A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

Investors and founders alike have been obsessed about “growth at all costs,” just as a virus colony grows without care to its effect on its host cells or whether the colony’s growth ends up destroying the host body completely, taking the colony down with it in a viral version of Lord of the Flies. The problem is “growth at all costs.”

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Viral Metrics Salary 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2022

You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. For some customers and many investors, a heavy focus on social networks and viral marketing may be a negative, rather than a positive.

Social Media 315

Social Media Media Startup Analytics 315

Brandanew

JUNE 15, 2015

Here are 10 buzzwords and content marketing definitions to watch out for this year. 10+1 Buzzwords : Content Marketing Definitions That You Need To Know. Growth hackers are basically professionals who make use of SEO, website analytics, content marketing and A/B testing to create and execute a low cost marketing strategy.

Viral 100

Viral Marketing Social Media SEO 100

Version One Ventures

MARCH 25, 2020

Cost: this is an expensive test (>$100) due to the two factors above. Serological test kits can be produced at scale and at a reasonable cost (~$10). . We need to administer more tests and collect more data to be definitive on what action to take. The exact time depends on the equipment used in a particular lab.

Technical Review 147

Technical Review Asia Portfolio Viral 147

Brandanew

MAY 29, 2015

What is Growth Hacking: A definition before we start: Growth hacking is a marketing technique developed by technology startups which uses creativity, analytical thinking, and social metrics to sell products and gain exposure. Sure-shot way to lose trust and potential customers (even if your terrible response does not become viral).

Curation 100

Curation Social Media Viral Startup 100

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 22, 2012

You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. For some customers and many investors, a heavy focus on social networks and viral marketing may be a negative, rather than a positive.

Social Media 238

Social Media Media Cost Startup 238

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

Some of the readings for this week’s included: DoD Cyber Strategy , How to compete in cyberspace , Defense Primer: Cyberspace Operations , Geopolitical Impact on Cyber Threats from Nation State Actors , Divided by a Common Language: Cyber Definitions in Chinese, Russian and English. Worse when it goes viral.

Technology 306

Technology Security Internet Video 306

Duct Tape Marketing

JANUARY 4, 2024

Open rates, click rates, cost per lead if you're buying traffic. I also look at sort of the virality. If I can get one every one person to bring somebody else, then I cuts my lead costs in half. If I can get one every one person to bring somebody else, then I cuts my lead costs in half. And that cuts. John (23:52): Yeah.

Revenue 79

Revenue Advertising Email ChatGPT 79

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Traditional video had very high costs of distribution due to limited time slots of broadcast TV (we only had enough spectrum to support 3-4 channels). Much of network television can cost $100,000 / minute to produce. That is the definition of Disruptive Technology. Much of it already is. Not so fast.

Video 339

Video Technical Review Distribution Aggregator 339

Up and Running

JANUARY 27, 2021

The more software you can introduce to streamline processes and cut back on people costs, the better. Things like designers, or developers, are often hard to get hold of at a reasonable cost. Hootsuite is a fantastic, low-cost, social media management platform. But, those that are will be in this article. .

Software Review 79

Software Review Software Technical Review Social Media 79

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

Google Analytics is definitely better at measuring traffic,” noted Dan McGaw, the founder and CMO of Effin Amazing. There are other use cases, too, such as app developers seeking to maximize the value of users for a viral game with a lifespan of days or weeks. That benefit comes at a cost—starting at $150,000 per year.

Analytics 119

Analytics Technical Review Acquisition Retention 119

Duct Tape Marketing

MARCH 2, 2023

Fractional CMOs help companies and business owners develop strategic marketing plans in a more cost-effective solution as they are not full-time employees, but they have the expertise of a seasoned marketing executive. In a recent episode, they talked with Kevin Perry about how he goes viral on every single platform. Like this show?

Marketing 87

Marketing Hiring Audio Networking 87

Duct Tape Marketing

DECEMBER 15, 2022

Questions I ask Liz Lathan: [1:11] I read one of your recent LinkedIn posts and you said that community-first companies are growing 30% faster than product-first companies – what is a community-first company in your definition? [6:53] First off, what's a community first company in your definition? Liz Lathan (03:29): I agree.

