"The 3-Step Startup Marketing Framework We Created to Grow KISSmetrics" - Early Work

"The 3-Step Startup Marketing Framework We Created to Grow KISSmetrics" - Early Work

When you're in the earliest stages of your business, there are three big questions you need to answer about marketing: how do you identify your target audience, where can you find them, and how do you engage them? These questions are crucial because without a clear understanding of your target customer, your marketing efforts will be ineffective.

In the case of KISSmetrics, we had an audience in mind, but we knew we needed to get more specific to determine our marketing channel. Building a business on assumptions is sheer stupidity, and our assumptions weren't specific enough. We needed to identify a place of opportunity where we could listen, learn, and give value.

One of the key ideas behind our marketing strategy was content marketing. We wanted to provide actionable metrics through our tool, so our marketing had to be valuable for marketers. Giving value, ideally for free, was our goal.

In 2008, Twitter was becoming popular, and we saw an opportunity to engage with potential customers. Twitter was interactive, focused on content, free to join and use, and it was scalable. We started using hashtags, which were less than a year old at the time, to gain new followers who were marketers. By tagging our tweets with measure, we were able to spread goodwill, promote great content, and build our own Twitter audience. This strategy worked, and our site started booming with referral traffic from Twitter.

From our experience, we've learned a few actionable pieces of advice for startup marketing:

1. Identify underused opportunities in the selected platform: Just like Airbnb hacked Craigslist to promote their listings, you need to identify emergent trends within your chosen tactics to engage with your target audience. Look for opportunities that others may not have noticed.

2. Focus only on the users that matter: Not every follower or potential customer is worth your time. Focus on engaging with those who truly want to interact with you and are interested in your product or service. Don't waste your time on anyone else.

3. Dish out massive doses of value: Expect nothing in return. Your marketing should be focused on providing value to your target audience without any expectation of immediate returns. By giving value, you build trust and establish yourself as an authority in your industry.

When it comes to identifying your target customer, it's important to understand what problem your product solves and who wants this problem solved. By clearly defining your target audience, you can then find out where they hang out. Create a master list of potential places, establish criteria for what a solid marketing channel is, and vet your list according to those criteria. This will help you focus your marketing efforts on the platforms that matter most to your target audience.

To engage with your customer, you need to identify your method of engagement and expand as far as this method allows. However, make sure to confine your reach only to the target audience. Don't waste time and resources on people who are not interested in your product or service. Aim to deliver a high amount of value through your engagement efforts.

In conclusion, startup marketing requires a clear understanding of your target audience, finding underused opportunities, focusing on the users that matter, and delivering massive value. By following these steps, you can create a scalable marketing strategy that will help your business grow. Remember, it's not just about the tactics you use, but also about understanding your audience and providing value to them.