This is just an outline. If you want to learn more, sign up for the online class here: http://skl.sh/ZlLXmV NEXT CLASS STARTS: March 18th Use PROMO code: SS30 to get 30% off

1. Methods, strategies and lessons
learned by building and tinkering

2.  Graduated from Georgia Tech – with a focus on
aerospace engineering, psychology and Russia
 Moved to Moscow, Russia
 Worked at Y&R Moscow– advertising agency
 Met and started to work for a partner at Mamba
 Badoo started with a great team and grew to over 70
million users
 Opened up London office after first 15 million users
 Got obsessed with social innovation
 Moved to NYC

3.  Use past experience to make best guess on initial
MVP and setting a/b tests
 Measure all stats on user behavior using Google
Analytics and Mixpanel (Kiss is said to be good
too)
 Three stages going at all times:
1. Past stage metrics being analyzed to create Future
stage product dev plan
2. Current stage being developed with limited
interference from me
3. Future stage dev plan a/b tests and metrics to
measure being completely dictated by Past stage
metrics

4.  Buy a database (pay for what you want)
 Plugging the site on blogs/forums
 Add features requested by initial visitors
 Offline advertising
 Make coolest homepage ever

5.  Partnerships: What does the partner value,
how can you give it to them, and what makes a
valuable partner?
 Private beta: Sign up and"Private Invites" given
to highly connected users, but leave private
beta quickly
 Newsletters: Strike discount deals with popular
newsletters in your space

6.  API questions: what info can we request therefore
display, how can full users communicate with API
imported third party users
 Foursquare api gives access to Facebook & Twitter
user ids and emails/phone numbers
 Public data from services like 4sq and Twitter can
be used to bridge the ghosttown problem,
especially in LBS
 Check out http://temboo.com for a good service
and base list of major APIs

7.  Inherent – example: Dropbox, Draw Something
 Trade – example: Dropbox
 Sharing – example: most medium sized sites

8.  Motivation – what the user wants to do
 Trigger – prompt to make them do it
 Action (import contacts & invite)
 Reward – feedback and reward for action
 Trigger
 ….on…and…on…loop

9.  SEX
 POWER
 MONEY
 STATUS/RECOGNITION

10.  Access to information
(about self is ultimate)
 Connection/access to other
users
 More attention to self or self
generated content
 Ability to get a special
deal/give special deal to
friends

11.  Import webmail addressbooks – openinvite
and APIs for big 4 (Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail,
AOL)
 API connections – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Foursquare, Google/+…
 Phone contacts (mobile app access)
 Facebook apps
 Contact files (customer email lists, csv, etc.)

12.  Opt-in vs Opt-out
 Proper clear messaging
 User initiated vs System initiated
 Worthy notification concept (ie.
Like/Comment)
 Know and prepare for your local market law

13.  A startup is a business
 Find out your ARPU (Average Revenue Per
User) as soon as possible
 Track your paid offsite advertising from ad to
user acquisition to paying user (valid to track
viral power of acquired user as well)
 Once all set, all paid online
marketing/advertising options can be
statistically judged and adjusted

14.  MYTH: A good product attracts users
 TRUTH: A good product retains users, but
does not attract them
 MYTH: PR, events and articles will attract
users
 TRUTH: PR, events and articles will attract
investors and business partners, but only
hundreds/thousands of users. If you want
anything more than 100,000, you need virality

15.  Free Viral marketing is possible in all B2C businesses
 Set up your base viral methods/actions and analyze
your product for its triggers
 Don’t confuse PR with being a user acquisition method
Professor Michael Geer
Founder, Advisor, Consultant
mdgeer@gmail.com
Twitter: @geeria
Nymos – Focusing the world’s positive energy