Post on 16-Jul-2015
You have to FIND customers to develop them
Helpful MarketingTM for Lean Startups
by Kevin Dewalt
Save the date: Justin coming to Lincoln …
Week of June 23rd: Meetups, Workshops for Lean Startup training
Brian ArdingerEmail: brian@nmotion.coTwitter: @ardinger, @NMotionStartupMobile: 402-770-9567
FounderSoHelpful, 3 previous
Angel Investor Collabspot (JFDI), Power Supply (500 Startups), Vericant (???)
Mentor/Advisor 1,000s, mostly Lean Startup
Ruby Programmer
Former VC
kevindewalt.com@kevindewalt
Beijing, China
3rd Major Marketing Shift
Before 1995Mass Advertising
1995 - 2012Niche Marketing
TodayHelpful Marketing
You ignore 99% of your inbox
and 99.9999% of your ads
I hear …
“We can’t FIND customers to DO Customer Development”
“I have paying customers … and they STILL won’t talk to me”
“Nobody reads our blog … or opens our email”
Finding Customers + Winning Trust = EVERYTHING
Worse yet … what works in SV doesn’t work everywhere …
Helpful Marketing
A strategy for winning customers by proving you help them solve problems.
Prove you are helpful and customers will …
• Find you
• Trust you
• Buy from you
• Tell everyone about you
And most importantly for Lean Startups …
TELL YOU THEIR PROBLEMS
Fail to win trust?
You product or service needs to be transformative
About … Help
This is what struggling business do …
Case Study # 1 – Customer.io
“The CEO who writes email copy”
Case Study # 2 – Klinify
“The CEO who will sort your email”
“Do you need help with your email?”
Help them through…
Blogging … Speaking … Newsletters … Face-to-Face … 1-on-1 over Skype or Hangout … Webinars … Hangouts on Air … Drip email … ebooks … courses … workshops … organizing meetups … hackathons … office hours
But … how do I … ?
… identify WHO is my customer?
… know WHAT problems they have?
… know HOW to solve them?
… WRITE something?
… get them to READ it?
… use this trust to SELL to them?
… create EVANGELISTS?
… get customers to CALL ME for help?
Let’s Do Helpful Marketing!
1. Create a Target Persona2. Identify a key problem3. Write helpful content4. Get them to find it5. Develop your 1-on-1 help strategy6. Get customers to call you for help7. Take what you learn to develop products
& content that sells
Target Personas bring focus
A fictitious caricature of the most important person your business needs to influence.
(usually the paying customer)
My “Dave” Target Persona
Dave is a 35-year-old American who lives in Wichita, Kansas. He is married, college educated, and has a daughter. Dave’s life dream is to become an entrepreneur and sell web and mobile products online. He has a full-time job and is willing to work very hard to make his dream a reality. He has some technical skills but unfortunately doesn’t live near a startup hub - and thus he has a hard time connecting with entrepreneurs to get advice when he needs it.
Target Persona Tips
• Based on a REAL person
• Have 1 Target – or at most 2
• Don’t sweat details.
Let’s hear some of your targets!
How to use your target
• Pick “Dave’s” problems
• Offer Dave solutions
• Write/Speak/ TO Dave
Dear Dave …
How ‘Help’ impacts Cust Dev
• Gets you Earlyvangelists
• Gets you insight
• Helps validate demand
• Positions you as a trusted source
Closing
Why you should be VERY optimistic …
I met some of your future customers last week … in Manila
But you need to get above the noise
Few will create “the next Twitter”
But we can all be helpful
Helpful Marketing Workshop Omaha
By the end of the workshop you will …
Write helpful content that sells Build your evangelists by helping 1-on-1
SoHelpful.me/KevinDewalt
Sat Apr 19 8:30-5:00
workshop.sohelpful.me/omaha.html
$249
$99 – use code KD99
@kevindewalt
kevindewalt@gmail.com