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MenuHow does one grow a highly unique business or a personality driven venture that has rejected growth-hacking, ppc ads, social media and all?
Check my profile for more about the business above. does it have hidden self traction?
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The same way companies grew before there was the Internet — boots on the ground, people-to-people networking, outbound sales outreach and time.
My gosh, this would be a dream for me right now. I've done marketing for the past decade and have had a bit of a reckoning that much of the tactical toolbox is missing the fundamentals that really leads to real success.
(Without being able to see your profile, sorry! Feel free to link me) I think what you're looking for is an alternative to a ton of "quick-win" tactics. To be honest I'd generally suggest that some of these tactics be used -- but only as a part of your overall strategy. There's a world of difference in results between using paid search as an advertising channel and quickly rolling up some PPC campaigns.
But to avoid most "quick win" strategies, I'd really think about focusing on your brand. There's two questions I'd ask yourself:
• Is your product doing something better or different than the rest of the market?
• Do you have a set of potential customers that care about the aspects of your business you're highlighting?
I'd then take these answers to start figuring out how to get in front of your audience with the message of differentiation. For consumer-facing brands, TV, Radio, Print Ads, and the like can really make an impact. For business-focused brands, event sponsorships, columns, and other kinds of authority-building advertising can be extremely valuable. But the exact channel mix and marketing strategy will flow entirely from your company's clientele and your brand's positioning.
For what it's worth, I'd love to talk with you a bit more about how you can build your strategy for sustainable marketing strategies and get your business the kind of marketing it deserves.
You grow the business by Positioning yourself as the subject matter expert with credibility and authority in your category. First step is to create a problem that only you can solve. Once you know the problem you solve, frame the problem in a way that your market understands and then condition the market to receive you and the problem you solve. Once you condition the market, sell the problem not the solution.
If you have any questions, let's book a call.
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Obviously, they do the fundamentals well. Good brand. Good experience. Good word of mouth. Good PR. Etc. Etc. But after my interview with Ryan Graves, the head of Global Operations at Uber (https://www.growthhacker.tv/ryan-graves), it became clear that they are operationally advanced and this is a huge part of their success. I'll explain. Uber isn't just a single startup, it's essentially dozens of startups rolled into one because every time they enter a new city they have to establish themselves from essentially nothing (except whatever brand equity has reached the city ahead of them). This means finding/training drivers, marketing to consumers, and building out local staff to manage operations for that city. This is where Ryan Graves comes in. He has a protocol of everything that must be done, and in what order, and by who, to ensure the best chance of success in a new city. So how has Uber grown so fast? Essentially, they figured out how to grow in one locale and were relentless about refining their launch process to recreate that initial success over and over in new cities. No plan works for every city, and they've had to adapt in many situations, but it is still a driving factor for their success.BT
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What is a good/average conversion rate % for an e-commerce (marketplace model) for customers who add to cart through to purchase order.
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If I have a business idea for a large company, how can I give it to them and mutually profit, without them just taking the idea and squashing me?
Probably not the answer you're looking for, but companies have so many unimplemented ideas that the likelihood of partnering to implement someone else's idea is really low. And besides which, the idea is not something that has much value in and of itself. If you're passionate in the idea, build it yourself. That's the only way you can have leverage.TW
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I have this social media idea,but no coding skills. How do I get someone to do the coding (cant afford to pay them) and not give away half of my idea?
Dilip was very kind in his response. My answer might be a bit on the "tough love" side. But that's for you to decide. My intention, just for the record, is to help you (and those like you) on your path to success. And that starts with having a viable philosophy about entrepreneurial-ism and business. And I'm going to answer this because I get asked some form / version of this question very frequently from newcomers to entrepreneurial-ism. The scenario goes something like this: "I have a great idea. It's amazing, I love it, and I just KNOW it's gonna make me a ton of money. But I have no money right now so I can't afford to (fill in the blank with things like "to build it / create it / market it / etc" or "to hire the required staff needed to work in my business to sell it / develop it / etc"). And I don't want to tell anyone about my great idea because I'm worried someone will steal it and make MY million / billion dollars. But I can't afford to legally protect it either... So how do I launch without the skills to personally create the product AND no money to hire anyone else to do that either??" The answer is ... You don't. Look - let's be honest. All you have is an idea. Big deal. Really. I'm not saying it's not a good idea. I'm not saying that if properly executed it couldn't make you a million / billion dollars... But an idea is NOT a business. Nor is it an asset. Until you do some (very important) initial work - like creating a business model, doing customer development, creating a MVP, etc - all you really have is a dream. Right now your choices are: 1. Find someone with the skills or the money to develop your idea and sell them on WHY they should invest in you. And yes, this will mean giving up either a portion of the "ownership" or of future income or equity. And the more risk they have to take - the more equity they will want (and quite frankly be entitled to). 2. Learn how to code and build it yourself. MANY entrepreneurs without financial resources are still resourceful. They develop the skills needed to create what they don't have the money to pay someone else to do. 3. Get some cash so you can pay someone to do the coding. You'll probably have to have some knowledge of coding to direct the architecture of your idea. So you will likely still have to become knowledgeable even if its not you personally doing the coding. (This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of options... And I'm sure some of the other experts here on Clarity have others to add - and I hope they do) To wrap up - Here's my final tip to you that I hope you "get"... It's FAR more valuable to have an idea that a very specific hungry crowd is clamoring for right now - One that THEY would love and pay you for right now - Maybe even one they'd pre-order because they just have to have it - Versus YOU being in love with your own idea. [Notice I didn't say "an idea that some as-of-yet-undetermined market would probably love"] I wish you the best of luck moving forward.DB
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