What we learned building Campaign Monitor

What we learnt building Campaign Monitor Ben Richardson and Dave Greiner freshview.com

Why did we build Campaign Monitor? Frustration

Campaign Monitor today... 15,000 1,000 90,000,000 designers new designers each month permission based emails delivered

Deciding what to build

Solve your own problem We knew there was a problem We knew how to fix it

Don’t try and please everybody Conventional thinking usually leads to dumbed down or too complex

Small group with common interests Develop unique features perfect for that market only Kill the bloat they don’t need

Constant Contact 83 fields by default

The result

Campaign Monitor, 1 field

The result

“ It’s almost like it was built just for me !” Much easier to create passionate users

Pricing your app

How much? Get it right from the start You don’t need to be the cheapest Keep it simple Easy to try without spending a cent

Building the sucker

Identify the need to have features Set yourself a release date and stick to it Eat your own dog food Getting to launch

Get real customer feedback Iterate, iterate, iterate Direction might change Give yourself a pat on the back Solicit early feedback

.NET, nested tables and spacer gif’s Who cares? Technology choice is irrelevant

Getting customers

It’s all about word of mouth Is your app worth talking about ?

Give it a kick start Ask peoples opinions Update religiously, be transparent Promotion through education EMDG Grant

Supporting from Sydney

Feel their pain We still do all our customer support Don’t filter what your customers are saying You need to know why , not just what

90% in opposite time zone Comprehensive help system Easy to try before you buy It’s 2.37am in Sydney right now

Have a go! Try and solve your own problem Niche, targeted apps are easier to build and market Release early and get feedback Worst case aint that bad

Q & A campaignmonitor.com mailbuild.com fre shview.com

by Web Directions