Customer Development, Internet, Search and Viral

A Path to the Minimum Viable Product

Steve Blank

APRIL 20, 2021

Shawn immediately said the name I had given the four steps was confusing – I had called it market development – he suggested that I call it Customer Development – and the name stuck. He came up with the concept to simply the search for product/market fit by using an MVP Tree.

Product

Product Viral Channel San Francisco

Lessons Learned: The three drivers of growth for your business.

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

I break the answer to that question down into three engines: Viral - this is the business model identified in the presentation as "Get Users." Here, the key metrics are Acquisition and Referral, combined into the now-famous viral coefficient. If the coefficient is > 1.0 , you generally have a viral hit on your hands.

San Francisco

San Francisco CPA SEM CTO Hire

New Rules for the New Internet Bubble

Steve Blank

MARCH 18, 2011

We’re now in the second Internet bubble. Customer Development , Agile Engineering and the Lean methodology enforced a process of incremental and iterative development. Startups could now get a first version of a product out to customers in weeks/months rather than months/years. Carpe Diem. Tools in the New Bubble.

Internet

Internet IPO Silicon Valley Agile

Twitter Link Roundup #170 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

crowdSPRING Blog

MARCH 15, 2013

Paid Search: Are You Wasting Your Money? Bad Customer Development Questions and How to Avoid My Mistakes – [link]. Paid Search: Are You Wasting Your Money? Bad Customer Development Questions and How to Avoid My Mistakes – [link]. Paid Search: Are You Wasting Your Money? – [link].

Social Media

Social Media Small Business Design Media

Business ecology and the four customer currencies

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 14, 2009

Each of these four currencies represents a way for a customer to “pay&# for services from a company. A great product enables customers, developers, partners, and even competitors to exchange their unique currencies in combinations that lead to financial success for the company that organizes them. Sorry about that.)

Customer

Customer San Francisco Viral Lean

Engagement loops: beyond viral

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.

Viral

Viral San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment

Lessons Learned: Using AdWords to assess demand for your new.

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 7, 2008

If you cant find any , maybe that means you havent figured out who your customer is yet. And if you dont know who your customer is, perhaps some customer development is in order? Labels: customer development , search engine marketing 13comments: Jim Lindstrom said. What is customer development?

Demand

Demand San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment

How to get distribution advantage on the iPhone

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 18, 2008

On Facebook, viral distribution has proved decisive. Those companies who have learned to build apps that optimize the viral loop dominate in every category where they compete. Not many customers ever browse the app directory or search for specific apps - they dont have to, they find out about apps by being invited by a friend.

Distribution

Distribution San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment

Andrew Chen: Growing renewable audiences

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

vs. sustainable: Compare this to the renewable strategies, like viral marketing, SEO, widgets, and ads, which can scale into 10s of millions of users but are primarily centered around tough, non-user centric work. The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development ► June (3) What is a startup?

Audience

Audience San Francisco Continuous Deployment Lean

The Landing Page Optimization Guide You Wish You’ve Always Had

ConversionXL

JANUARY 31, 2014

note: If you’re a startup, you’ll want to use customer development questions for your page to resonate with future traffic). At the very least, have you inserted the keyword they were searching for in some prominent place on the page? Sidetrack: What Are The Elements of a Viral Pre-Launch Page? image source.

Analytics

Analytics Video Matching Conversion

Lessons Learned: The metrics and levers of engagement.

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 24, 2009

This is a common problem that results from viral-loop optimization. By copying the exact same registration flow as every other successful viral app, many viral apps completely lose their positioning. Customers cant even remember what apps theyve signed up for, and become entirely dependent on notifications to bring them back.

Metrics

Metrics San Francisco Lean Viral

Lessons Learned: The one line split-test, or how to A/B all the time

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

That green button was part of a customer flow, a series of actions you want customers to complete for some business reason. If its part of a viral loop, its probably trying to get them to invite more friends (on average). Why did customers like your change so much that they didnt change their behavior one iota ?

San Francisco

San Francisco Lean Technical Review Continuous Deployment

Lessons Learned: Continuous integration step-by-step

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 8, 2008

The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development ► June (3) What is a startup? ► August (2) SXSW Case Study: SlideShare goes freemium ► July (4) Case Study: kaChing, Anatomy of a Pivot Some IPO speculation Founder personalities and the “first-class man&# th. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Software Review

Software Review San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment

Lean Analytics: The Best Numbers for Non-Tech Companies

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 23, 2013

In the Udemy course, Alistair and Ben expand these basics into a description of how to create empathy, stickiness, virality, revenue, and scale. Stickiness, Ben and Alistair say, is where people move on too quickly--they don’t make sure they really have a product that has the right features and functionality to meet their customers’ needs.

Analytics

Analytics Lean Widget Metrics

Innovation inside the box

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 11, 2009

When registration is too easy, customers can get confused about what they are registering for. This is similar to the problem that viral loop companies have with the engagement loop : by making it too easy to join, they actually give away the positioning that allows for longer-term engagement.)

San Francisco

San Francisco Lean Metrics Continuous Deployment

The Landing Page Optimization Guide You Wish You Always Had

conversionxl.com

FEBRUARY 4, 2014

note: If you’re a startup, you’ll want to use customer development questions for your page to resonate with future traffic). At the very least, have you inserted the keyword they were searching for in some prominent place on the page? Sidetrack: What Are The Elements of a Viral Pre-Launch Page? image source.

Analytics

Analytics Software Review Conversion Video

Lessons Learned: Validated learning about customers

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

Some products have relatively obvious monetization mechanisms, and the real risks are in customer adoption. Products can find sources of validation with impressive stats along a number of dimensions, such as high engagement, viral coefficient, or long-term retention. Labels: agile , customer development 15comments: Scott Shapiro said.

