I built communities that created 83m new customers in 2020 with this marketing framework

I'm curious your thoughts

A startup marketing manifesto:
Connect the disconnected

1. Find people who want to pursue a goal (ex: new immigrants in the US, learn tennis etc)
2. Accelerate them

This will do more for your business than you can imagine
Customers need to feel lucky. Like the chosen ones

Lucky to be a part of the community. Lucky to buy the product. Lucky to be a part of your story

If you nail the “luckiness” feeling, you can drive your marketing costs to zero
How to jumpstart & structure community:

- Masterclass for X
- Clubhouse for X
- Q&A platforms
- Small virtual events
- Gaming events
- Text your community’s leader
- etc.
Have a design aesthetic. Own it

Make sure your niche is in love with it

Daring design aesthetics pay dividends
Amplify social proof

Social proof probably drives 80% of our economy

Are you amplifying enough?
The missing tab on 99% of websites: What we stand for

Stand for something

"What we stand for" matters more now than ever
Community is a retention machine. It drives human connection

And connection keeps customers
Don't spend your budget on large influencers. Partner with microinfluencers

Best bang for the buck

Start small to go big
Build a double-sided referral program

1. Reward current customers ($10 off your next purchase)
2. Reward prospects ($10 when you sign up)

Everybody wins
Tell a great story. Almost every product sold comes with a story

Easier said than done. DM and try to answer as many questions on storytelling as humanly possible

Great stories aren't told to everyone. They are told to niches.
Be emotional

Companies that wear their hearts on their sleeves feel authentic. It cuts the noise

Emotional connection sells more than product features
Be different

"If you want to stand for something. You can’t stand for everything."

Say no to being the same.
Internet marketing stunts works. It will be your "big break"

What's something that your audience will eat up?

Think big. Then think bigger.
Not investing in community is an expensive habit

The tiny cost of building a community is dwarfed by the huge cost of not trying

Start today
Build an email list as early as you possibly can

Relying on Facebook etc is risky business
"100 true fans" is the new "1000 true fans"

You don't need customers. You need hardcore customers

Find them first, and then you'll find your customers
If you found this thread interesting, subscribe to my email newsletter for free insights on startups, internet communities and niches

I'll make it worth your while

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More from @gregisenberg

6 Feb
My guide to startups:

I've lost millions, hired hundreds, raised millions and sold companies before the age of 30

Read this to become better:
Venture capital & PR are like drugs

Drugs can kill you or save your life

Use accordingly.
If you’re lucky: your startup will be copied. Don’t be mad

The best startup revenge is overwhelming product/market fit
Read 24 tweets
30 Jan
Life is crazy. Today is a good day to stop and reflect

10 simple questions that CHANGED my life

(startup life, personal life)

Here they are:
Q: Can you really control that?

Smart people know what they can and cannot control

If you're living in the past, you're nostalgic
If you're living in the future, you're anxious
If you're living in the present, you're at peace
Q: Did you start today with a victory?

Starting every day with a victory sets you up to win

I don't care what it is:

- Make your bed
- Make a wonderful coffee
- Hug your wife or children

No such thing as a small win. It's a win!

You'll win more, if you start winning early
Read 21 tweets
23 Jan
I interviewed 5 billionaires this week

I asked them to share their lessons learned on startups, life and entrepreneurship:

Here's what they told me:
A startup idea isn't "one" idea

It's a 10000 ideas, 100,000 decisions and 1,000,000 headaches
You will lose some friends. Kiss most of your high school friends goodbye

Certainties of life:

- Death
- Taxes
- Losing friends
Read 16 tweets
12 Jan
THREAD: Most advice is garbage

Here's some advice you shouldn’t listen to on startups, careers and life:
“90% of startups fail”

If you’re building a startup for the money, please quit

You’re probably better off working for FB or AMZN and rising the ranks

A successful startup isn't just about the valuation. It's about impact on your team, the world and yourself

The journey is 🔥
“You'll sleep when you’re dead”

If you don't sleep, you'll BE dead

Sleep is crucial to a happy mind and body

Without sleep, you become "foggy drunk", unable to take control of your life, startup or career

Beware of hustle culture and sleepless nights
Read 10 tweets
9 Jan
🚨 THREAD

M&A 101:

M&A is such a crucial part of startups, yet it is so taboo to talk bout the ins and outs of this process

Sharing some lessons I’ve learned here selling multiple companies

Let’s talk M&A!
1/ It’s never too early to start building relationships with people who might buy your company

The rule of 21:

Have a spreadsheet of the 7 companies that might buy your company and the 3 people who could make that decision

7 x 3 = get to know those 21 people
2/ Founders, we have the responsibility to our investors and employees to at least take the meeting if there is inbound interest in an acquisition

You never know what kind of offer you’ll get 🙃
Read 12 tweets
16 Jan 19
⚠️ THREAD ⚠️

1/ The little things matter more than ever in software

It’s easy to forget the little things, but the little things are what makes your product worth talking about

It’s the warm bread at the restaurant, it’s the orange wine, it’s the bathroom with funky wallpaper
2/ On @RobinhoodApp Crypto, they rolled out a Tron-like interface that separated itself from their original product

The neon colors and holographic cryptocurrency prices transport the user to the digital world of their childhood

It's nostalgia at its finest
3/ On @Twitter, when you like a tweet, the like-counter updates in real time

It's a small detail that makes Twitter feel so damn alive. It makes me feel like I'm apart of something bigger than myself

See, try liking this tweet and let's blow this tweet up ;)
Read 7 tweets

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