1. Hatch Norfolk
From Blueprints to Buildouts
Mentor-based startup accelerator
for technology and design entrepreneurs
ready to build a product & launch a
company.
Startup Marketing
(or how to market your venture with little to no money)
Missy Schmidt
@xTuple #Marketing
missy@xTuple.com
HatchConf 25Sep12

2. What
is
Marketing?

3. Your business – and the marketing of it –
will take over your life … every aspect of it.

4. This isn‟t Mad Men 101
 Do tell your story to the people who care
 Don't obsess about always being "on message"
 Don't starve just to spend money (on advertising)
 Don't beg media to write about you (they don't care)
 Do make it easy for other people to share your content

5. So what can Marketing do for you?
Marketing is your competitive edge
Marketing is meeting customers wants, not needs
Marketing is one part Sales (not the whole thing)
Marketing is far more than tactics.
Marketing is a team sport – every one, every day is marketing
Marketing is executed aggressively by competitive
organizations
Marketing is always analyzed, sound strategy based on
analysis
Marketing is about understanding your own organization,
your abilities and your weaknesses

6. Market like a nonprofit (you are)
You must be a
good steward of
your resources
(time and money)
Have a Plan.
Plan the Work.
Work the Plan.

7. “You've got to find what you love…. [T]he only way to do great work
is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and
don't settle.”
Steve Jobs, Stanford University Commencement Speech, June 2005
Do what you love, but …
“All too often, entrepreneurs are in love
with their idea and that it
will be the next Big Thing. They go to great
lengths – and expense – to design, develop
and sell a product for which there is no

8. Are you solving a problem we should?

9. The Marketing Mix: 4Ps
Place
Product
Price
And – for startups –
I’d replace Promotion with …
People (people buy from people, not
companies)
Make sure YOU are part of the Mix

10. “Startup Marketing” Mistake #1
Communicate poorly

11. “Startup Marketing” Mistake #2
Believe in magic …
(hope is not a strategy)
Do NOT believe in the
value of Word-of-Mouth
You don't have a budget.
So what?
The founders of Google and
Amazon relied exclusively on
word of mouth to get their
companies off the ground.

12. Other “Startup Marketing” Mistakes
Think a great logo and clever tagline are enough
Forget to cultivate referrals and cross-sell
Ignore prospects (always let them know where you are when they
need you)
Not discover what a market wants (can’t fix what you don’t know is
broken)
Not expect criticism
Not listen
Not respond
Stop marketing, EVER

13. STEP #1: The Marketing Evaluation
1. Where have you been?
2. Where are you now?
3. Where (or what) do you want to be?
4. What are Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats?
5. How will you get where you want to go?
Your market position is a cold-hearted, no-nonsense statement
of how you are perceived in the minds of your prospects.

14. STEP #2: The Positioning Statement
Have One Before You Start Communicating
Cut through the clutter; a positioning statement is your core
message:
Be passionate
Be authentic
Be engaging
Answer these questions:
1. Who are you?
2. What business are you in?
3. For whom/what people do you serve?
4. What's needed by the market you serve?
5. Whom do you compete against?
6. What's different about your business?
7. What unique benefit is derived from your product or services?

15. STEP #3: Use Word-of-Mouth Tools
Find people interested in what you‟re doing – learn their
opinions
Make yourself link-friendly – inbound links as well as
outbound
Build a website for little or nothing using an online website
builder such as MoonFruit.com, Wix.com or BaseKit.com
Maintain a blog using WordPress.com – it‟s your online
editorial
Use free social media – LinkedIn.com, FaceBook.com,
Twitter.com
Share the human face of your organization
Take pictures and post online at Flickr.com

16. Social Media Explained

17. Your Old Toolbox Still Works
Don’t presume to know – Research!
Local Chambers of Commerce
State Commerce Agency
Trade Associations
http://www.marketingsource.com/associations/
Networking Opportunities, such as alumni groups and
professional organizations
Vendors and suppliers
Business Advisory Groups
Economic Development organizations
Training, Training, Training
Web, e.g., http://www.allexperts.com

18. Your New Toolbox Gets Better & Better
Some of my favorite FREE resources
http://HubSpot.com/marketing-resources/
http://SurveyMonkey.com/
http://KickStarter.com
http://MarketingPower.com
http://SlideShare.net
http://Mashable.com
http://Wikipedia.org
http://publicityinsider.com/freepub.asp
http://jm-seo.org
http://Flowtown.com/blog/category/brandingmarketing
http://DuctTapeMarketing.com

19. “Tell Your Story” Marketing

20. “Create Your Own Meme” Marketing
https://www.facebook.com/norfolkramen

21. It’s a numbers game requiring investment of resources –
time and/or money – in many places, just like Venture Capitalists:
Print Advertising Email Marketing
Trade Shows Marketing Analytics
Direct Mail Website Analytics
Public Relations Marketing Automation
Blog Social Media Monitoring
Facebook Social Media Publishing
Website Lead Management
Twitter Lead Generation
LinkedIn Page Lead Tracking
YouTube Channel Search Engine
Optimization

22. “Customer Service” Marketing
If you focus on your target
markets…
If you solve your customers‟
problems…
If you differentiate yourself
from the competition…
If you attend to wants, not
what they need…
You will have more effective
marketing… and success.

23. Common Sense Marketing
Always ask permission to use a customer‟s name as a
reference.
Always follow up with a “Thank You.”
Never assume that a customer is happy.
Don‟t wait for a customer to complain;
Only 10% do, and
The 90% that don‟t, tell 10-20 other people that you stink.
Make it right, right now.
Make communication and purchasing easy, online.
Have customer information, ordering, order checking?
Have PayPal or other payment capabilities?
What information would customers and prospects like to access
at your website? Ask them!
Work it: Get found, Convert „em to leads, Analyze performance.
Repeat.

24. Marketing Strategy Development
Tactical Decision Tree
What's it all about?
Why would someone want it?
Why would someone NOT want or NOT use?
Why are we doing this (tactic)?
Who are our prospects?
Who's out there & how do we find them?
What's the deal we're offering?
Who's in our backyard (the competition)?
What are the logistics?
When is this happening?
Who is involved with making it happen & how?
What's our creative (message, art, tone)?
What have we done in the past (did it work & why/why not?