Community 82

Community Framework Advisory Board Viral 82

Duct Tape Marketing

MAY 18, 2023

Like you might be measuring, for example, your cost per lead and it might be, let's say at a satisfactory $4 per lead. Open rates, click rates, cost per lead if you're buying traffic. I also look at sort of the virality, like how can I take any subscriber that maybe I've bought right at $4 or $6 or whatever and turn that into 1.5

ChatGPT 92

ChatGPT Advertising Email Viral 92

ConversionXL

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

“We also got lucky and qualified for some startup benefits with companies like Rackspace, who covered our infrastructure costs for the first year,” continues Arsenault. “We Gadea leveraged his connections in Silicon Valley to seed viral distribution of the product, which, in turn, generated the revenue to hire engineers and scale the company.

Sweat Equity 78

Sweat Equity Software Review Vesting Cofounder 78

Cracking the Code

MARCH 23, 2007

Popular Media: the key to viral marketing. Popular Media is a hosted, web-based technology platform that enables customers to quickly create, optimize, and scale viral marketing programs - and it seems to work pretty well. Note: high CAC ratio means high productiviy (see blog post for definition). Started on Jan. My Investments.

Software Review 48

Software Review Viral Media Marketing 48

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 10, 2019

Viral videos, personal anecdotes, and informal surveys would likely be counterproductive. It definitely pays to get some help with your first step into social media, since first impressions often become lasting ones. Jumping in haphazardly with poorly a focused message is definitely non-productive, and may harm your business.

Social Media 247

Social Media Media Reputation Viral 247

ConversionXL

APRIL 4, 2017

Virality and Referral. Virality is the key lever of many of the most famous growth examples: Dropbox, Uber, Facebook, Hotmail. If, for every customer you acquire, you can acquire 1-10 more with viral loops , you can spend a lot more on acquiring that first customer, right? If you sell shoes, would virality work for you?

Channel 118

Channel Marketing Viral SEO 118

Up and Running

JULY 10, 2017

You’re not going to go viral Dropbox style, so having a freemium model doesn’t really work. Let’s take a look at the benefits now: Freemium customers could be a great source of virality. If it is, plus the product value is clear, you should definitely go with the premium option. It’s mostly popular with B2C markets.

Startup 110

Startup Non-Compete Viral Software Review 110

Duct Tape Marketing

MAY 30, 2014

Viral Video Marketing. This is old news to anyone with an Internet connection, but also extremely hard to do for the average Joe with a low definition webcam. In our example, we take a look at the 2011 start-up Dollar Shave Club and their viral video “Our Blades Are F ing Great”. ” factor if you will.

Video 77

Video Widget Software Review Entrepreneur 77

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 14, 2009

In a previous post , I covered the three main drivers of growth: Paid, Sticky, and Viral. Some companies definitely should. Others definitely shouldn’t. Let’s look at a viral growth company, like Facebook. If you are building a large, viral, ad-support consumer internet property, you just want to go big!

Customer 156

Customer San Francisco Viral Lean 156

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 16, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Tuesday, December 16, 2008 Engagement loops: beyond viral Theres a great and growing corpus of writing about viral loops, the step-by-step optimizations you can use to encourage maximum growth of online products by having customers invite each other to join. This is essentially a version of the viral loop.

Viral 140

Viral San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 140

The Startup Magazine

JULY 18, 2017

They’re demanding, they’re used to fast, easily streamed, top quality, low cost products and top customer service. It’s definitely easier when built by a young team, aligned with the generations’ mindsets. Improvements like these delight the users and help the brand organically go viral at the same time. The mobile generation.

Design 62

Design Social Media Technical Review Forecast 62

ConversionXL

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

“We also got lucky and qualified for some startup benefits with companies like Rackspace, who covered our infrastructure costs for the first year,” continues Arsenault. “We Gadea leveraged his connections in Silicon Valley to seed viral distribution of the product, which, in turn, generated the revenue to hire engineers and scale the company.

