The odds were truly stacked against us: bootstrapped, crowded category, no network to speak of.
But we sold our startup for nine-figures thanks to an exceptional product—and some original marketing.
17 marketing strategies we used to outperform legacy brands. 🧵👇
But we sold our startup for nine-figures thanks to an exceptional product—and some original marketing.
17 marketing strategies we used to outperform legacy brands. 🧵👇
Invest in personal relationships 🤝
☑ Wine and dine your partners. Send cards. Text them. Move the needle 5%, and you win the edge over your less-engaged competition
☑ Recognize network effects take years to build. Connections you make in year one will pay off 10x by year five
☑ Wine and dine your partners. Send cards. Text them. Move the needle 5%, and you win the edge over your less-engaged competition
☑ Recognize network effects take years to build. Connections you make in year one will pay off 10x by year five
Write candidly and prove that you’re engaging 💁
☑ Your biggest advantage is your authenticity—develop a voice and be honest af
☑ If you wouldn’t text it to your friend, don’t use it in your copy
☑ Share customer convos on social, thereby inviting more and creating a flywheel
☑ Your biggest advantage is your authenticity—develop a voice and be honest af
☑ If you wouldn’t text it to your friend, don’t use it in your copy
☑ Share customer convos on social, thereby inviting more and creating a flywheel
Leverage momentum 🛫
☑ When you get that big opp, flood advertising + promo to guarantee exceptional sales
☑ Take snapshots of performance and send to partners constantly
☑ Lobby for increased opportunities and SKU footholds everywhere you have momentum
☑ When you get that big opp, flood advertising + promo to guarantee exceptional sales
☑ Take snapshots of performance and send to partners constantly
☑ Lobby for increased opportunities and SKU footholds everywhere you have momentum
Incentivize ambassadorship + loyalty 🔁
☑ Invite influencers to an exclusive program for free product and unique rewards
☑ Early access and exclusive drops for top customers
☑ Loyalty programs to keep customers coming back
☑ Invite influencers to an exclusive program for free product and unique rewards
☑ Early access and exclusive drops for top customers
☑ Loyalty programs to keep customers coming back
Reach out cold 🥶
☑ Send hundreds of emails and DMs to press, influencers, YouTubers, and retailers—the ROI on a 5% conversion will be 🍌🍌🍌
☑ Can’t get a response? Mail your product directly to consumer publications with ATTN: Editor stamped on the package
☑ Be scrappy!
☑ Send hundreds of emails and DMs to press, influencers, YouTubers, and retailers—the ROI on a 5% conversion will be 🍌🍌🍌
☑ Can’t get a response? Mail your product directly to consumer publications with ATTN: Editor stamped on the package
☑ Be scrappy!
Go all in on trade shows 📣
☑ Put big $$$ into LinkedIn + FB ads targeting attendees within x miles of the event: “Come by our booth!” The ROI could literally be 100,000x. It will also be easier to win event hashtags
☑ Pitch panels to organizers—establish industry leadership
☑ Put big $$$ into LinkedIn + FB ads targeting attendees within x miles of the event: “Come by our booth!” The ROI could literally be 100,000x. It will also be easier to win event hashtags
☑ Pitch panels to organizers—establish industry leadership
Scale and experiment ⚖️
☑ If revenue is up 300%, your ad spend better mirror that
☑ Reserve 15% of ad spend for experimentation in broadcast, radio, programmatic, display, OOH, streaming
☑ Mentality: If you’re not failing, you’re not scaling
☑ If revenue is up 300%, your ad spend better mirror that
☑ Reserve 15% of ad spend for experimentation in broadcast, radio, programmatic, display, OOH, streaming
☑ Mentality: If you’re not failing, you’re not scaling
Recognize customer support is marketing 💬
☑ Go hard on education at delivery triggers
☑ Review customer support reports with marketing team
☑ Never give up on lost customers; invest in winback campaigns
☑ Know that a “saved” customer is more loyal than a new one
☑ Go hard on education at delivery triggers
☑ Review customer support reports with marketing team
☑ Never give up on lost customers; invest in winback campaigns
☑ Know that a “saved” customer is more loyal than a new one
Be a good partner 👫
☑ Share data openly and expect the same
☑ Give influencers outsized incentive to promote you
☑ Identify partners who overlap with your core audience, but represent an emerging target demo (we teamed up with Justin Bieber, Jane Goodall, and Megan Rapinoe)
