Many early-stage start-ups find themselves strapped for cash and focused on getting their product ready to ship, and don't always have the budget or time to devote to marketing. When they need to explain and pitch their product, service, and brand to customers, investors or potential hires, they tend to fall back on explaining the features and benefits - which is the wrong path to tread. This deck accompanied a talk I gave to early-stage and funded start-ups about the importance of having a clear, compelling story to tell to customers, investors, and potential talent. I cover how "story" fits in to the marketing process, examples of how important the story is, the importance of emotional connection, and ways to begin assembling a marketing strategy. The presentation was given at FShareX (Founders Share Exchange) in March, 2015 at a session entitled "Demystifying Marketing for Startups". FShareX is a monthly meetup of start-ups where entrepreneurs share their stories and knowledge to help their firms and others succeed.

1. March, 2015
Seth Cargiuolo
Director, Communication Strategy
THE MOST IMPORTANT
QUESTION…
Marketing Demystified for
Tech Startups

2. Who is d50 Media?
• Acquisition marketing experts
powering the largest national
lead gen machine in the legal
space
• 45 marketing professionals
driving higher marketing ROI
for clients in highly competitive
categories
• Experienced in capturing
otherwise distracted audiences
• Profitable and investor-backed
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3. Our Team’s Brand Experience
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4. Our Clients
4

5. The Reason You’re Here…
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Oh, and…
We’re here to “demystify marketing.”
When we say “marketing” we think of…

6. When We Think Of Marketing, We Think Of…
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All the usual…. CHANNELS.

7. Marketing is more than channels, though…
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MARKETING = VENUE + AUDIENCE + STORY
getting people interested
in buying your stuff
those channels
we talked about
The people who we think might
have a need for our stuff and/or be
convinced our stuff is worth buying

8. Marketing is more than channels, though…
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MARKETING = VENUE + AUDIENCE + STORY
getting people interested
in buying your stuff
those channels
we talked about
The people who we think might
have a need for our stuff and/or be
convinced our stuff is worth buying
kind of a big deal

9. The Most Important Question Is…
• WHO?
• WHAT?
• WHEN?
• WHERE?
• WHY?
• HOW?
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10. The Most Important Question Is…
• WHO?
• WHAT?
• WHEN?
• WHERE?
• WHY?
• HOW?
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WHY.

11. Who is this guy?
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12. When they ask, you need a good answer…
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are you doing this?
would I get involved?
should I choose you?

13. There’s a bit of a disconnect...
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WHAT SOMETHING DOES ≠
WHY SOMEONE WOULD WANT IT
(aka the “features & benefits” conundrum)

14. A SIMPLE DEMONSTRATION
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The Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo, in Daytona Blue Pearl.
What does it do?

15. THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO GET FROM A TO B.
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We buy things we not just because of what they do, but because of what they’re FOR.
And, more precisely…
BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY DO FOR US
(almost invariably on an emotional level)

16. SO…
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WHY WOULD THEY WANT YOURS?
• BECAUSE YOURS IS THE ONLY ONE ON THE MARKET?
• BECAUSE YOURS IS THE ONE THE PROS, CELEBRITIES &
TASTEMAKERS USE?
• BECAUSE OF YOUR PERSONAL / PRODUCT REPUTATION?
• BECAUSE YOURS IS OBJECTIVELY THE BEST?
• BECAUSE YOURS IS CHEAPEST?
• OR…

17. Ultimately…
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BECAUSE YOU CAN TELL A
REALLY GOOD STORY THAT
CONNECTS WITH PEOPLE
ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL.

18. Where do I find one of those? Look deep inside yourself…
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What do you believe?
Whose plight are you moved by?
What inspired you to do this?
How do you want customers to feel?
What does your company/brand
stand for?

19. REAL STORIES, REAL EMOTIONS.
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“We wanted people to have a voice, but without having to know how to code.”
“There’s really no healthy options in
the average convenience store. I’m
hungry, but I can’t eat that junk!”
“I said, ‘why should it only
be Fortune 500 companies
who have access to this kind
of expertise? How can it be
made affordable to the small
businessman or woman?’”
“When people don’t get a proper amount
of sunlight, they feel terrible. People spend 8
to 10 hours a day at work, away from sunlight.
Why should people have to feel terrible at work?”
“What if I could inspire people to
help charitable organizations by
getting them to do things they
love doing anyway?”
“Life is too short to drink bad beer.”
“It’s time to empower & support our local
businesses with the best tools.”

20. SO HOW DO I MAKE THIS WORK?
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STORY + AUDIENCE + VENUE = MARKETING
You
Branding Experts
Content Strategists
Copywriters Web Devs
Social Media Guys
SEO Folks
Video Producers
Ad Vendors
Sales / Biz Dev
Market Researchers
Beta Testers
Friends & Family
Networking Pals
Investors
Media
Getting people interested in
buying your stuff
SPEND YOUR ENERGY & MONEY IN THIS ORDER.

21. Thank you.Questions?
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