Read on Twitter
I've been obsessed with the aspect of growth marketing and user acquisition lately.
Like that's what I do first thing in the morning, to read stuff from at least +30 newsletters related to those matters.
Here are some lessons that I've learned.
Thread
Like that's what I do first thing in the morning, to read stuff from at least +30 newsletters related to those matters.
Here are some lessons that I've learned.
Thread
Every human has ideas, countless of them. Making one(s) into a reality is where the dream is at.
What could we do to bootstrap a successful startup (SaaS mainly)? We'll look into that here.
This thread doesn't have an end, as long as I'm still learning.
What could we do to bootstrap a successful startup (SaaS mainly)? We'll look into that here.
This thread doesn't have an end, as long as I'm still learning.
1. Do your #research
- What is your raison d'etre? Why do you exist?
- Who needs your product or service?
- Where are these people at? How are they like?
- How will you change their life?
- Who are your competitors? What are they good or bad at?
- What is your raison d'etre? Why do you exist?
- Who needs your product or service?
- Where are these people at? How are they like?
- How will you change their life?
- Who are your competitors? What are they good or bad at?
What is your raison d'etre? Why do you exist?
- The grand vision for your startup
- The angler to keep you focused
- The first statement of your brand
- In the long run, it's what get people to buy in and stay
- The grand vision for your startup
- The angler to keep you focused
- The first statement of your brand
- In the long run, it's what get people to buy in and stay
Who needs your product or service? Where are these people at? How are they like?
- Validate if there is an actual need for what you do
- Identify your target market and its size
- Understand your target audience. You can't talk to them if you don't understand them.
- Validate if there is an actual need for what you do
- Identify your target market and its size
- Understand your target audience. You can't talk to them if you don't understand them.
Who needs your product or service? Where are these people at? How are they like?
- Preferably in terms of Psychographics (attitudes, believes, behaviors...) -> http://bit.ly/2QC8L7Q
- Know where your target audience hangs out -> channels to reach your potential users.
- Preferably in terms of Psychographics (attitudes, believes, behaviors...) -> http://bit.ly/2QC8L7Q
- Know where your target audience hangs out -> channels to reach your potential users.
Who are your competitors? What are they good/bad at?
List your top 5 competitors and find out:
- what they are good at, learn, and (maybe) don't try to compete
- what they are still bad at, addressing and solving what they are bad at -> that's the focus of your startup
List your top 5 competitors and find out:
- what they are good at, learn, and (maybe) don't try to compete
- what they are still bad at, addressing and solving what they are bad at -> that's the focus of your startup
How will you change your customer's their life? -> Your unique mechanism
- Have a clear message about not what you offer, but how you can improve their life with what you offer
- It's always more appealing if it's about them, not you
- Have a clear message about not what you offer, but how you can improve their life with what you offer
- It's always more appealing if it's about them, not you
2. Serve services first
No SaaS is ever 100% software. There are always humans involved, just at different levels. It's easier said than done, but sell, as a human being, what your future product offers first if you can.
No SaaS is ever 100% software. There are always humans involved, just at different levels. It's easier said than done, but sell, as a human being, what your future product offers first if you can.
2. Serve services first
- Further validate your idea and audience
- Get customers even before launching your product
- Generate money to bootstrap
- Get insights from the audience on how to build a product they'd actually want to use
- Further validate your idea and audience
- Get customers even before launching your product
- Generate money to bootstrap
- Get insights from the audience on how to build a product they'd actually want to use
2. Serve services first
@lemlist's co-founder / CEO @GuillaumeMbh spent almost a year offering his cold outreach expertise, helping him:
- verify the actual need for a SaaS like lemlist
- become insightful about his target audience
- had initial/potential customers for launch
@lemlist's co-founder / CEO @GuillaumeMbh spent almost a year offering his cold outreach expertise, helping him:
- verify the actual need for a SaaS like lemlist
- become insightful about his target audience
- had initial/potential customers for launch
3. Design matters.
Design isn't just about how it looks, it's how it works.
- Understand that product/service design is actually your first step of creating. It's where you decide what to build and how to build them
Design isn't just about how it looks, it's how it works.
- Understand that product/service design is actually your first step of creating. It's where you decide what to build and how to build them
3. Design matters.
As they always say, "cheap design is expensive".
The cost of messing up the design phase is beyond tolerable; losing trust, no customers signing up, customers leaving, re-development... that's just to name a few.
As they always say, "cheap design is expensive".
The cost of messing up the design phase is beyond tolerable; losing trust, no customers signing up, customers leaving, re-development... that's just to name a few.
