Try to avoid purely software download plays which will slow you down

Iterate on your featured development

Release early, release *very* often

Try to avoid purely software download plays which will slow you down

Baby Steps It's much better (and easier) to hit on a small, active, and engaged customer that can give you lots of valuable feedback - before going for the grand slam “ It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” - old chinese proverb

It's much better (and easier) to hit on a small, active, and engaged customer that can give you lots of valuable feedback - before going for the grand slam

Creative Marketing Build marketing features direction into your product: Invite a Friend systems Share This widgets (addthis.com, sharethis.com) Twitter, Blogging, and Facebook

Build marketing features direction into your product:

Invite a Friend systems

Share This widgets (addthis.com, sharethis.com)

Twitter, Blogging, and Facebook

Hands-On Session with Open Q&A sharethis.com / addthis.com twitter.com blogging facebook.com and more...

sharethis.com / addthis.com

twitter.com

blogging

facebook.com

and more...

Thank You Vinnie Lauria [San Francisco, CA] [email_address] Co-Founder Lefora Forum Hosting www.lefora.com Organizer of the Silicon Valley NewTech Meetup www.meetup.com/svnewtech

Vinnie Lauria [San Francisco, CA]

[email_address]

Co-Founder Lefora Forum Hosting

www.lefora.com

Organizer of the Silicon Valley NewTech Meetup

www.meetup.com/svnewtech