Loading...
Answers
MenuWhat are your biggest daily hurdles as a marketing professional?
I am building a number of apps that can smooth a lot of processes.
Answers
Your question is very general.
I'd suggest you locate people in Clarify which seem to provide useful advice + book calls with several of them.
How you approach Marketing depends on many factors.
Whether you're an introvert or extrovert, to me, is the most important starting point, because if you're an introvert + try to do extrovert-esque marketing, you'll fail.
Extroverts trying to do introvert-esque marketing will also fail.
Also targeting results, to me, is next on the list.
For example, I'm an introvert, able to masquerade as an extrovert for short periods.
So I bootstrap all my new projects using platform speaking at Meetup groups + conferences.
I target acquiring my first 100+ clients for a project via nose-to-nose selling... well... very soft selling...
Having these core users, I then train them... again, so softly, they never notice... to send me referrals.
100 clients will to pay anything, to me, is worth far more than 1,000,000 of random people on email lists.
I'll take profit over numbers of people, any day.
Your question is confusing...what I'm getting from it is you're looking for daily operations pain points in the marketing field to help you focus on what to build as an app?
If that's correct, pick a specific niche (an industry, a business size, etc.) and ask them.
What matters to a medium-sized organization can be gibberish to a solopreneur. Smaller organizations just don't have the problems larger ones do. That's why it's critical to pick your niche. If you build something that improves the way accounting, inventory, and CRM systems talk to each other, minimizing the number of instances what was billed isn't what was shipped, for example, that will be good for larger companies. But solopreneurs won't want it.
The way smaller companies market is different from the way bigger ones do. So focus on the kind of customer you want and the kind of problems you want to solve. My gut reaction is for you to focus on larger organizations, because they are more likely to have the kind of problems at scale that mean they can afford to invest in your solutions. Having a target market that can pay for your help is critical...and a simple point often missed by saas creators.
Every day is different and you'll have evolving challenges during the lifecycle of your products or services. An important first step is taking the time to understand your audience and what value you are providing them or what problems you help them solve. For example, ask yourself how your apps save them time, make them money, or entertain them. Knowing who you are speaking to reduces many of these marketing hurdles. Be genuine, be honest, be consistent, and publish content that has value for your audience. Finally, research apps and services that can automate some of your outreach tasks and provide you valuable analytics on your efforts. And keep learning - read an article each day.
Related Questions
-
Is it ok from a brand perspective to have different color schemes for your logo for different purposes?
Building a brand takes more than a logo. With that said, consistency is key for obtaining a competitive advantage that speaks to your market for longer. I would recommend against using different styles and colors for various purposes and instead maybe avoid using in lieu of the logo use maybe instead borders or patterns that use your logo's or brand colors. The idea of a logo is to engrave a mission or product into potential customers when they simply see the brand or logo... Once a logo is pushed and promoted you can strengthen that image by enforcing the brands colors through different materials or media :)HV
-
How was SnapChat able to grow so quickly?
I'm answering your question assuming that you hope to be able to replicate it's own success in your own mobile app. There are a couple of factors responsible for it's growth that are instructive to anyone building a mobile app. "Leveraging the intimacy and privacy of the mobile phone." We now have an *intimate* relationship with our phone like no other device in the history of technology. Every internet company that started before around 2010 has built their core interactions around "the old web" one which was accessed primarily via a browser on a computer. Companies that start with a clean slate, should be building their interactions around how to do whatever the app is supposed to do while leveraging what is unique to people's relationship to their mobile devices. Photo-sharing has become a core part of the way we communicate now. Snapchat built something that provided an experience that leveraged the feeling of privacy and intimacy that is unique to mobile. "Provided an escape from the "maturity" of other online services." Too many parents, aunts, uncles and other "old people" have encroached into the social networks of teens and young people. As a result, they've had a desire to find places to express themselves in places inaccessible by older generations. An important distinction is that it's not just parents and relatives that young people are trying to avoid, but also employers & colleges who are increasingly using "mature" social networks to review applicants. "Leveraged PR even bad PR" The fact that the app got so much press about it being used to sext was perfect PR for the company, as it essentially reinforced the brand experience that it has today. Essentially, "if it's safe enough to send a sext, it's safe for any kind of communication I want to have." And although the safety and security of Snapchat is actually not as advertised, it still enjoys the reputation of having less impact than any primarily web-based service. Building a successful mobile application is one of the hardest challenges to face designers, programmers and entrepreneurs in the history of writing software. Happy to talk to you if you're considering building a mobile app, about what I've learned about the "table stakes" for success.TW
-
How much equity should I ask as a CMO in a startup?
