Browsing Tag

Marketing

22 posts

‘Meta’ branding began- WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Facebook Apps started showing the brand name.

  • WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and other Facebook apps have started showing the company’s new ‘Meta’ branding on both Android and iOS devices.
  • First spotted on recent WhatsApp beta versions for Android and iOS devices last week, the Meta branding has started to appear on the splash screens of the latest versions of WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook apps.
  • In 2019, Facebook started showing its native branding on WhatsApp and Instagram apps.
[Via]
customer satisfaction: 5 Tips To Win (And Satisfy) More Customers!

5 Tips To Win (And Satisfy) More Customers!

Customer satisfaction is one important factor that businesses need to focus on. Here are 5 tips that can help you in satisfying and winning more customers!

1. Improve how you measure customer service:- You can use net promoter score or customer satisfaction score or through tracking business metrics which matters most to you.
2. Speed up response time:- If your customers are having any problem then they will need the solution as soon as possible. Faster the response, more will be the customer satisfaction.
3. Create a customer centric culture:- Make your whole team customer centric. Make each and every department to think about customers first.Customer-centric companies are more profitable and enjoy better work cultures.
4.Get creative on social media:- It’s the best way to connect with your customers, to interact in a better way. It is necessary for brand awareness also.
5.Provide the value:- This is the most important goal, whatever product or service you are providing must be able to add value to your customers which can retain them for long term. Give them a unique reason to stay with you for long.

» NextBigWhat’s #Threadmill brings you curated wisdom from Twitter threads on product, life and growth.

Read more posts on Growth and Marketing here. For podcasts, click here!

ALSO READ:
#StartupResources: How To Make It As A Solo Founder?
#LeadershipDevelopment: What Great Leaders Should Do (And What They Should Not!)
#StartupResources: Tips To Stay Organized And Productive!
Why You Shouldn’t Raise Too Much Capital Before Finding Your Product Market Fit?

80% of readers only scan headlines. This makes headlines a magnet for eyeballs. Here are 13 tips and examples to craft a perfect headline!

13 Tips & Examples To Craft A Perfect Headline!

80% of readers only scan headlines. This makes headlines a magnet for eyeballs. Here are 13 tips and examples to craft a perfect headline đŸ§”
1. Use Numbers or Data Numbers are brain candy. It automatically helps us visualize context and organize info. And pro tip: odd numbers work best. Example: 7 Copywriting Tips to Turn Scanners Into Readers
2. Use A Rationale This means nothing more than giving a good reason for why an action should be completed. That reason should be value-driven, so they’re urged to click. Example: 9 Uncovered Secrets to Boost Your Site’s SEO
3. Rhyme A conducted study showed that “Rhyme as Reason” was rated as more likable, trustworthy, original, memorable, and persuasive. Example: Delightfully Capable. Surprisingly Affordable. (h/t Apple)
4. Use Alliteration Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound in a series of words. It’s poetic like fashion makes it easy to remember. Example: Don’t Dream it. Drive it. (h/t Jaguar)
5. Avoid Sound Smart Adjectives Using sound smart adjectives doesn’t make you sound smart. Consumers can read right through the BS. Bad Example: 7 efficacious copywriting tips. Good example: 7 persuasive copywriting tips.
6. Offer A Test It’s nearly irresistible to pass up a challenge. That makes using offering a test a clickable headline. Example: Does your site pass the SEO test?
7. Drop a Hint When we’re hit with a cliffhanger — we’re intrigued. We naturally want to know the answer. This works for headlines too. Example: This Instagram Ad Secret Dropped Conversation Rates by 20%
8. Share Your Experience People connect with people. Sharing your experience is a great way to connect with your audience and build trust. Example: What I learned about going viral after writing 50 Twitter threads.
9. First 3 Words. And Last 3 Words. Because people are scanners, the first 3 words and the last 3 words are the most important. Start with a punch. And end with one too. Example: (7 Facebook Ads) That I Used (To Increase Sales)
10. Get To The Point Don’t waste any words. Wasted words equal wasted time. Start with a keyword. Then get to the point. Example: Better soles. Stronger feet.
11. Open-Ended Questions Open-Ended questions spark discussion. Perfect for creating an engaged audience. Example: Is it a good idea to invest in Bitcoin?
12. Close-Ended Questions On the other hand, close-ended questions spark curiosity. Example: Did you invest in Bitcoin too late?
13. Problem. Solution. Address the problem. Express the solution. Example: Your sale page doesn’t convert. Here’s how to fix that.
Would this help you? – marketing breakdowns – copywriting tips – how-tos – growth strategies – campaign dissection If so, follow @alexgarcia_atx 🙂 I drink too much coffee and spend too much time on the internet to write valuable marketing threads for yah. I promise.
TL;DR 1. Use Numbers 2. Rationale 3. Rhyme 4. Alliteration 5. Avoid “Sound Smart” Adjectives 6. Offer A Test 7. Drop a hint 8. Share your experience 9. First 3 & last 3 words matter 10. Get to the point 11. Open-ended questions 12. Closed-ended questions 13. Problem. Solution.

