A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 23, 2013

I know the argument: The pay-back period on sales, marketing, and up-start costs is long, but there’s a profitable result at the end of the tunnel. So no, this upside-down business model isn’t what a SaaS business should construct. Few B2B companies can truly claim “viral growth” characteristics.

Business Model 335

Business Model .Net Revenue IPO 335

View from Seed

MARCH 3, 2015

Ellie Mirman was the first marketer hired by the CMO of HubSpot, the Boston-based marketing software startup that IPOed in 2014. Below, she shares lessons learned from the earliest days of marketing the company and how this has translated to her second startup role as VP of Marketing at Toast. How did you address that?

Marketing 120

Marketing Sales Cycle Startup CTO Hire 120

Occam's Razor

MAY 2, 2017

There is no golden metric for everyone, we are all unique snowflakes! :). That then takes us down the very best way to answer that question, to use the five-step process to build out the Digital Marketing and Measurement Model. I am going to pick a whole bunch of different businesses (15 in all!),

Metrics 141

Metrics Acquisition eCommerce Analytics 141

View from Seed

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

Pre-launch customer development data is another way, sometimes in the form of user surveys for consumer companies or interviews with potential beta customers for B2B businesses. One of our portfolio investments, a B2B SaaS company, was a pre-product startup at the time of the seed round. B) Post-Product Companies.

Seed Stage 149

Seed Stage B2B Seed Capital Revenue 149

www.forentrepreneurs.com

FEBRUARY 2, 2010

Blog About Log in Register Startup Killer: the Cost of Customer Acquisition In the many thousands of articles advising entrepreneurs on what they have to focus on to build successful startups, much has been written about three key factors: team, product and market, with particular focus on the importance of product/market fit.

Acquisition 103

Acquisition Cost Customer Entrepreneur 103

The Startup Magazine

APRIL 24, 2020

In this blog, we aim to decipher the meaning behind some of the more abstract metrics when it comes to an eCommerce website valuation. but we do cover the rudimentary metrics (along with tips for improving your own site’s value). Key Indicators That Can Increase Your Business’s Value.

eCommerce 120

eCommerce Valuation B2C Revenue 120

Austin Startup

JULY 2, 2021

Chargify, the leading billing platform for B2B SaaS, announced today the massive productivity improvements and decrease in operating costs that CareerPlug has achieved using its new Chargify Business Intelligence product. Chargify Business Intelligence took this four to six hour weekly project and turned it into a 10-second refresh.

San Antonio 67

San Antonio B2B Texas Ireland 67

ReadWriteStart

FEBRUARY 20, 2013

However, depending on the product you’re offering, the freemium model can work well for business-to-business (B2B) companies, and especially well for B2VSB (business-to-very-small-business) companies. See also Why Free Is Bad: Businesses Should Be Happy To Pay For Key Services ).

B2B 60

B2B Product Small Business Administration SBA 60

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

They applied a community-powered business model to the mobile sector, similar to that of Wikipedia, hence the name “giffgaff,” which means “mutual giving.”. The end result was “the only truly unlimited package” on the market (at that time), with no small print or hidden fees. So that’s what giffgaff offered.

Customer 85

Customer Community Revenue Software Review 85

Seeing Both Sides

JULY 11, 2013

In every start-up, finding initial product-market fit is a magical moment. But once you achieve initial product-market fit and are down the Sales Learning Curve , suddenly you are faced with a new challenge: how do I scale up the sales efforts? I''ve been thinking a lot lately about scaling sales. . I''ll discuss each one below.

Sales 50

Sales Technical Review Software Review B2B 50

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 10, 2009

I was in charge of all product management and marketing for the first year-and-a-half, that was a great learning experience with a very talented team of folks. It was also beneficial because I got some good experience with both B2B and B2C business models. After BITSource was successfully acquired, I moved to L.A.

Management 150

Management Product Entrepreneur Silicon Valley 150

crowdSPRING Blog

MAY 1, 2013

Many small business owners and young entrepreneurs are intimidated by marketing. There’s a good reason for this: marketing is expensive, can be time-consuming, and can be a waste of time. But marketing, when planned and executed correctly, can also lead to more sales and revenue. Online Marketing.

