startups

Low-Cost, High-Return Marketing Strategies for Internet Start-ups : 

Low-Cost, High-Return Marketing Strategies for Internet Start-ups Stephan Spencer President, Internet Concepts sspencer@netconcepts.com www.netconcepts.com

These Are Interesting Times… : 

These Are Interesting Times…

I Hate To Burst Your Bubble, But… : 

I Hate To Burst Your Bubble, But… Leading analysts predict that market valuations will not return to previous, unreasonable levels Focus must now be on profitability and making the cash reserves last The Solution? Develop e-marketing strategies that are low-cost and high-return

Online Marketing Strategies That Won’t Burn Through All Your Cash : 

Online Marketing Strategies That Won’t Burn Through All Your Cash Email marketing Viral marketing Link building Search engine optimization Pay-for-performance advertising (affiliate programs) Content distribution Partnerships PR

Email Marketing : 

Email Marketing No spamming! Opt-in, not opt-out (get consumer’s consent!) Read Permission Marketing by Seth Godin Deliver value newsletters, reminders, announcements, greeting cards, incentives, special offers Segment your market Test test test!

More Tips on Email : 

More Tips on Email Publish and abide by a strict privacy policy Make it short & sweet - use links Monitor number/variety of contacts Avoid burnout (frequency expectations) Provide an easy way to unsubscribe Avoid use of purchased lists Be sure reply works Have it signed by a real person

Viral Marketing : 

Viral Marketing Word of mouth marketing Make it compelling for consumers to refer their friends to purchase your products, visit your site, sign up for a free trial, subscribe to your newsletter, etc. Read Unleashing the Ideavirus by Seth Godin and The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell Examples: HOTorNOT.com, Quixtar, Paypal, Vindigo

Search Engines : 

Search Engines The search engines periodically explore and “index” your web site You need to let them know your site exists (i.e. announce it) Optimize your site: every page has a “song” Create new pages specifically designed for ranking well (i.e. “doorway pages”)

Search Engines : 

Search Engines Pick the right keywords to target Overture will give you relative search popularity http://inventory.overture.com Ex: hair color 16000, hair coloring 4100, colorant 150 Keywords placed in title tags, hyperlink text, headline text, and high in the body copy are given more “weight” Title tags are critical

Search Engines : 

Search Engines Meta tags are not a magic bullet Frames and dynamic pages (i.e. pages w/ “?” or “&” in the URL) kill rankings Monitor your rankings over time, as they will change WebPosition (www.webposition.com) Pay to play: bid on keywords at Overture.com Learn more at SearchEngineWatch.com

Directories : 

Directories Directories are lists of sites organized by topic, usually editorially reviewed Different from a “Search Engine” When submitting your site, include relevant keywords in your site name & description Don’t forget niche sites!

Directories : 

Directories Submit your site: Yahoo! $299 LookSmart $0.15/click (partners: Excite, Altavista, MSN Search) Open Directory (www.dmoz.org) free (partners: AOL, Lycos, Netscape, Hotbot, Altavista, Google)

Link Building : 

Link Building “Link popularity” affects search engine rankings Links from popular sites (like Yahoo!) have more impact on your rankings Check your link popularity at www.marketleap.com/publinkpop Check your “PageRank” with the Google Toolbar (download it from toolbar.google.com) Read Eric Ward’s ClickZ column on Building Links at www.clickz.com/column/bl.html

Affiliate Programs : 

Affiliate Programs Pay For Performance / Revenue sharing Amazon.com blazed the trail with their “Associates Program” Many affiliate programs listed at Refer-it.com Read The Complete Insider’s Guide To Associate & Affiliate Programs www.linkstosales.com LinkShare, BeFree, Commission Junction..

Content Distribution : 

Content Distribution Take your best “nuggets” from your site and disseminate them elsewhere on the Web “Microsites” Example: www.women.com/beautifulyou/ Sponsored content Business2.0 article business2.com/content/magazine/marketing/2000/09/29/19075 Transactive banners Example: www.bluestreak.com/gillette.html

Partnerships : 

Partnerships Select partners based on your own business objectives Establish quality, not quantity partnerships Plan for the long term, but assume the partnership won’t last, during contract negotiations Be flexible, especially with larger partners Don’t expect too much (never assume your partner’s commitment, leave upside in your biz plan) Read Co-opetition by Brandenburger et al.

Demonstrate Market Acceptance : 

Demonstrate Market Acceptance Focus on revenue, not eyeballs or numbers of partnerships Close high visibility accounts, use as references Listen to your customers and modify your offerings Prove that you can scale

Create Channels Not Competitors : 

Create Channels Not Competitors Grow off the table scraps of other companies (stay below the radar) Sometimes it’s worth suborning your brand to create a great business Consider licensing elements of your core technology to perceived incumbent competitors Exclusives are a last resort

Identify & Select Good Partners : 

Identify & Select Good Partners Source: Bennett Hirsch, NowDocs

Public Relations : 

Public Relations Press releases: Use a PR specialist (e.g. Eric Ward of URLwire.com) Media interviews: Short and sweet Talk as you would to a neighbor. Think of your grandmother in Albequerque – why would she care? Remember to say your company name throughout Avoid “no comment” and don’t be deceitful Get media training

In Summary : 

In Summary Don’t fritter your money away on expensive portal deals, celebrity web events, launch parties, etc. Drive traffic, and SALES, cost effectively with email, word of mouth, partnerships, PR, links, search engines, affiliate programs, and microsites

Questions? : 

Questions? Feel free to email me at sspencer@netconcepts.com Thank you!