» NextBigWhat’s #Threadmill brings you curated wisdom from Twitter threads on product, life and growth.

Read more posts on Growth and Marketing here. For podcasts, click here!

ALSO READ:
#StartupResources: How To Make It As A Solo Founder?
#LeadershipDevelopment: What Great Leaders Should Do (And What They Should Not!)
#StartupResources: Tips To Stay Organized And Productive!
Why You Shouldn’t Raise Too Much Capital Before Finding Your Product Market Fit?

Real Life Case Studies: 6 Websites To Help You Learn Marketing From!

Real Life Case Studies: 6 Websites To Help You Learn Marketing From!

In between several courses and ebooks that are available online to learn from, here are 6 websites to learn marketing – all via real life case studies.

6 Kickass Websites to Help You Learn Marketing Through Real Life Case Studies đŸ§”đŸ‘‡ #MarketingTwitter
Thank you for exploring, do follow these amazing websites and get marketing insights. Follow @FuelerHQ for more amazing threads.

» NextBigWhat’s #Threadmill brings you curated wisdom from Twitter threads on product, life and growth.

Read more posts on Entrepreneurship and Marketing here. For podcasts, click here!

ALSO READ:
#StartupResources: How To Make It As A Solo Founder?
#LeadershipDevelopment: What Great Leaders Should Do (And What They Should Not!)
#StartupResources: Tips To Stay Organized And Productive!
Why You Shouldn’t Raise Too Much Capital Before Finding Your Product Market Fit?

5 Proven Ways To Grab People's Attention With Great Email Subject Lines

5 Proven Ways To Grab People’s Attention With Your Email Subject Lines!

5 proven ways to grab people’s attention with your email subject lines. #Thread When you first met your significant other, what was the attraction? I bet you’re smiling now. Exactly the point I’m about to drive.
Something attracted you to them, right? Now, imagine you scrolling through your mail, and boom! A headline catches your attention, what do you do? You open the email! Yes, that’s the feeling I want you to give your reader.
Let’s get right into it: 1. Introduce a bit of mystery! Why do you think people watch such movies? It’s because they like to have a thrill about what’s going to happen next. Are you getting it now? 🎬
2. Use the “Fear of missing out” tactic. Let me ask you, how do you feel when you receive an email from your favorite online store that sales ends in 30 mins? Yes, that is it! *nods*
3. Leave out words that scream “Hey I’m trying to make a sale” Here’s why; people generally don’t like to receive promotional emails. They like to be educated, to be informed! Don’t you get it? đŸ˜± Write a promotional subject line, and you’ll lose them at Hello! 😞
4. Trigger an emotion! See what I did at the beginning of this thread? Forget hard guy, human beings are emotional people. A study says that over 50% of human beings make decisions based on emotions. You now see why?
5. Include their first name in the subject line. This makes them feel like they’re getting a mail from someone who knows them. An automation should do this for you🙅
Bonus: Avoid lengthy subject lines!🙆 Incase you didn’t know, a good number of people receive their emails on their phones, so there’s a high chance some parts of the subject line will break off. You want to make a good first contact.
Now tell me, do you feel like an email marketing expert with these tips? Drop a comment if they are helpful, I’ll really love to read from you đŸ€ČđŸ„ș

» NextBigWhat’s #Threadmill brings you curated wisdom from Twitter threads on product, life and growth.

