This presentation provides a basic understanding of marketing for technology startups. It can be applied though to any organization or even how you position yourself for a job.

1. Market and
Communications for
Tech Startups
Beyond the Bench
November 2012

2. Agenda
Introduction CBA
Objectives for tonight
Questions

3. Business Consulting, Marketing
We work with our customers on
 Envisioning new businesses and the products, services, marketing and route
to market.
 Creating the tools to market, communicate, brand and sell.
 Engaging organizations and people in dialogues that provide insights into their
needs and move past fears.

4. Background
Diverse industry experience:
 health, medical devices, telecom, environmental, sustainability,
kiosks, industrial,
Diverse projects:
 Market Assessment, Industrial Design, Product Development,
Product Management, Business Strategy, Communications, PR,
Marketing, Sales
Diversity of business sizes and models:
 government, not for profit, private, public, startup, fortune 500

5. What really matters
Entrepreneurial
Geeks, Science Guys
Communicators, Engineer, Designers
Catalysts, connectors
Ability to see big picture and connect it to tactics
Believer in the potential of technology and sustainability
We are the guys who took the train set apart to see if we can
make it go faster
We are crazy about great design

6. Objectives
Basic understanding of what Marketing is
Explanation of the three foundational elements to any
marketing program
Examples of how to establish Key Messages, Research, Target
Markets

7. What gets marketed?
PLACES
GOODS SERVICES
EVENTS
PERSONS EXPERIENCES
PROPERTIES ORGANIZATIONS
INFORMATION

8. Common marketing problems
 How can we identify and choose profitable market segments?
 How can differentiate our offer from our competition?
 Who is our competition and how big is the market?
 How should we react to competitors?
 What should our message and brand be?
 How should we organize our public relations, advertising, social
media, website,
 Are we selling directly or is someone selling for us?
 How much should we sell the product for?

9. Why is marketing
important for a startup?
Because your company needs to be “loved”
 Parents always love you even when the don’t understand what the
heck you are talking about
 Investor love is conditional: only after they understand you, your
market, the product and how they can make money!
Because your company needs customers
 Parents will always show off your product to friends, even if it sucks
 Customers wont let you in the front door if you don’t have a good
value proposition, message, clear brand position

10. Marketing Definition
Marketing is the Art and Science of choosing target markets and
getting, keeping and growing customers through creating,
delivering and communicating superior customer value.
Philip Kotler

11. Terms
Communications plan Social media plan
Marketing plan Product strategy
Sales plan Advertising plan
Branding Product positioning

12. Common to all the terms
Target market: A group of people who will buy the
product
Key Messages: how you describe the value your product
and company offers
Value proposition: collection of reasons why a person or
company benefits from buying something

13. Target Market
Pragmatic Questions
 Market opportunity
 Size and location of market
 The market segment and its demographics
 Market and Sales Characteristics
 Distribution Channels
 barriers (trade, legislative)
 The trends technology
 The trend in applications
 Competitive position
 Competing products in the market, what can we learn
from them
 How does the solution compare to other offerings
 How does it compare to other organizations

14. Market assessment: opportunity
Where did the information come from (secondary sources)?
 Research Reports:
 Articles: Economist, Harvard Business Review, Popular Mechanics
 Annual Reports: Competitors
 Patents
What can you do with it
 Calculated the sales, in units, of the competitors
 Calculated the total market
 Calculated the price being paid for cells
 Determined future demand
 Determined where the patents were being held
 Created a customized SWOT

15. Market assessment: buyer characterization
Where did the information come from (primary sources)?
 Interviews with potential customers
 Interviews with competitors
What can you do with it
 Learned first hand what is needed to sell into market
 Understood the performance requirements
 Received input into how the competition sells, and its personality
 Received input on pricing
 Value proposition

16. Value Proposition
Collection of reasons why a person or company benefits from buying
something. It is how firms differentiate and position their brands in the
marketplace.
 What “pain” does your product solve
 What will motivate them to buy your product?
 How much are they willing to pay for your product?
 Where do they get their information about the product?
 What are the risks to buying your product?
 How a customer positions your product versus your competitors