Small Business 107

Small Business Marketing Affiliate PPC 107

For Entrepreneurs

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

The videos are provided courtesy of WebSummit: 9 Secrets for Startup Success, A roadmap for B2B Founders Lean Startup taught the world how to find product/market fit, but in the. The slides and videos of those two presentations can be found below.

B2B 125

B2B Lean Video Founder 125

Duct Tape Marketing

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

Over the last 13 years he’s worked with companies like Target, Jeeter and Shopify to implement performance marketing campaigns. Ryan has made it his mission to lead businesses towards unprecedented growth through this unique approach, and during our conversation, he generously shared the secrets behind his successful strategies.

Channel 63

Channel Acquisition Framework B2B 63

ConversionXL

JUNE 2, 2022

Ask 10 people what account-based marketing (ABM) is and you’ll get 10 different answers. Some see it as a sales tactic, while others view it as a content marketing strategy. Because every business adapts ABM to suit their own growth model, the definition changes to fit. What is account-based marketing? Coordinated.

Customer 98

Customer Marketing Channel Acquisition 98

For Entrepreneurs

DECEMBER 5, 2018

Lean Startup taught the world how to find product/market fit, but in the B2B world that isn’t enough. B2B founders must then find a way to build repeatable, scalable and profitable growth before they are ready to step on … The post Matrix Growth Academy – Zero to 100 Videos appeared first on For Entrepreneurs.

Video 78

Video B2B Lean Founder 78

ConversionXL

APRIL 7, 2021

Account-based marketing plays a critical role in the growth of many businesses across a variety of industries. However, many marketers often rely on ABM when it may not be the best fit. In addition, what worked for account-based marketing even just a few months ago, may not be the most optimal strategy for marketing today.

IP 98

IP Marketing Technical Review Software Review 98

Ben's Blog

MAY 15, 2020

Finally, we’ll zoom out and assess the big picture: how various categories of company may be impacted long-term, how this crisis compares to 2008 (and what that means for early-stage founders), and the industries and business models that are now prime for growth. What are those metrics?

Founder 36

Founder Conversion Technical Review Cash Position 36

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 23, 2021

While many small businesses opt to manage this step on their own with the help of courier services, the same is rarely the case for the bigger players of the market. Additionally, with one-day and two-day shipping offered by select platforms, that is what customers now expect from other eCommerce businesses as well.

eCommerce 110

eCommerce Customer Retention Reputation 110

VC Cafe

OCTOBER 23, 2022

” No one questions the importance of revenue, but asking the question enabled us to start thinking on what would be the right metric. Did you know that companies like Airbnb, Spotify and Netflix purposely avoid setting revenue as their North Star Metric? Why is revenue not a good ‘North Star’ Metric?

Metrics 180

Metrics Revenue B2C Portfolio 180

cdixon.org

AUGUST 3, 2012

Facebook’s market cap is about half of what most tech investors expected before the IPO. - Some consequences: - For consumer startups with non-transactional models (ad-based or unknown business models), you need something closer to 10 million users versus 1 million users to get Series A funded. -

Bridge Financing 86

Bridge Financing Early Stage Valuation Later Stage 86

Mucker Lab

APRIL 6, 2023

Are there types of companies, market segments, industries, or business models where PLG does not make sense? So if you are building a product that has a lot of incumbents that are very established, thinking about PLG may be one of the ways to disrupt that market. Hila is a mentor with Mucker Capital.

Product 78

Product CTO Hire Startup Fractional CTO 78

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

In liquid markets, most of the calories expended on technology and analytics are focused on trade selection, or “ origination ”. I use another live Google doc to maintain my database of companies I’m marketing to other VCs. 2) Market . Many tools designed for B2B marketing in general are also relevant to investors.

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

Duct Tape Marketing

APRIL 7, 2022

Optimizing Your Agency For Profitability written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing. Marketing Podcast with Marcel Petitpas. In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast , I interview Marcel Petitpas. More About Marcel Petitpas: His business — Parakeeto. His podcast — The Agency Profit Podcast.

Cofounder 74

Cofounder Hosting Networking Software Review 74

ConversionXL

MAY 19, 2016

Gone are the days of simple funnels and so there are many external factors that influence a purchase decision, such as content marketing or social media. While McKinsey talks of profound changes … Marketers have long been aware of profound changes in the way consumers research and buy products. Get all that data in one place.