What are some of the other great email subject lines that you like? Share with us and we’ll share it with the masses!

Read more posts on Entrepreneurship and Leadership here. For podcasts, click here!

10 Great Customer Engagement Strategies For Your Business

10 Great Customer Engagement Strategies For Your Business

Customer satisfaction is the key to any successful business, and customer engagement strategies help the same. The interaction or ‘engagement’ between the customer and the brand as we label it here is done in multiple ways. It is a process that has developed over time. 

Well planned strategies take customer engagement from reactive to proactive. They must incorporate two major ideas — the first being how your brand interacts with its customers and the quality of such interactions. Mere acquisition of customers is not sufficient, so secondly, it is also significant to actively engage with your base.

Advantages of customer engagement strategies:

When you engage with your customers, it is more than just fulfilling your business agenda. You form a bond with them, a bond that is not restricted to giving and taking of products, but rather more of emotional relation. 

Just like low budget movies with good stories that earn great profits solely on the basis of mouth publicity similarly, word of mouth is equally important for small businesses that cannot invest much in advertising.

It might sound weird and obviously outdated, but “words matter the most”. Even today, word of mouth is of prime importance and assurance in the time of reviews and ratings. The care and tenderness with which you handle your customer relations reflect in the referrals your customer makes to their family and friends. The strategies mentioned below are surely going to assist you in enhancing your customer engagement.

10 customer engagement strategies for your business:

1. Creating custom content 

You have a variety of customers, and their needs, wants, and desires vary. So it is equally important to cater to each one of them. Custom content is the key to it, but what does the term actually mean?

Source

We do talk a lot about content marketing. But what about the customers we already have? This is where the idea of custom content marketing hops in. Custom content is tailored to engage with the ‘existing customers’.

“78% of CMOs think custom content is the future of marketing. And 61% of buying decisions are influenced by custom content.”

Demand Centric

2. Rewarding the customers

No matter how old we grow, the thought of rewards always excites us, be it in any way. Suitably rewarding your customers is a great way to maintain their loyalty towards your business. Weird, but true, customers feel happy when you reward them for spending their money.

Rewarding your customers must top the list of your loyalty programs. In fact, a lot many businesses also hire a team just for designing their loyalty programs. 

It might sound expensive to some of you, but a little expense to retain your customers does no harm.

3. Implement in-product messaging

Apart from email marketing, in-product messaging can also be a great option to communicate with your audience. In-product messages are highly targeted and are influential in helping new customers get acquainted with the product. 

The main aim of using this feature is to enhance customer engagement and motivate them to use your products more.

4. Personalise user experience

Personalisation is the new way of showing that you care for your customers ― that their presence matters and is valued. From Myntra personalising the recommended products we see to Netflix suggesting shows we would like based on our watch history, all the major brands are rolling it off pretty well.

“72% of consumers only engage with marketing messages that are customised to their specific interests. And 80% of those who classify themselves as frequent shoppers say they only shop with brands who personalise their experience.”

SmarterHQ

5. Re-engage

In the world where nothing remains constant, at one moment you might be delighted with the number of customers you have and in the next moment highly shocked with their sudden disappearance. There might come a moment when they cease to use your products. Such customers are labelled as churned customers, and they should top the list of your priority because they have used your product, service or app at some point ― and might need it again.

Source

All you need to do is decode why they stopped using your product or service and make efforts to bring them back. Re-engaging is a great way of dealing with this problem. Establish your connection with lost users via emails and make them realise their importance. Doesn’t everyone love to be treated as ‘special’?

