1/ The odds were stacked against us: bootstrapped, crowded category, no network to speak of.
But we sold our startup for $100M+ thanks to an exceptional product—and some original marketing.
Marketing strategies we used to beat out the competition. 🧵
But we sold our startup for $100M+ thanks to an exceptional product—and some original marketing.
Marketing strategies we used to beat out the competition. 🧵
2/ 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 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 10x by year five
3/ Write candidly to engage 💁
☑ 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
4/ 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 distribution 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 distribution everywhere you have momentum
5/ 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 product and materials directly to publications with ATTN: Editor stamped on the package
☑ 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 product and materials directly to publications with ATTN: Editor stamped on the package
6/ Recognize customer support is marketing 💬
☑ Go hard on education at critical customer journey triggers
☑ Review CX reports amongst 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 critical customer journey triggers
☑ Review CX reports amongst marketing team
☑ Never give up on lost customers; invest in winback campaigns
☑ Know that a “saved” customer is more loyal than a new one
7/ Go all in on trade shows 📣
☑ Put big $$$ into LinkedIn + FB ads targeting attendees within x miles of the event: “Come by our booth!” The ROI could be 100,000x. It will also make it easier to win event hashtags
☑ Pitch panels to organizers—establish industry leadership
☑ Put big $$$ into LinkedIn + FB ads targeting attendees within x miles of the event: “Come by our booth!” The ROI could be 100,000x. It will also make it easier to win event hashtags
☑ Pitch panels to organizers—establish industry leadership
8/ 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
9/ Be a good partner 👫
☑ Share data openly and expect the same
☑ Give influencers outsized incentive to promote you
☑ Identify big names who overlap with your core audience, but represent an emerging target demo (we teamed up with Justin Bieber, Jane Goodall, Megan Rapinoe)
☑ Share data openly and expect the same
☑ Give influencers outsized incentive to promote you
☑ Identify big names who overlap with your core audience, but represent an emerging target demo (we teamed up with Justin Bieber, Jane Goodall, Megan Rapinoe)
10/ Do the unscalable 😤
☑ 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
11/ Inform marketing with customer data 🔮
☑ Conduct surveys and consumer studies
☑ Review site behavior like there’s no tomorrow
☑ Identify purchase motivators, context for how customers use your product, and where you fall short
☑ Upsell partners with case studies
☑ Conduct surveys and consumer studies
☑ Review site behavior like there’s no tomorrow
☑ Identify purchase motivators, context for how customers use your product, and where you fall short
☑ Upsell partners with case studies
12/ 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
13/ Prioritize retention 🪝
☑ Shiny new campaigns are great, but are more expensive than the cost of keeping existing customers around
☑ Test email onboarding and 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 email onboarding and post-purchase flows relentlessly
☑ Invest in AI/machine learning to optimize
☑ Treat top customers like royalty
14/ Build a community 🔁
☑ Create a community with rewards for top contributors: free product, events, early access, exclusive drops
☑ Center conversations around authentic experiences, not transactions
☑ Launch loyalty programs with monetary incentives
☑ Create a community with rewards for top contributors: free product, events, early access, exclusive drops
☑ Center conversations around authentic experiences, not transactions
☑ Launch loyalty programs with monetary incentives
15/ 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
16/ Ensure channel differentiation 🎯
☑ Products 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 attention on three products than spread across ten
☑ Products 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 attention on three products than spread across ten
17/ To learn more about marketing and growing startups, 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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