A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MAY 24, 2010

This is a guest post by Steve Hanov , who blogs about programming and startups. For a micro-ISV, selling to big businesses can be more lucrative than selling to consumers. Instead of making a few dollars per sale and hoping for thousands of sales, you sell to only a few customers, and charge much higher rates.

Software Review 233

Software Review Technical Review Sales Software 233

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

That’s the core of it, but the thing is I have 20,000 people to sell to, and I haven’t even had a marketing program for it. I mean, like I said, there hasn’t even been a marketing program for this passport program. Gelie: That’s not the only revenue stream. It just runs itself. Gelie: Absolutely.

Cofounder 199

Cofounder Technical Review Chicago Technical Cofounder 199

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

Set up an affiliate program and sell bloggers and consultants on how much money they can make. Find a lucrative consulting gig to inject cash (so long as it’s enough money to be worth the distraction rather than turning into a consulting company ). Get new leads to sign up for a newsletter so you can convert them over time.

Affiliate 261

Affiliate Revenue Bootstrapping Campaign 261

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 5, 2010

The truth is your programming was probably awful. Remember the all-nighters you pulled, heroically pumping out code until dawn to make a big deadline? Seemed like you were getting lots done while you took a bullet for the team. Even a few hours’ sleep would have prevented your spaghetti mind from dumping spaghetti code.

Sweat Equity 208

Sweat Equity Startup Viral Equity 208

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 8, 2010

Assume every laptop has a secret program that records all keystrokes, mouse clicks, screen shots, web sites, and emails you read or write. If your project is really yours alone , it cannot be assisted by a company laptop, company software, or company Internet connection. When it comes to company property, be paranoid.

Startup 252

Startup Email RSS Internet 252

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MAY 17, 2010

Apparently tech support is a better "social media outreach" program than hiring interns to spray comments on random blogs. Are you surprised? They say "under-promise, over-deliver," and tech support has "under-promise" built in! Sure super-fantastic tech support is best, but even if you merely act like a human being you're already ahead.

Technical Review 245

Technical Review Sales Turkey Software Review 245

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

As Tina Seelig , Executive Director for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program , explains in this video clip : "It is a very small world. A job is also a great place to build strong relationships — with your boss, your co-workers and/or your customers. By working hard, by producing, by acting with integrity and by being likeable.

Entrepreneur 246

Entrepreneur San Francisco North Carolina Cofounder 246

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 4, 2012

It’s typical: Dear Jason, COMPANY has just completed its first startup accelerator program. I had emailed you in August before we first started the program and I wanted to invite you to take a look at some of these new tech-businesses in our portfolio. I’ve removed details because I have no desire to call anyone out.

Internet 270

Internet Email Engineer Web 270

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

OCTOBER 17, 2011

That might mean AdWords, tradeshows , give-aways, coupons, affiliate programs, or anything! .” For example, if LTV (net) is $500, it’s a pretty easy decision to spend $50 or even $150 to acquire a customer. Extremely useful for confidently measuring marketing campaigns against profitable customer growth.

Business Model 245

Business Model Metrics Engineer Technical Review 245

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JULY 25, 2011

Judges don’t think “Which had the best algorithm&# because this isn’t a programming contest. In fact, I was on the judging panel last time, and the tech and design had nothing to do with our decisions. Judges don’t think “Which had the cleverest logo,&# because this isn’t a design contest.

Startup 284

Startup Algorithm Design Salary 284

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JANUARY 4, 2010

If you misspell a word the same way all the time, you can either take the time (once) to learn it properly, or you can program your email editor to automatically change your spelling into the correct one. When you go to write an email, you can check spelling. Hooray technology.

Email 236

Email Cloud Product Technology 236

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

NOVEMBER 21, 2011

I love the interface, best one I’ve seen for this sort of issue and I’ve looked at a lot of different programs that do this sort of service. Bob: Well, let me put it this way, how much is it and can I buy it because I have this need, OK? But, you know, there’s a lot to be said for sort of, laughing all the way to the bank.

Widget 204

Widget Cofounder Technical Review Software Review 204

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

Yes, the email program “Eudora” is named after Welty.) English III teaches you how to write things that English III teachers want to read, but it’s not necessarily great writing. I remember having to write an essay about Eudora Welty’s short story Why I live at the P.O. If you haven’t read it, don’t fret.

Texas 239

Texas Framework America Finance 239

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MAY 14, 2013

You’ve heard affiliate programs can work wonders, so you sign up with a cloud affiliate provider and figure you can afford to pay $50 per signup. Should you cut off the affiliate program since it’s a waste of time, or redouble your efforts in affiliate management? Maybe your ads suck? So now what?

Affiliate 282

Affiliate Marketing Campaign Channel 282

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 8, 2012

You can do the same thing with any programming language. You know, I liked what Shopify has done, in the sense that they have this gem that uses, I think it’s called Liquid, where it allows people to template. ” I mean, I’ve enjoyed that process.

API 220

API Software Review Hosting Technical Review 220

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

DECEMBER 5, 2010

Sort of like a weight loss program, it isn’t about a quick fix, but effort over time. If I mention someone in a post, I make sure to email them and tell them about it (I never ask that they help promote it, but they often do). Is this time consuming? Absolutely. Is it worth it? The thing is, it does take some patience. good things happen.

Community 261

Community Audience Video Social Media 261

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MAY 22, 2012

There are some drawbacks here to be sure. People with $50/mo blogs have many of the same problems as people with $2000/mo blogs but pay us 40x less, which might imply we should focus on the high-end blogger.

Marketing 235

Marketing RSS Employee Software 235

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

JANUARY 25, 2010

I've been published in every major programming magazine ; almost all of that I can directly attribute to talking with editors at tradeshows! Tradeshows are a rare chance to get face-time with: Editors of on-line and off-line magazines. Often overlooked, editors are your key to real press. Existing Customers.

Software Review 287

Software Review Sales Email Naming 287

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

APRIL 16, 2013

But you have no excuse to not be measuring that per-user cost so that you’re running this Freemium program with full knowledge of the cost and comparing it to other forms of marketing. Obviously you shouldn’t get carried away with the bookkeeping.

Marketing 318

Marketing Viral Campaign Business Model 318