Marketing Your Startup

by Simona Covel

  For some local businesses, geofilters—sort of like a photobooth skin—may be appealing. Because they cover just a small local area, they can cost as little as a few dollars, with the price increasing based on how much territory you include and how long you make the geofilter available. A few dollars can quickly become a few thousand if the ad is expanded to include a whole city or beyond.

  How Measurable Is It?

  It’s hard—but getting easier. Users of Snapchat have always been able to track the standard stable of vanity metrics: open rates, story completions, and screenshots, which measure how often users save a snap. Recently, Snapchat has added third-party data collection to track ROI or paid campaigns. The company also recently added the ability to add in-app URLs—a long-awaited change for marketers and one that brings the app’s capabilities closer to Instagram.

  CASE STUDY

  Finding B2B Success

  BUSINESS COACH JON WESTENBERG has been pursuing what he calls “Snapchat experiments,” playing with the way it encourages individual, one-on-one connection and engagement. The results, he says, have been “incredible.”

  Westenberg launched a new Snapchat show, called Lightbulb Moments, where he posts short videos and snaps that provide some simple business advice for his audience—businesses looking for business coaching and marketing advice. Every time, he asks people to post a snap back with just a lightbulb emoji. When they do, Westenberg offers one piece of advice tailored to their business.

  After that interaction, Westenberg offers some information on his entry-level coaching and consulting programs—plus a link to get started.

  “That level of deep one-on-one interaction has already been paying off,” Westenberg says. He earned $3,000 in the first twenty-four hours of the initiative, and it’s been steadily growing from there—a direct result, he says, of the personal engagement the channel offers.

  To promote the new channel, he makes sure to list his Snapcode in his email signature, on his website, and on his Twitter. He also continually posts Snapchat stories, with tips for business owners, “to train our audience to expect great content.”

  Says Westenberg, “We engage, we talk, and we focus on individual followers. That last part is pretty crucial.”

  Who’s Doing It Well

  Aer Lingus was among the first airlines to make the move to Snapchat, using it as a promotional channel. It shares live content from events like inaugural flights, takes followers into cockpits, and creates stories with clear narratives.

  Audi earned widespread accolades for one of the first successful Snapchat campaigns after teaming up with The Onion during Super Bowl XLVIII. Its sharing of banal stock images with unexpected, witty captions was simple but generated 100,000 views and 37 million social impressions, according to Audi’s social media agency, Huge.

  It’s natural to think of something like Snapchat for consumer-facing products, but some B2B shops are finding a niche there as well. IBM uses Snapchat to offer an inside look at the new technologies they are developing. “On Snapchat, it’s critical right from the start to establish why people should continue watching your story,” says Katie Keating, global social brand strategy lead at IBM.8 Keating suggests treating Snapchat’s stories like any traditional story, featuring a start, beginning, and an ending. “It’s easy once you start snapping to take for granted that you are immersed in the experience, but the Snapchat audience is not. Make sure to paint a robust picture to keep them interested,” she advises.

  YOUTUBE

  YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world—and its owner happens to be Google, the largest search engine in the world.

  But it is incredibly crowded. It would take 65 years to watch the new content uploaded to YouTube each day.9

  All of that makes creating stand-out YouTube content a challenge. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for the channel as part of your marketing mix. You just have to know how to use it to your favor.

  If you’re already creating video content—whether it’s how-to videos, tutorials, or something else—consider hosting that content on YouTube, even if you want the videos to run on your own site. Since Google acquired YouTube, videos hosted on the site get credence in search results. Plus, YouTube is mobile friendly, which is increasingly important as more and more consumers watch video from their phones.

  What Kind of Video Is Right for Me?

  If you’re starting from scratch, your goal is to use YouTube content to build a loyal audience, one that consistently watches your videos and interacts with you.

  First, just like other social channels, create content for your users—content that considers your audiences’ needs first. That means your goal is not gimmicky content. While the number of views a video receives is certainly a valuable metric, it’s not the most valuable one. You ultimately want people to view your videos and follow through with an actionable response. If you’re producing videos just for views, you’ll end up with very little of the latter.

  Instead, focus on creating meaningful content by asking yourself the following questions before you start scripting: Is this video relevant to my audience? Will they find it exciting or informative? How will the average viewer respond after viewing the video?

  Depending on the type of business, you may find success considering your customers’ needs before and after their purchase. Before they buy, they’re likely to watch product reviews. After they buy, they may look for fellow customers—just consider the success of “unboxing” videos, where buyers share the contents of new products they’ve bought, methodically taking all of the parts out of the box.

  No matter what type of video you have, be consistent with the type of videos you’re creating. Consumers thrive on familiarity and enjoy recurring characters and themes. You can do that in a number of ways: using the same presenter, or the same formula, or applying the same format to different subject matter (i.e., “top ten” videos). Creating videos around a consistent theme may help people become more comfortable with your brand.