Customer

Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick

Learning is better than optimization (the local maximum problem)

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 7, 2010

Or should you focus on user engagement or virality? For more on how to figure out which question applies in which context, see Business ecology and the four customer currencies.) (For more on how to figure out which question applies in which context, see Business ecology and the four customer currencies.)

San Francisco

San Francisco Lean Metrics Design

Lessons Learned: Q&A with an actual reader

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 29, 2008

Either way, you would have been better off focusing your split-test on high level metrics that measure how much customers like your product as a whole. The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development ► June (3) What is a startup? No departments The Five Whys for Startups (for Harvard Business R.

San Francisco

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC

The four kinds of work, and how to get them done: part three

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 6, 2008

The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development ► June (3) What is a startup? ► August (2) SXSW Case Study: SlideShare goes freemium ► July (4) Case Study: kaChing, Anatomy of a Pivot Some IPO speculation Founder personalities and the “first-class man&# th. Take a look and let me know what you think.

San Francisco

San Francisco SCRUM Lean Continuous Deployment

Lessons Learned: Don't launch

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 13, 2009

Do some Customer Development instead. If the product needs to be tweaked just a little bit in order to convert users into customers, you want to figure that out before the launch. If the viral coefficient is 0.9, And if your product doesnt retain customers, whats the point of driving a bunch of them to use it?

San Francisco

San Francisco PR Lean Early Stage

Lessons Learned: The hacker's lament

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 7, 2008

The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development ► June (3) What is a startup? Whats funny is that I make my job look so easy that the CTO never really thought about hiring someone to help me out. (Id Id really prefer he had hired a VP of Engineering, or whoever that can manage me effectively.)

Software Review

Software Review Technical Review Part-Time VPE San Francisco

Assessing fit with the Wisdom of Crowds

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 30, 2008

The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development ► June (3) What is a startup? ► August (2) SXSW Case Study: SlideShare goes freemium ► July (4) Case Study: kaChing, Anatomy of a Pivot Some IPO speculation Founder personalities and the “first-class man&# th. Take a look and let me know what you think.

San Francisco

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC

Lessons Learned: CPI > CPC

Startup Lessons Learned

JANUARY 11, 2009

This model has not translated well to the world of social networking, because customers of social networks engage sites in a different way than customers of search engines. The difference is intent: when youre searching for a specific topic, ads have a chance to fulfill your interest in that topic.

San Francisco

San Francisco Social Network Lean Continuous Deployment

Lessons Learned: Three freemium strategies

Startup Lessons Learned

JANUARY 27, 2009

Here the key is for your free customers to get value from the site that is greater than the costs they perceive by the fact that youre selling access to them. Google has shown their awareness of this issue by carefully managing the annoyance-factor of ads that are shown during search. January 28, 2009 1:54 AM startupcfo said.

San Francisco

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC

Lessons Learned: Getting started with split-testing

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 7, 2008

The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development ► June (3) What is a startup? ► August (2) SXSW Case Study: SlideShare goes freemium ► July (4) Case Study: kaChing, Anatomy of a Pivot Some IPO speculation Founder personalities and the “first-class man&# th. Take a look and let me know what you think.

San Francisco

San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC

Lessons Learned: The App Store after the gold rush

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 7, 2008

This is completely analogous to the situation elsewhere on the internet, where launching a new website, product, or service with PR is getting harder and harder. Customers and prospects are overwhelmed by the number of media and companies clamoring for their attention. Acqusition competition is how new apps get new customers.

San Francisco

San Francisco Lean Retention SEM

The Superbowl ad test

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

Is the company growing because of an amazing viral loop paired with a strong engagement loop? Is the company growing because of an amazing viral loop paired with a strong engagement loop? The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development ► June (3) What is a startup? Take a look and let me know what you think.

San Francisco

San Francisco Metrics Lean PR

Where is the best place to find a rockstar developer to bring it to life?

www.quora.com

JANUARY 16, 2011

Quora Home About Login Sign Up Add Question Before adding a question, search for it above. " => I have not bothered to put up a landing page, survey to test customer demand, or done any customer development whatsoever. "Where is the best place to find a rockstar developer to bring it to life?"

Developer

Developer Technical Review Cofounder Technical Cofounder

StartUpRoar

A Path to the Minimum Viable Product

Lessons Learned: The three drivers of growth for your business.

Trending Sources

New Rules for the New Internet Bubble

Twitter Link Roundup #170 – Small Business, Social Media, Design, Copywriting, Marketing And More

Business ecology and the four customer currencies

Engagement loops: beyond viral

Lessons Learned: Using AdWords to assess demand for your new.

How to get distribution advantage on the iPhone

Andrew Chen: Growing renewable audiences

The Landing Page Optimization Guide You Wish You’ve Always Had

Lessons Learned: The metrics and levers of engagement.

Lessons Learned: The one line split-test, or how to A/B all the time

Lessons Learned: Continuous integration step-by-step

Lean Analytics: The Best Numbers for Non-Tech Companies

Innovation inside the box

The Landing Page Optimization Guide You Wish You Always Had

Lessons Learned: Validated learning about customers

Learning is better than optimization (the local maximum problem)

Lessons Learned: Q&A with an actual reader

The four kinds of work, and how to get them done: part three

Lessons Learned: Don't launch

Lessons Learned: The hacker's lament

Assessing fit with the Wisdom of Crowds

Lessons Learned: CPI > CPC

Lessons Learned: Three freemium strategies

Lessons Learned: Getting started with split-testing

Lessons Learned: The App Store after the gold rush

The Superbowl ad test

Where is the best place to find a rockstar developer to bring it to life?

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