6. Investing in analytics tools

These days customer engagement can be easily evaluated well with analytics tools. The data obtained from these tools can be used to build a dashboard with various pointers, like the features used by a certain group of people or how long aáčŁ user goes on with your app or product before discontinuing.

The data collected helps you in knowing and analysing the performance of your product or service in both ways, good and bad — this further aids in building new strategies.

7. Take help power users

Each brand has a group of highly engaged individuals who intend to become product champions for its company. You should always keep such people very close and very prioritised as their opinions matter the most. Their views regarding your product can either make it a great success or a bad failure. Keep a tap on their demands and requirements.

8. All hands support

All hands support is an innovative way of engaging all your company’s employees ― from developers to product managers to the sales team ― in supporting the customers.

This technique boosts growth in many companies by keeping their entire team in contact with their customers’ needs, wants, desires, and pains.

“Effective all hands support focuses on making life better for your customers. But it can also cause a shift in how you and your team think about and build your company.”

Zapier

9. Invest in digital Channels

With the money you don’t end up spending on events, you can double down on digital channels and/ or invest in some truly engaging digital experiences. Create an integrated experience when reaching out to prospects by adding more targeted ads and social media layers.

Also, consider putting budget into a piece of interactive content. Consider creating interactive top-of-funnel content, case studies, or sales demos where prospects can peruse through information at their own pace whenever they have time. The possibilities are limitless here and generally evergreen, so you have the opportunity to generate an ongoing return.  

10. Collect customer feedback

Feedbacks are a great way of conveying whether the customer likes your product or not. It helps you to view your product from a customer point of view and work on shortcomings, if any. 

Asking for feedback from your customers is a great way of customer engagement. It gives you an insight into what the customers think about your product and helps in developing a customer-centric business.

What are some of your proven strategies for customer engagement? Share with us, and we will share it with the masses!

ALSO READ:
10+ Early Traction Growth Hacking Strategies For Startups!
Subtle Process of Customer Acquisition
Growth Strategy – A Comprehensive Guide!

Here are some of the best investing tools that you can use for free!

Top 10+ Free Investing Tools

Last week, I asked my followers to share their favorite free investing tools I received 200+ responses and dozens of recommendations Here are my top 10 favorite answers:
2/ @QuartrSE This is a GREAT app for listening to investor conference calls for free I love that you can 2x the call speed & skip ahead/rewind easily It’s SO much better than calling in
6/ @KoyfinCharts This is yet another platform that gets plugged A LOT on fintwit, but for a good reason The dashboards are great, customizable, and it’s very useful for building a watchlist It’s a bit intimidating at first, but you get used to it fast
10/ YouTube I wish YouTube existed when I first started Here are some great channels for learning about money/investing: @7investing @AswathDamodaran @ChooseFi @heydave7 @JonahLupton @MicroCapClub Minority Mindset Our Rich Journey @RichardMoglen Rose on Investing

» NextBigWhat’s #Threadmill brings you curated wisdom from Twitter threads on product, life and growth.

What are some of your favourite free investing tools? Share with us and we will share it with the masses!

Read more posts on Investment and Leadership here. For podcasts, click here!

Five Ways To Market Your Business Online

Five Ways To Market Your Business Online

Ways to market your business online. If you are a #smallbusiness owner and thinking of starting online. You should read this thread. #Thread #startup #onlinebusiness #DigitalMarketing
1/5. Invest in #webdev Your website is the center of all your digital marketing efforts, so if your page is not clean, easy to read, and interesting, it won’t matter how much time you put into strategy development – you’re still going to lose customers.
2/5. Use Search Engine Marketing and Optimization Your company website will become associated with the keywords used to find your services with a strong #SEO strategy. This increases your chances of being the company an individual chooses to work with after searching online.
3/5. Affiliate and Associate Programs With an #AffiliateMarketing program, people who believe in your company can share your information and grow your market on a commission-based platform.
4/5. Hold #contests and #Giveaways People love contests and giveaways. Anytime you can encourage promotion from your customers in exchange for a free product or service, you will usually see a surge in purchases or connections.
5/5. Maintain a #Blog Your blog should be used for several reasons, including allowing you to consistently post new keywords and optimize your search engine strategy.