  Whatever you decide to produce, do it consistently. While many brands are good at creating quality videos, few are successful at consistently creating quality videos. Much like you do with your social media accounts and blogs, you need to invest in consistent content if you want to build an engaged community.

  But I Want to Go Viral

  First—trust us. You’re not the first to decide that making a viral video would be great for your business. Over the last 15 years, thousands of marketing consultants and ad agencies have tried to crack the code of virality. It hasn’t happened yet. That doesn’t mean making one is impossible—but it’s hardly as simple as adhering to a replicable formula.

  If you want to give viral video a try, keep in mind that everyone’s trying to do it. You’ll miss the mark a lot more than you succeed. And while there’s nothing wrong with taking a shot at the moon, even if you succeed, it’s not sustainable. It’s a great one-time way to increase exposure and acquire traffic, but it’s not going to work long term.

  CASE STUDY

  Dollar Shave Club Masters Humor and Savvy Timing

  MICHAEL DUBIN IS THE founder of Venice, California’s Dollar Shave Club, which boasts millions of subscribers who pay as little as $1 a month, plus shipping, for a monthly delivery of razors. In 2016, the company was acquired by Unilever for a reported $1 billion. Dollar Shave Club got its first big boost from a 2012 YouTube video in which Dubin stars, that cost $4,500 and took a single day to shoot. It went supernova-viral in seventy-two hours. He told Inc. how it happened:

  I studied sketch and improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade training center in New York City for eight years. I know humor is a very powerful device in telling a story. I never thought twice about appearing in the video; I wasn’t really going to hire someone else to do that. I didn’t necessarily think that I was going to become the spokesman of the company in addition to the CEO. I was just really trying to find a fun, resonant way to tell the story of wha
t our business did and why it existed. We chose YouTube as a platform to spread the word about DSC because [at that time] YouTube was the only place to go if you wanted any hope of going viral.

  We also announced our $1 million seed round of funding the day the video launched. We purposely delayed our funding announcement to time it with the video launch and a relaunch of the website. All the usual suspects covered the three events: TechCrunch, etc. From there, the mainstream media picked up on them, and the video took off.

  The events were designed to coincide with one another so we would get the maximum thrust on the video. We also timed it to go up just before South by Southwest. Everyone was talking about the video while they were in Austin, so strategically it ended up being a pretty smart move.

  Unfortunately, our servers were totally unprepared for the amount of traffic that flooded in. Our first video went live at 6:00 a.m. PT on March 6, 2012. By 7:30 a.m., the site had crashed and we couldn’t get it back up for 24 hours. I was terrified that, in that moment, my biggest dreams were turning into my worst nightmares.

  The next day the site was back up, we had twelve thousand new subscribers, and within just a few days, three million people had watched the video. Since then, we’ve produced another; collectively both have been viewed more than 25 million times. It was a fantastic way to come out of the gate and raise awareness of our mission. I don’t think you could have accomplished that any other way.

  If you do decide it’s viral or bust, keep the following must-have attributes in mind:

  • Simple. Viral video content must be short and simple. People have short attention spans and are likely to be viewing content on Facebook and Twitter. Users want to be able to click on something, quickly consume, share, and move on. Keep videos under two minutes—preferably shorter.

  • Unique. This goes without saying. No one’s going to share something that has a been-there-done-that vibe.

  • Timely. Most viral videos are timely and relevant. This is usually the most difficult aspect for marketers, as it requires you to stay up to date on current topics and react quickly.

  The strategy works well for tutorials and DIY videos aimed at niche audiences, or for any brand which wants to track conversions. It’s often not the best strategy for mass market brands, some of which have learned the hard way that YouTube’s comment section can be ruthless and unrelentingly critical. Instagram and Snapchat tend to offer kinder, gentler comments sections.

  Can I DIY?

  Yes, but it can be tricky. Consumers these days expect polished looking video—even if it’s shot on an iPhone and designed to look casual and off-the-cuff. You can hire a video producer for an hourly consulting rate. Or, if you want a true commercial-grade video, seek out a video partner who understands how to develop and scale branded video that shines in today’s chaotic landscape. You may be charged anywhere from a couple thousand dollars to more than $15,000, depending on the scope of the project and the type of partner you select.

  CONTENT MARKETING

  Few marketing concepts in the last decade have generated as much buzz—and stronger opinions—than content marketing. The furor, which had been gaining steam already, really took off in 2008 when Seth Godin famously opined that content marketing “is all the marketing that’s left.”

  But what does that mean, really—and what is content marketing, exactly?