17. Key messages
Key messages are the core message you want your
target audiences to hear and remember.
 They create meaning and headline the issue.
 At a high level they are your elevator pitch
 They sum up your value proposition, company values
and vision
 Criteria for key messages
 Be believable — support with evidence
 Be understood — reflect stakeholders understanding
 Be distinctive — clear competitive awareness
 Be agreed — company strategy
 Drive your agenda
 Avoid negativity
 Be credible — know your stuff
 Enhance positively

18. Key Messages
Message 1 Facts Story

19. Key Messages

20. Messaging Worksheet

21. Follow a pragmatic model
A market-driven model
for managing and
marketing technology
products
Strategic
Tactical
Tactical
Market Strategy Business Planning Programs Readiness Support
© 1993-2010 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved.

22. The Marketing Mix
Answers the common marketing questions. It is a set of controllable,
tactical marketing tools that the firm blends to produce the response it
wants in the target market
 Product: Variety, features, brand name, quality, design, packaging, and
services.
 Price: List price, discounts, allowances, payment period, and credit terms.
 Place: Distribution channels, coverage, logistics, locations, transportation,
assortments, and inventory.
 Promotion: Advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and personal
selling, online, offline

23. Lessons learned
Product development and marketing is a contact sport
 The more contact you have with the market, potential competitors,
distributors etc, the better a chance you have succeeding
 Innovation does not always come from engineering, it comes from listening
to customer needs
 Don't make it a junior activity- they and your company will take a beating
 Always be open and honest on interviews
Resources
 Pragmatic Marketing Model
 Vancouver Public Library
 Harvard Business Review, The Economist
 Dunn and Brad Street
 Google, Gartner, Ipsos Reid, Marketresearch.com

24. Contact
Clay Braziller and Associates
 604 961 6360
 clay@braziller.com

25. References
http://www.marketingteacher.com/powerpoint
Harvard Business Review Magazine
Ipsos for market studies
Vancouver Public Library for reports

26. Marketing as holistic system
Senior Mgmt Products & Services
Marketing Dept Other Depts Communications Channels
Internal Integrated
Marketing Marketing
Holistic
Marketing
Concept
Performance Relationship
Marketing Marketing
Commodity
Legal Environment
Ethics Customers Partners
Sales Channel
Brand & Customer
Revenue
Equity

27. Implications of marketing
Who are our existing / potential customers?
What are their current / future needs?
How can we satisfy these needs?
Can we offer a product/ service that the customer would
value?
Can we communicate with our customers?
Can we deliver a competitive product of service?
Why should customers buy from us?

28. Market Segmentation and Targeting
Segmentation:
The process of dividing a market into distinct
groups of buyers with different needs,
characteristics, or behavior who might require
separate products of marketing programs.
Targeting:
Involves evaluating each market segment’s
attractiveness and selecting one or more
segments to enter.

29. Evaluating Market Segments
Segment size and growth:
Analyze current segment sales, growth rates, and
expected profitability.
Segment structural attractiveness:
Consider competition, existence of substitute
products, and the power of buyers and suppliers.
Company objectives and resources:
Examine company skills and resources needed to
succeed in that segment.
Offer superior value and gain advantages over
competitors.

30. Market Segmentation
Key segmenting variables:
Geographic
Demographic
Psychographic
Behavioral
Different segments desire different benefits from products.

31. Differentiation and Positioning
A product’s position is:
The way the product is defined by consumers on
important attributes—the place the product
occupies in consumers’ minds relative to competing
products.
Perceptual positioning maps can help define a
brand’s position relative to competitors.

32. Evaluating Market Segments
Segment size and growth:
Analyze current segment sales, growth rates, and
expected profitability.
Segment structural attractiveness:
Consider competition, existence of substitute
products, and the power of buyers and suppliers.
Company objectives and resources:
Examine company skills and resources needed to
succeed in that segment.
Offer superior value and gain advantages over
competitors.

33. Differentiation and Positioning
A product’s position is:
The way the product is defined by consumers on
important attributes—the place the product
occupies in consumers’ minds relative to competing
products.
Perceptual positioning maps can help define a
brand’s position relative to competitors.

34. Key Messages