Knowing Your Audience and Mining Your Evangelists

Identifying Your Audiences Business – Who can fund? Product/Idea – Who can get it the support it needs? End User – Who will buy it?

Business – Who can fund?

Product/Idea – Who can get it the support it needs?

End User – Who will buy it?

Types of Evangelists Business ----------------------  Technology -------  -----------End User

Who is the Evangelist Determine the people who make the decisions within your target group (CEO, VP of Technology, BizDev, Moms) Look for evidence of things they have supported before Seek out connections you share Read articles about your targets, and research them on Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Ask for introductions

Determine the people who make the decisions within your target group

(CEO, VP of Technology, BizDev, Moms)

Look for evidence of things they have supported before

Seek out connections you share

Read articles about your targets, and research them on Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.

Ask for introductions

Engaging the Evangelist Engage them personally Your passion will come through It’s hard to say bad things about someone if you know them Allow them to contribute to your idea - you give them a vested interest in the idea People support their own ideas strongly, and want to be introducers of success (Funny YouTube! videos – Hybrid Car)

Engage them personally

Your passion will come through

It’s hard to say bad things about someone if you know them

Allow them to contribute to your idea - you give them a vested interest in the idea

People support their own ideas strongly, and want to be introducers of success (Funny YouTube! videos – Hybrid Car)

Engaging the Evangelist Implement external ideas you believe in – a good evangelist has good ideas, not just connections Builds trust, credibility, and responsibility for the project Let them be an ambassador for the project – treat them as part of the team (within reason)

Implement external ideas you believe in – a good evangelist has good ideas, not just connections

Builds trust, credibility, and responsibility for the project

Let them be an ambassador for the project – treat them as part of the team (within reason)

Example – MMO Games Determine the audience Who will play your game? Who will influence them? What will influence them, and through what means? Hardcore gamers Core enthusiast media and TV Incorporating beta feedback Giving notoriety and praise

Determine the audience

Who will play your game?

Who will influence them?

What will influence them, and through what means?

Hardcore gamers

Core enthusiast media and TV

Incorporating beta feedback

Giving notoriety and praise

EverQuest II Internal evangelist is the president of the company Driven to beat competition to get rid of one-hit wonder stigma Respects the community and their feedback (takes their phone calls directly)

Internal evangelist is the president of the company

Driven to beat competition to get rid of one-hit wonder stigma

Respects the community and their feedback (takes their phone calls directly)

EverQuest II Engaged guild leaders and made them part of the earliest beta Treated them as VIPs Gave them special status in our forums and allowed them to invite their friends/guild Gave them the ability to see what needed to be fixed and they presented it as feedback The president responded and changed the team plus many of the aspects of the game

Engaged guild leaders and made them part of the earliest beta

Treated them as VIPs

Gave them special status in our forums and allowed them to invite their friends/guild

Gave them the ability to see what needed to be fixed and they presented it as feedback

The president responded and changed the team plus many of the aspects of the game

Utilizing the Evangelists Guild leaders and fan sites made the game huge – Blizzard was scared at launch The stage was set for success, follow-through was the last stage…

Guild leaders and fan sites made the game huge – Blizzard was scared at launch

The stage was set for success, follow-through was the last stage…

Pitfalls: Apple’s Amazing One Button Mouse of Tomorrow

Jobs’ theory is buttons make technology more complex One button was the obvious answer because that made it impossible to push the wrong button Also huge resistance to the two button mouse because it is what PCs had For years people new to Apple would bring up adding a new button to the mouse to the ire of Jobs After 7 years, the iMac finally got its second button, when it went to five buttons with MightyMouse Apple Pitfall

Jobs’ theory is buttons make technology more complex

One button was the obvious answer because that made it impossible to push the wrong button

Also huge resistance to the two button mouse because it is what PCs had

For years people new to Apple would bring up adding a new button to the mouse to the ire of Jobs

After 7 years, the iMac finally got its second button, when it went to five buttons with MightyMouse

Getting your Technology Funded and Sold Identify the strategy – getting to market, selling to Microsoft, IPO Who has the money? – look at the competitors funding, and who is supporting them (VCs, strategic advisors, board) – use blocking strategy Find strategic rivals – Intel vs. AMD, Sony vs. MSFT, Fox vs. Warner Bros.

Identify the strategy – getting to market, selling to Microsoft, IPO

Who has the money? – look at the competitors funding, and who is supporting them (VCs, strategic advisors, board) – use blocking strategy

Find strategic rivals – Intel vs. AMD, Sony vs. MSFT, Fox vs. Warner Bros.

Getting your Technology Funded and Sold Be open to people who almost made it and failed They want a second chance to make good on their vision Be willing to accept feedback, and help Know that most funding comes with expert or “expert” advice, so choose your money smartly

Be open to people who almost made it and failed

They want a second chance to make good on their vision

Be willing to accept feedback, and help

Know that most funding comes with expert or “expert” advice, so choose your money smartly

Getting your Technology Funded and Sold Be realistic in your expectations (Bioware, Club Penguin – throw off the “real numbers”) Leverage PR/marketing to build brand in advance of a sale or shopping for a sale Utilize your network and those of your evangelists

Be realistic in your expectations

(Bioware, Club Penguin – throw off the “real numbers”)

Leverage PR/marketing to build brand in advance of a sale or shopping for a sale

Utilize your network and those of your evangelists

Thank You