4. Landing page
- You have 10 secs to make a great first impression
- Be solid about either: what you do, the value you bring, how different you are
- Again, say it in a way that it's about them, not you
- Always have a clear CTA
- Use testimonials and reviews to build trust
- You have 10 secs to make a great first impression
- Be solid about either: what you do, the value you bring, how different you are
- Again, say it in a way that it's about them, not you
- Always have a clear CTA
- Use testimonials and reviews to build trust
4. Landing page
- Not too many words, people get bored easily
- Use images, illustrations to create a mood and tell your story
- Use testimonials and reviews to build trust
- Use templates and customize them. No need to start from scratch. There's nothing new under the sun
- Not too many words, people get bored easily
- Use images, illustrations to create a mood and tell your story
- Use testimonials and reviews to build trust
- Use templates and customize them. No need to start from scratch. There's nothing new under the sun
4. Landing page
An example of SaaS getting their homepage right: @UseProof
- Tagline ensures what proof helps its customers achieve
- Include numbers for credibility
- CTA "Try to free" is in the center of attention
- Real, relatable human photo (and she's smiling, ofc
An example of SaaS getting their homepage right: @UseProof
- Tagline ensures what proof helps its customers achieve
- Include numbers for credibility
- CTA "Try to free" is in the center of attention
- Real, relatable human photo (and she's smiling, ofc
4. Landing page
What to do if it's a mostly informational page:
- Go with low-code or no-code services
- That saves you time and effort on development
- There's usually a library of templates to help you kickstart
- Great guides, instructions, and support, too
What to do if it's a mostly informational page:
- Go with low-code or no-code services
- That saves you time and effort on development
- There's usually a library of templates to help you kickstart
- Great guides, instructions, and support, too
5. Product
Build the right thing, build it right
- Build when there's a real demand, when your customers suffer without it.
- Set priorities. Things that your customers need the most, things that take less effort to build, things that bring more return... should be built first
Build the right thing, build it right
- Build when there's a real demand, when your customers suffer without it.
- Set priorities. Things that your customers need the most, things that take less effort to build, things that bring more return... should be built first
5. Product
- Roll out features after features, and make announcements (maybe publish a changelog).
- That way your customers know that you are listening and improving.
- Roll out features after features, and make announcements (maybe publish a changelog).
- That way your customers know that you are listening and improving.
5. Product
Ghost is great with their changelog -> http://bit.ly/32V347w
It's:
- Short, good for skimming. Customers can't ignore them.
- No tech-jargons or big words
- Visualized: images/gifs to demonstrate stuff
- Helpful: Links to related updates or in-depth instructions
Ghost is great with their changelog -> http://bit.ly/32V347w
It's:
- Short, good for skimming. Customers can't ignore them.
- No tech-jargons or big words
- Visualized: images/gifs to demonstrate stuff
- Helpful: Links to related updates or in-depth instructions
5. Product
@hellonexthq shared an article regarding when to build what for your product precisely. https://bit.ly/3u21egZ
@hellonexthq shared an article regarding when to build what for your product precisely. https://bit.ly/3u21egZ
6. Pricing strategy
- Most popular: tiering pricing
- Most SaaS have 3.5 tiers
- The formula goes something like: ~2x the value, at only ~1.5 the fee
- Customers can choice a tier that fits their needs and budgets
- Appeal to more types of customers
- A route to upsell
- Most popular: tiering pricing
- Most SaaS have 3.5 tiers
- The formula goes something like: ~2x the value, at only ~1.5 the fee
- Customers can choice a tier that fits their needs and budgets
- Appeal to more types of customers
- A route to upsell
7. Pricing strategy
@CobloomHQ already covers everything we need to know about pricing strategies
You can read in detail here: https://www.cobloom.com/blog/saas-pricing-models#
@CobloomHQ already covers everything we need to know about pricing strategies
You can read in detail here: https://www.cobloom.com/blog/saas-pricing-models#
7. A brand with a voice
- It's how you communicate with your audience
- Usually overlooked, but definitely important to define early on
- Have a consistent voice across all platforms, then your audience will start to recognize you (just like how humans interact with humans)
- It's how you communicate with your audience
- Usually overlooked, but definitely important to define early on
- Have a consistent voice across all platforms, then your audience will start to recognize you (just like how humans interact with humans)
8. A brand with a face
- Like a human face, literally. It's good when you're aiming for personalization.
- A logo or an illustration makes people think they're interacting with a brand.
- A human face makes it all the more personal, like a 1-1 interaction.
- Like a human face, literally. It's good when you're aiming for personalization.
- A logo or an illustration makes people think they're interacting with a brand.
- A human face makes it all the more personal, like a 1-1 interaction.