Sweat Equity 50

Sweat Equity Software Review Vesting Cofounder 50

ConversionXL

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

The challenge with this method is that even if you can get a cost-per-subscriber of $5 (that’s $1 per click and a 20% conversion rate on your landing page) you’ll need to spend $50k to generate a 10,000 person database. If your cost-per-conversion is $10, then it will cost you $100k. Launch a viral competition.

Database 48

Database Email Viral Campaign 48

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 13, 2019

You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. For some customers and many investors, a heavy focus on social networks and viral marketing may be a negative, rather than a positive.

Social Media 199

Social Media Media Analytics Viral 199

Duct Tape Marketing

MARCH 29, 2023

In a recent episode, they talked with Kevin Perry about how he goes viral on every single platform. Gaia Bernstein (03:12): Yes, definitely. Gaia Bernstein (05:58): It's definitely intentional manipulation. So I think that's definitely one thing that, that we are likely to see the issue of age. And we get Gmail for free.

Technical Review 79

Technical Review Technology China Business Model 79

ConversionXL

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

Overall acquisition costs for both B2C and B2B have gone up by 50% in the past five years. To offset these costs, you need to earn more repeat purchases from existing customers. That means better margins, more profitability, and cost-efficient scaling. Or you lowered shipping costs in a country and won new business.

Retention 126

Retention Analytics Campaign eCommerce 126

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

I use a more restrictive definition: A growth team is a product tech team that’s focused on acquisition instead of core product features. Even if you recruit in lower-cost areas and look for more junior folks, you’re looking at $150K each, fully loaded. Their growth came from users, and they had true virality.

Conversion 133

Conversion Technical Review Channel Engineer 133

Hunter Walker

JANUARY 15, 2021

The falling economic costs of production and distribution have been replaced by a new set of taxes — physical, emotional, psychological — as your community expects new content, accessibility to their heroes and open book authenticity. Having to perform 24/7 comes with costs, and that’s only dealing with fans let alone the trolls.

Viral 147

Viral Algorithm Community Social Media 147

Cracking the Code

JANUARY 16, 2012

The passengers compensate the driver for the gas and toll costs, making it a fair trade. For example, a trip from Paris to Lyon (290 miles) would cost €25-30 compared to €100+ for the train. Note: high CAC ratio means high productiviy (see blog post for definition). Popular Media: the key to viral marketing.

Software Review 95

Software Review Europe Technical Review Spain 95

Occam's Razor

SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

Compute ROI: (cost of Facebook campaigns + salary of people running campaigns + agency creative costs) vs. profit from incremental product sales. An additional prove value scope can also be: Cost savings. The reduction in customer service costs – no more phone calls! Attribute it all to the Facebook campaigns.

Metrics 165

Metrics Advertising Marketing Social Media 165

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

The benefit of the hammer and the dance is lower, and also the cost is higher." I think that addressable market is probably, maybe, in the tens of millions, maybe hundreds but definitely not in the billions. It's focused on how to learn as fast as possible with as little cost as possible.

South Korea 114

South Korea Silicon Valley Sweden Italy 114

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 8, 2017

You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. Check your brand definition against the clarity of this one from Xerox for office software. Assess social media relevance to your product or service.

Social Media 147

Social Media Media B2B Analytics 147

Steve Blank

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

Business Model Affects Metrics and Exit Criteria Web-based Business Model Exit Criteria In a web-business model you’re looking for traffic, users, conversion, virality, etc – not revenue. Not sure I would make the same definitive statements about best bet for Market Type. End of theory.&# It is related to business model.

Customer Development 219

Customer Development Web Developer Customer 219

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2013

You can jump into social media with a poor brand definition, poorly focused content, unrealistic expectations of customer service, or be killed by malware or viruses. For some customers and many investors, a heavy focus on social networks and viral marketing may be a negative, rather than a positive.

Social Media 252

Social Media Media Entrepreneur Metrics 252

Cracking the Code

FEBRUARY 23, 2011

The sales productivity ratio (measured with the Customer Acquisition Cost or CAC ratio) are also fairly similar for the two groups (except for a small cap dip in Q4 09) and therefore do not explain the difference Why is scale so much rewarded by public markets? Note: high CAC ratio means high productiviy (see blog post for definition).

Software Review 101

Software Review Technical Review Valuation Europe 101