What is content strategy (and what is “content”)?
by | posted in: Social Media Marketing, Startup Marketing | 0

It’s how businesses are earning attention, getting customers, and shaping their industry. It’s content strategy: a plan for producing and sharing information and media with audiences you want to reach, to achieve goals like customer acquisition and press coverage.

Three Quick (Fictional) Examples of Content Strategy

Lapadio Logo (Fictional Content Strategy Example)B2C: Lapadio, an online music company, wants to get more iTunes users to sign up and upload a list of their music library. They host monthly contests for users to build playlists for unique themes and add commentary, from their uploaded library. The content (and links to it as users promote their playlists in … [Read the rest »]

How to Hire a Good Marketer (for Startups)
by | posted in: Startup Marketing | 1

It’s the question I hear second-most often, right after “How do I hire a good developer?”. Marketing is one of those skills a startup can’t do without, and realistically, probably shouldn’t be started without. Most founders have at least some marketing skills, and that works for a while. But they reach a point where they want to focus on what they’re great at, and don’t know how to determine if someone else is as good at marketing as the founder is at coding, business, etc. If you’re in that spot, or just in the unenviable position of trying to attract … [Read the rest »]

Who are the darling children startups these days?
by | posted in: Startup Marketing | 0

I was wondering, where have all the fanboys/girls gone? Startups like Flickr, Del.icio.us, and Basecamp got nothing but love when they were young. These days Twitter is the hot topic, but more among the mainstream than the early-adopter community; they’re 3 years old now.

I haven’t seen as much buzz from early adopter enthusiasts around any single startup lately, and I’m wondering: is it because there’s nothing hot? Or is there nothing that’s hitting a large enough number people at a common intersection (like Flickr did with photos)? Or am I just more out of touch these days with my … [Read the rest »]

Social Network Strategy for Web Services
by | posted in: Social Media Marketing, Startup Marketing | 0

Your web service needs connections, in every sense of the word. When you need people, you go to where people the people gather. These days, those places are social network services, and if you ignore them, you’re ignoring both your current customers and your potential customers. You need to know how best to leverage social network services(SNSs) to benefit your current users, and thus, gain new ones. I’d like to help.

A Company’s Place in Social Networking

The first and most important thing to remember is that while you have a place on a social network, your company… [Read the rest »]

Go Global, or Lose One Hundred Million Dollars
by | posted in: Startup Marketing | 0

U.S. startups need to remember that not only is there a world outside Silicon Valley/Boston, there’s a world outside the United States as well. By ignoring it during the crucial phases of gaining early adopters and transitioning to the early majority, they’re costing themselves millions in lost value. Don’t believe me?

Facebook Failing Abroad

Facebook, one of the hottest topics in social network news today, has failed miserably at gaining a notable international presence compared to other services. Friendster… yes, Friendster… has more than 5x the number of users in the Asia Pacific than Facebook. True, those users … [Read the rest »]