This document provides tips for marketing a startup product. It recommends building a remarkable product that is worth talking about to early adopters and influencers. It also suggests marketing directly to passionate influencers by finding who your customers listen to, using various word-of-mouth techniques. Finally, it advises building loyalty through community management by treating customers well so they endorse the product and engage with the community. The goal is to use these techniques as a "marketing elevator" to efficiently acquire users, build a brand, and gain recommendations for the startup product.

1. Startup Marketing
Getting off the ground floor
Sean O’Malley
Product Guy
http://seancomalley.com

2. You have a new product

3. You want it to go viral

4. But traditional marketing doesn’t work

5. 1. Buy Ads
Traditional
4. Make a 2. Get More
Profit
marketing Distribution
machine
3. Sell More Buy
Products
From Seth Godin on Sliced Bread at Ted, Feb 2003

6. It doesn’t work because consumers have
more choice and less time

7. It doesn’t work because startups
don’t have the money

8. You need a marketing elevator to get your
startup off the ground
Push Button to:
acquire users
build a brand
get recommended

9. 1. Build a remarkable product
2. Market to passionate influencers
3. Build loyalty through community management

10. 1. Build a remarkable product

11. “Something remarkable is worth talking about...It’s
a Purple Cow… Remarkable marketing is the art of
building things worth noticing right into your product
or service.” Seth Godin

12. Remarkable is hard

13. “A lot of times, people don't know what
they want until you show it to them.”
Steve Jobs

14. Let’s say you build a remarkable product so
influential people can’t help but talk about it

15. The product is the marketing

16. But what if my product isn’t Google?

17. Watch, Listen and Iterate

18. Be an astronomer
....not an astrologer
Scientific Product Development
Acquisition
Activation Problem, Keep or
Retention Hypothesis kill feature
Referral & Test
Monetization

19. Traditional methods

20. Surveys
Google Analytics
1:1 Interviews
Ethnographic studies
Usability testing
Focus groups

21. Emerging Methods...Social media

22. 2. Market to the passionate Influencers

23. 10% influence the purchasing
behavior of the other 90%
Malcolm Gladwell
The Tipping Point

24. Where do you find the influencers?

25. Ask the question...
Who do my customers
listen to?

26. Reach the Mac user....not the PC user

27. Methods

28. Word of Mouth Marketing
Evangelist Marketing Brand Blogging
Viral Marketing Buzz Marketing
Grassroots Marketing Product Seeding
Evangelist Marketing Referral Programs
Cause Marketing Community Mktg

29. Your biggest bang for the buck...embrace the
influential bloggers

30. 3. Build loyalty through
Community Management

31. A happy customer is the
greatest endorsement

32. Basically, it comes down to treat me
well and I’ll return the favor

33. Be a talk show host...
not a preacher

34. Methods

35. Give a great Give customers a voice
experience
Listen
Foster customer
reputations
Engage the
community

36. If you remember anything...
Most successful marketing
elevators are about
making lives better

37. Sean O’Malley
Product Guy
Venrock Quarry
somalley@venrock.com
http://seancomalley.com

38. Image Credits
By Theti By Dalla* By Hikaru501
on Flickr on Flickr on Flickr
By Froot Smoothie By Jódís By Snelvis
on Flickr on Flickr on Flickr
By Benegizer By Unhindered by Talent
on Flickr on Flickr
By walter*sylvia By Toma01
on Flickr on Flickr
By TylerKnott
on Flickr By Piglovescow.com