  The backbone of content marketing is engaging an audience consistently so its members are naturally attracted to your brand. The idea is that traditional “push” marketing—where you send an outbound message like an ad—is dead in an era of marketing saturation. Consumers—particularly younger ones—tune out overt marketing messages. Content marketing, which started as the idea of creating content that helps consumers, with the side benefit of generating interest and ultimately, selling, is the antithesis of the traditional “push.”

  One other note: We’ve put content marketing in the Online Marketing section of this book, because small businesses most commonly start their content initiatives with online articles, blogs or videos. But content marketing doesn’t have to be online. Branded magazines were one of the original forms of content marketing, and they remain relevant today. Just look at mattress company Casper, which shuttered its online content site in 2017—and launched a glossy magazine instead.

  What Should My Content Be About?

  Knowing what your ideal customers want to better understand is the first step to knowing what to write about. Go back to those personas that we talked about in the beginning of this book. They incorporated not just demographic data about your customers, like age, gender, and location, but also psychographics—the “why” behind their buying decisions. They also considered specific needs your ideal customer might have when it comes to your business or product.

  Each piece of content you create should be targeted to a specific persona, with a specific need. Once you know who you’re talking to, you can map their questions and needs to the most appropriate step in your customer’s journey. Are they looking for information on how to set up their company’s servers? Do they need customer service tips? Or style advice? Mapping unmet needs to your customer’s journey gives much needed context—and relevance—to the content you create.

  Successful content marketing requires that you get out of your own head. Too many companies create content that they might think is important, but their customers don’t need or want.

  How Do I Execute?

  First, decide who’s making the content. You can either create original content or curate content. Some founders feel extremely comfortable penning their own content, while others outsource. The advantage to keeping the task in-house is twofold: It’s cheap (just your time) and it really sounds like the company, because you are the company.

  The downsides: It takes an incredible commitment to create an ongoing stream of content. More than you realize. And most people are not writers. It’s hard to view your own writing objectively, and a professional can help you shape copy that not only tells the best story it can, but also is positioned in a way that your intended audience will find compelling.

  That’s why companies often look to hire writers to create their content marketing for them—someone to come in and make them look good. Hiring a writer can make a lot of sense, says Erik Sherman, an Inc. columnist and content marketer. A pro can help structure what you have, find better ways of saying it, and even bring together different insights. He notes that he’s worked on projects where a small handful of people with a journalistic background went into a company and found important things that employees knew, which then turned into strong marketing pieces.

  To make sure an outsider doesn’t helicopter into your company and write something that sounds generic or not reflective of you, make sure the writer interviews you or your employees on specific subjects. They can get on the phone for an hour or so to talk to the expert. Often there is a specific topic at hand, but sometimes the discussion is more open ended—and someone with a journalistic background may ferret out a new story angle that you had never considered.

  At that point, the writer can develop an outline, submit it for review, pull together the piece, and then have the expert (and people in marketing and possibly legal, of course) review the content. Or you could have someone on the inside write the piece and work with an editor to ensure it is readable. What you have at that point is content marketing that can demonstrate your competitive differentiation, insight, and topic knowledge. Whether it’s written or heavily edited by someone outside your organization, it breathes your company.

  CASE STUDY

  Blue Apron Offers a Recipe for Community

  MEAL KIT DELIVERY SERVICE Blue Apron uses content to generate excitement about a dish before it’s ever delivered to the door. The company knows that its recipes may be a bit more exotic than its customers are accustomed to cooking. Leading up to the release of a recipe, the Blue Apron team creates fun articles about the dish, where it came from, what
techniques are used, and any traditions surrounding it. “We want people to cook because it’s fun, so we equip them with knowledge on our website—even if they don’t use our service,” says vice president of marketing Rani Yadav. “We find this to be the best way to build trust and loyalty.”

  When subscribers finally do cook a particular dish, they’re knowledgeable about their creation and want to show it off. To date, Blue Apron has cultivated 1.8 million fans on Facebook, many of whom proudly showcase their masterpieces. “The engagement on social is what’s most astounding,” Rani says. “You can’t buy people to comment and talk about your brand with the love and enthusiasm that our community does. And these are people who would never talk to each other in the real world, but on our social-media channels they’re sharing tips about cooking bok choy—it’s so fun to see!”

  It’s a common practice for websites to “sell” their visitors at every turn—but as this particular story illustrates, that’s not often the best strategy when it comes to content. Blue Apron was able to identify a genuine need among their audience—cooking tips and information—and delivers that information in a non-salesy way that cultivates sharing and conversation.

  “Everything we do is in service of making cooking fun and easy for our home chefs,” she says. “By using that lens to develop content, product features, and recipes, we’re able to create an experience that our customers want to make part of their daily lives, and they stick with us. We constantly get love letters from customers saying we’ve saved their marriage, given them confidence in the kitchen, or helped them get their kids interested in cooking. That customer feedback motivates our team every day.”