1.
How start-ups can succeed in their marketingPart - 1

2.
In a survey of 3200 start-ups byStartup Genome among the startupsthat failed70%30%70 % failedbecause ofprematurescaling

3.
What does that mean?

4.
Start-ups scaled earlier than theirmarket! None of the failed start-upscrossed 1,00,000 user mark

5.
How can your start-up avoid this self-destruction?

6.
The answer lies in having a relevantand realistic marketing plan!Plan strong

7.
Top 3 mistakes start-upsmake with marketing plansAssumption Vs AnalyticsCopy Vs orginalProduct/service centric VsCustomer centric

8.
Start-ups today rely on ‘maybe’ and ‘I-feel-so’ factors rather on validated data. If youhave a ‘great’ product your greatest proof isnumber of sales.Assumption Vs. Analytics

9.
Optimum features naturally attract theprospect to try and buy, this is iterative bypeople telling people

10.
Start-ups are building products/servicesthat no-one’s going to buy… Sad! But yesthis can change.Epicfailure

11.
Involve the customer in the buildingprocess, here the simple process, get-up and get-out to where they are!.Ask – Survey – Listen, listen, listen

12.
Allow people to test, get realusers/consumers not test-groups, track,analyse and ask them, list down learning

13.
Great! Now its time for final build: in shortbeta-version launches**It also applies to non-product companies

14.
Release Beta 1.0Track user engagement both onlineand offline

15.
Now its time to think about amarketing plan…

16.
What makes it the optimum time?1.You really know your customer segments2.You really know that what you have does click3.You really know that people are sharingYou have numbers and data to makeplans!!!

17.
Next…

18.
Get back to basics, by now you know thatcustomers are buying, its now time foryou to unravel the mystery ofWhat do our customers really like?

19.
That’s pretty important and it gives youclue to the most important question:What do customers really value?

20.
That question is the starting point ofcreating a pricing structure, it’s a questionof “How much do my customers valuethis product/service?”

21.
Hey I gotcha: You are thinking – “Ourcompetition has already set the pricing” . Theanswer lies in value, customers seek, love andobsesses brands that offer value, Apple is agreat example.

22.
You set the rules of the game!

23.
Your product/service = Monetary costwhat customer values (speed, satisfaction,security, simplicity, scalability, strong, ……)

24.
Customer pays for :Reverse it..Tangible (Product/service)Intangible (Happiness, satisfaction/feeling top-of-the-world,enthusiasm, joy, delight, security

25.
Well you’ve got the whole idea that pricingis proportional to value, now its time toensure that you start to relate yourproduct to that intangible value andensure your customer focuses there…

26.
Here’s your value proposition:Hello customer you pay not only for theproduct/service but also for that amazing,incredible, awesome intangible value that weoffer! We bet you won’t get it anywhere else.

27.
Features,features,features….Enough offeature talk,show emotionalbenefit

28.
Great! You know your customer segments,the value you are offering, the next bigthing is to ensure more people get to knowyour awesome story.Its time to amplify this awesomeness

29.
Your customers are at different places, butdo remember they are social, its time torelate to them. People do smellmanipulative relationships, so its time to getreal and share your story

30.
Great stories clickwhen its heroic,in our case yourproduct/service is thehero, and the problemsthat people are facingare the villains…Demonstrate how thishero of yours smacksthe bad-guys and winsthe day for thecustomers.

31.
Choose right mediums or channels toreach many others for it to become a largescale epic

32.
There’s no one way to do it!

33.
Make it personal!

34.
Let experiences of the victors speak forthemselves, feature jubilant victorsremember : true emotions connect!

35.
Use Hubs: Websites, landing pages,sales collateral, social media to sharethese stories… Reach out!

36.
Campaign for there are many more whoneed this product/service saviour of yours!

37.
Allow victors to communicate, givethem a voice!

38.
Build right channels!!! And yes amidst allthe hula-bulla and chants, don’t ever losetrack of analysing “if it’s the bestchannel?”, else someones bagel mightattract your customers.

39.
Build strong links, your product/service isnot perfect, its also vulnerable, its got itsown Achilles heel to deal with, know whatthose moments are and be ready toensure support and care.

40.
Let people know that you love them,share how they can win better throughconstant webinars, seminars and allpossible sweet spots you can think of.

41.
People’s greatest need are people, itsgreat to know we are wired this way, sobuild great relationship structures, let themknow you are there for them in their hardmoments (Product failure, bad response…)

42.
Live up to your story…

43.
All external branding elements – Logo’s, tag-lines, color-schemes… are pointers to thereal value, they can NEVER substitute whatyou can offer to them.Awesome, now its time for you to startengaging and building your brand.

44.
Fake stories have graves marked.. Youcan’t sell false stories, people will HATEyou and will spread the HATE around.

45.
BUT great stories are etched in eternity,generations love these tales,theyexperience it for themselves andcreate that eternal bond that’ll bepassed on and on

46.
Here’s a quick recap:1. Don’t fall for any of the myths2. Involve the customer in the building process3. Build – learn – rebuild4. Know your customer segments well and validate5. Discover and build on your value proposition6. Share your story7. Live up to your story8. And eventually it’ll become an eternal story

47.
Long live your brand!!!!

48.
Next in the series | Part - 2Metrics that matter for your startup marketing & salesStartups sometimes traverse in the wrong direction itsbecause they measure the wrong aspects and build onthings that really don’t count in the long run. This canchange with the right aspects measured. What’s getsrightly measured gets eventually done!Updates to follow on @kjosephabraham

49.
1. Lean startup- Eric Ries2. The four steps to the Epiphany- Steve Blank3. Business model generation- Alexander Osterwalder4. Running lean- Ash MauryaHaving seen challenges running and marketing at myprevious start-ups, I sought for wisdom in variousquarters, I stumbled upon these four amazing booksand I highly recommend them:Inspiration and gratitude:

50.
Let’s stay connectedhello@kjosephabraham.in@kjosephabrahamwww.kjosephabraham.inImage credits : pixabay.com