viral marketing: learn how to get your first million users
DESCRIPTION
This is just an outline. If you want to learn more, sign up for the online class here: http://skl.sh/ZlLXmV NEXT CLASS STARTS: March 18th Use PROMO code: SS30 to get 30% offTRANSCRIPT
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Methods, strategies and lessons learned by building and tinkering
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Graduated from Georgia Tech – with a focus on aerospace engineering, psychology and Russia
Moved to Moscow, Russia
Worked at Y&R Moscow– advertising agency
Met and started to work for a partner at Mamba
Badoo started with a great team and grew to over 70 million users
Opened up London office after first 15 million users
Got obsessed with social innovation
Moved to NYC
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Use past experience to make best guess on initial MVP and setting a/b tests
Measure all stats on user behavior using Google Analytics and Mixpanel (Kiss is said to be good too)
Three stages going at all times: 1. Past stage metrics being analyzed to create Future
stage product dev plan 2. Current stage being developed with limited
interference from me 3. Future stage dev plan a/b tests and metrics to
measure being completely dictated by Past stage metrics
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Buy a database (pay for what you want)
Plugging the site on blogs/forums
Add features requested by initial visitors
Offline advertising
Make coolest homepage ever
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Partnerships: What does the partner value, how can you give it to them, and what makes a valuable partner?
Private beta: Sign up and"Private Invites" given to highly connected users, but leave private beta quickly
Newsletters: Strike discount deals with popular newsletters in your space
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API questions: what info can we request therefore display, how can full users communicate with API imported third party users
Foursquare api gives access to Facebook & Twitter user ids and emails/phone numbers
Public data from services like 4sq and Twitter can be used to bridge the ghosttown problem, especially in LBS
Check out http://temboo.com for a good service and base list of major APIs
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Inherent – example: Dropbox, Draw Something
Trade – example: Dropbox
Sharing – example: most medium sized sites
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Motivation – what the user wants to do
Trigger – prompt to make them do it
Action (import contacts & invite)
Reward – feedback and reward for action
Trigger
….on…and…on…loop
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SEX
POWER
MONEY
STATUS/RECOGNITION
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Access to information (about self is ultimate)
Connection/access to other users
More attention to self or self generated content
Ability to get a special deal/give special deal to friends
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Import webmail addressbooks – openinvite and APIs for big 4 (Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, AOL)
API connections – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Google/+…
Phone contacts (mobile app access)
Facebook apps
Contact files (customer email lists, csv, etc.)
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Opt-in vs Opt-out
Proper clear messaging
User initiated vs System initiated
Worthy notification concept (ie. Like/Comment)
Know and prepare for your local market law
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A startup is a business
Find out your ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) as soon as possible
Track your paid offsite advertising from ad to user acquisition to paying user (valid to track viral power of acquired user as well)
Once all set, all paid online marketing/advertising options can be statistically judged and adjusted
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MYTH: A good product attracts users
TRUTH: A good product retains users, but does not attract them
MYTH: PR, events and articles will attract users
TRUTH: PR, events and articles will attract investors and business partners, but only hundreds/thousands of users. If you want anything more than 100,000, you need virality
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Free Viral marketing is possible in all B2C businesses
Set up your base viral methods/actions and analyze your product for its triggers
Don’t confuse PR with being a user acquisition method
Professor Michael Geer
Founder, Advisor, Consultant
Twitter: @geeria
Nymos – Focusing the world’s positive energy