☑ Share data openly and expect the same
☑ Give influencers outsized incentive to promote you
☑ Identify partners who overlap with your core audience, but represent an emerging target demo (we teamed up with Justin Bieber, Jane Goodall, and Megan Rapinoe)
Prioritize retention 🪝
☑ Shiny new campaigns are great, but are 😬 more expensive than the cost of keeping existing customers around
☑ Test your email onboarding, post-purchase flows relentlessly
☑ Invest in AI/machine learning to optimize
☑ Treat top customers like royalty
☑ Shiny new campaigns are great, but are 😬 more expensive than the cost of keeping existing customers around
☑ Test your email onboarding, post-purchase flows relentlessly
☑ Invest in AI/machine learning to optimize
☑ Treat top customers like royalty
Inform marketing with customer data 🔮
☑ Conduct surveys, consumer studies, and review site behavior like there’s no tomorrow—customers will tell you what you need to know
☑ Identify purchase motivators, context for how customers use your product, and where you fall short
☑ Conduct surveys, consumer studies, and review site behavior like there’s no tomorrow—customers will tell you what you need to know
☑ Identify purchase motivators, context for how customers use your product, and where you fall short
Do the unscalable whenever possible 😤
☑ Get on Zoom calls with customers, write personal notes to journalists, share your journey on social
☑ Activate real loyalty by leveraging your underdog status and doing what legacy businesses can’t—by being unapologetic and authentic
☑ Get on Zoom calls with customers, write personal notes to journalists, share your journey on social
☑ Activate real loyalty by leveraging your underdog status and doing what legacy businesses can’t—by being unapologetic and authentic
Create a content arm 🧑💻
☑ Gather SEO research and develop content around customer queries
☑ Gain credibility as a thought leader and educator to earn trust
☑ See long term gains to site rank and organic search results
☑ Gather SEO research and develop content around customer queries
☑ Gain credibility as a thought leader and educator to earn trust
☑ See long term gains to site rank and organic search results
Spend online to boost your offline 📍
☑ Target customers within x miles of retailers
☑ Use Google Store Locator extensions
☑ Promote UGC of customers buying in retail
☑ Develop case studies showing lift—represent value to acquirers + retailers who struggle with attribution
☑ Target customers within x miles of retailers
☑ Use Google Store Locator extensions
☑ Promote UGC of customers buying in retail
☑ Develop case studies showing lift—represent value to acquirers + retailers who struggle with attribution
Merchandise the hell out of retail 🛍
☑ Conglomerates leverage b budgets to tell their story in retail—as a challenger, you must invest in storytelling opportunities
☑ See huge gains in brand awareness as customers are hungry for discovery and alternatives to heritage brands
☑ Conglomerates leverage b budgets to tell their story in retail—as a challenger, you must invest in storytelling opportunities
☑ See huge gains in brand awareness as customers are hungry for discovery and alternatives to heritage brands
Sequence your advertising 🎛
☑ Work up to your sell, don’t be heavy handed
☑ Imagine customers SEEING your brand, then THINKING about you, then ACTING on their thoughts
☑ After you win a customer, put them in a new sequence focused on retention + activating word of mouth
☑ Work up to your sell, don’t be heavy handed
☑ Imagine customers SEEING your brand, then THINKING about you, then ACTING on their thoughts
☑ After you win a customer, put them in a new sequence focused on retention + activating word of mouth
Ensure channel differentiation 🎯
☑ SKUs must be designed for the channel they’re sold in
☑ Optimize for price, size, and customer profile
☑ Resist going over the top with too many products—better to have lots of shelf space for three products than ten
☑ SKUs must be designed for the channel they’re sold in
☑ Optimize for price, size, and customer profile
☑ Resist going over the top with too many products—better to have lots of shelf space for three products than ten
For more content supporting the consumer industry, ecommerce, and retail, follow me @chriscantino.
And let me know what you would find helpful. It’s all about making an impact on the next generation of startup founders and operators.
And let me know what you would find helpful. It’s all about making an impact on the next generation of startup founders and operators.
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