Analytics 78

Analytics Metrics Channel Software Review 78

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail. Is there a profitable business model? The Traditional VC Pitch Entrepreneurs who pursue the traditional product development model don’t have customer data to answer these questions. Can it scale?”

Customer Development 264

Customer Development Developer Customer Silicon Valley 264

Ben's Blog

AUGUST 17, 2020

While multiples are indeed often an input for valuing mature, slower growing companies, in the private, high growth tech market, entry multiples tend to be a byproduct of the valuation process: What investors are really trying to understand are possible exit values. A multiple is a company value divided by a metric.

Valuation 36

Valuation Balance Sheet Cofounder Forecast 36

Austin Startup

MARCH 2, 2019

validate your idea while you also use your own judgment about market timing. As Bill Gross spoke about at 2015’s TED conference, market timing is the single biggest factor for startup success (a worthy watch). Editor’s note: Since I wrote this, Compare Metrics was renamed Edgecase and was acquired by GroupBy in Canada.

Advisory Board 51

Advisory Board Cofounder Greece Bootstrapping 51

Up and Running

OCTOBER 21, 2014

Given the number of funding resources available today, you shouldn’t have too much of a problem getting that initial start-up cash, especially if you focus on a lean business model or MVP route to market. You can finish it up later this week when you dig into the market research. Day 6: Do your market research.

Elevator Pitch 166

Elevator Pitch Software Review SBA Business Plan 166

conversionxl.com

SEPTEMBER 10, 2013

I feel like “conversion rate optimization” is in 2013 what “social media marketing” was in 2009. Not because they have a conversion problem but because they never really nail the product or how to market it. Most startups fail. Facts about your customers don’t come from your friends and families.

Customer Development 60

Customer Development Conversion Developer Customer 60

ConversionXL

APRIL 22, 2015

Let’s say you run a B2B site, and drive your visitors toward a quote request page. Following global marketing trends, copying your competitors and implementing best case practices don’t work for this reason: websites are highly contextual. It’s proven to work across industries and business models.

Analytics 48

Analytics Technical Review Conversion Framework 48

Cracking the Code

OCTOBER 10, 2008

Labels: SaaS , sales and marketing , software. Effectively measuring and understanding your CAC and CLTV metrics are key to future success. Like SaaS products themselves, we now intend for these laws to be periodically refined through major releases to reflect the changing landscape of the SaaS world. Posted by Philippe Botteri.

Software Review 48

Software Review North America Europe Metrics 48

Occam's Razor

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Starting points for gaps in your online marketing efforts. Go to the B2B dancing monkey video (what!). This is the very first place I end up because the first thing I want to know is how savvy the company is about online marketing. It's a sign of a healthy business that has a diversified customer acquisition strategy.

Web 139

Web Analytics eCommerce Campaign 139

market-by-numbers.com

DECEMBER 7, 2009

Market By Numbers on Twitter | Entries RSS | Comments RSS Market By Numbers High-Tech Marketing and Customer Development Home What is Customer Development? The driving force helps shape technology choices, importance of design, market segment, and business model as well as company culture, growth plan and exit strategy.

San Diego 40

San Diego RSS Lean Elevator Pitch 40

View from Seed

MAY 5, 2020

One of the tendencies in fearful markets is to only back proven entrepreneurs in one’s own network, which has a particularly negative effect on founders who are under-represented in the startup-ecosystem. Rob : Second-order effects of COVID on Health tech, “peace of mind” business models, senior and child care, sustainability.

Founder 156

Founder B2B Business Model Analytics 156

ConversionXL

AUGUST 1, 2017

Yet still, marketers devote very little in terms of resources to optimizing for loyalty. First, increasing customer loyalty doesn’t just fall within marketing – it’s an enterprise wide responsibility. Of course, neither of those ads would be likely to win any awards from marketers focused on the cleverness of advertising copy.”.

Customer 114

Customer Retention B2C Programming 114

ConversionXL

AUGUST 1, 2017

Yet still, marketers devote very little in terms of resources to optimizing for loyalty. First, increasing customer loyalty doesn’t just fall within marketing – it’s an enterprise wide responsibility. Of course, neither of those ads would be likely to win any awards from marketers focused on the cleverness of advertising copy.”.

Customer 91

Customer Retention B2C Programming 91