Greater risk = greater equity. How likely is this to fail or just break even? If you aren't receiving salary yet are among 4-6 non-founders with equivalent sweat investment, all of whom are lower on the totem pole than the two founders, figure out: 1) Taking into account all likely outcomes, what is the most likely outcome in terms of exit? (ex: $10MM.) Keep in mind that 90%+ of all tech startups fail (Allmand Law study), and of those that succeed 88% of M&A deals are under $100MM. Startups that exit at $1B+ are so rare they are called "unicorns"... so don't count on that, no matter how exciting it feels right now. 2) Figure out what 1% equity would give you in terms of payout for the most likely exit. For example, a $10MM exit would give you $100k for every 1% you own. 3) Decide what the chance is that the startup will fail / go bankrupt / get stuck at a $1MM business with no exit in sight. (According to Allman Law's study, 10% stay in business - and far fewer than that actually exit). 4) Multiply the % chance of success by the likely outcome if successful. Now each 1% of equity is worth $10k. You could get lucky and have it be worth millions, or it could be worth nothing. (With the hypothetical numbers I'm giving here, including the odds, you are working for $10k per 1% equity received if the most likely exit is $10MM and the % chance of failure is 90%.) 5) Come up with a vesting path. Commit to one year, get X equity at the end. If you were salaried, the path would be more like 4 years, but since it's free you deserve instant equity as long as you follow through for a reasonable period of time. 6) Assuming you get agreement in writing from the founders, what amount of $ would you take in exchange for 12 months of free work? Now multiply that by 2 to factor in the fact that the payout would be far down the road, and that there is risk. 7) What percentage share of equity would you need in order to equal that payout on exit? 8) Multiply that number by 2-3x to account for likely dilution over time. 9) If the founders aren't willing to give you that much equity in writing, then it's time to move on! If they are, then decide whether you're willing to take the risk in exchange for potentially big rewards (and of course, potentially empty pockets). It's a fascinating topic with a lot of speculation involved, so if you want to discuss in depth, set up a call with me on Clarity. Hope that helps!RD
-
What is a better title for a startup head....Founder or CEO? Are there any pros/cons to certain titles?
The previous answers given here are great, but I've copied a trick from legendary investor Monish Pabrai that I've used in previous startups that seems to work wonders -- especially if your company does direct B2B sales. Many Founders/ CEOs are hung up on having the Founder/ CEO/ President title. As others have mentioned, those titles have become somewhat devalued in today's world -- especially if you are in a sales meeting with a large organization. Many purchasing agents at large organizations are bombarded by Founders/ CEOs/ Presidents visiting them all day. This conveys the image that a) your company is relatively small (the CEO of GM never personally sells you a car) and b) you are probably the most knowledgeable person in the organization about your product, but once you land the account the client company will mostly be dealing with newly hired second level staff. Monish recommends that Founder/ CEOs hand out a business card that has the title "Head of Sales" or "VP of Sales". By working in the Head of Sales role, and by your ability to speak knowledgeably about the product, you will convey the message that a) every person in the organization is very knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the product (even the sales guys) and b) you will personally be available to answer the client's questions over the long run. I've used this effectively many times myself.VR
-
What is a good scope of work for a marketing and PR department?
Build a body of work in the form of a blog. Much depends on the size and scope of your company, but branded journalism can really make a huge difference.....AW
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.