» NextBigWhat’s #Threadmill brings you curated wisdom from Twitter threads on product, life and growth.

What are the other methods you implemented to market your business online? Share with us and we’ll share it with the masses!

Read more posts on Entrepreneurship and Leadership here. For podcasts, click here!

Top 20 Digital Marketing Blogs to Follow in 2021

Top 20 Digital Marketing Blogs to Follow in 2021

Here’s a quick, comprehensive list of top digital marketing blogs that you can consider for this year!

MOZ

Nurtured by Rand Fishkin and Gillian Muessig, Moz has grown up to be the best resort for all our SEO issues. It is a ray of hope for many novices and trained professionals as one can always learn. Moz has launched many SEO tools, of which some of them are accessible to everyone. It has changed the outlook towards not so talked about SEO genre of digital marketing. The founders of Moz came up with the unique idea of Whiteboard Fridays, where their experts teach how to boost SEO strategies. The super informative, easily comprehensible and ready to apply strategies of Moz make it an integral part of all those individuals thriving to garner better SEO’s.

HUBSPOT

HubSpot is one of the famous websites that has never failed to make its place in the top 20 digital marketing blogs list. Founded in the year 2005 by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, this company has soared high on the charts of growth. It acts as a plethora of information for all those interested in marketing, customer service and sales. HubSpot is the one that successfully invented the inbound marketing technique. Its blogs are full of valuable insights for each one interested. People at HubSpot aim to deliver what is not just best for the business but also for the customers. 

NEIL PATEL DIGITAL

Founded by Neil Patel himself, his blogs are of great help to each one. He has received praiseworthy words from the president of the United States, The House of Representatives, and The United Nations for his commendable work. Neil has helped renowned companies like Google and eBay to grow high. But he strongly believes that it is even more satisfying to help small businesses grow. His blogs compile a variety of knowledge that he happens to gather, mostly from his own experiences.  His blogs are the perfect place to learn about email marketing and content marketing.

ECONSULTANCY

Econsultancy is a name long established in the field of digital marketing blogs. the company, which initially started as an online community, but now has grown into a renowned space for digital marketing. Its blogs feature innovative ideas to flourish businesses and aid them in making huge revenues digitally. It has a great team that works at its optimum for the benefit of its customers. 

[Also Read: Growth Strategy – A Comprehensive Guide!]

UNBOUNCE

Unbounce is regarded to be the best landing page platforms for more than 15000 brands. At Unbounce, the business of conversion is highly valued. Conversion intelligence aims at pairing our knowledge with AI. In simple words, it is an amalgamation of our know-how of the business further by the machines. Blogs of Unbounce are in fluid language and mainly target the global youth. 

SOCIAL SAMOSA

Social Samosa, as the name suggests, aims at helping a business expand through the roads of social media. Founded on the Indian soil in the year 2011 by Ankita Gaba and Aditya Gaba, its blogs are one of the most talked about. The blogs of social samosa review and analyze campaigns done by various brands. Their reviews help the new entrepreneurs to learn the dos and don’ts of social media campaigns. It also interviews eminent personalities from the digital world who provide us with the tips and tools of enhancing our digital marketing strategy through social media.

CAMPAIGN

Campaign is another Indian digital marketing blog that has made its place on the so-called ‘top list’. Established in the year 2007, the agenda of Campaign is to act as a powerhouse for the digital marketers. Its blogs act as a one-stop-shop for all the latest trends of digital marketing. Just like Campaign Asia, Campaign India blogs act as an authentic source for all the latest news. 

CONTENT MARKETING INSTITUTE

In today’s time, when digital marketing is getting all the attention, it is very important to create resourceful and beneficial content, not just for the business but for the customers too. This is the exact idea behind the Content Marketing Institute founded by Joe Pulizzi. 

Blogs of CMI are full of insights for marketers. It trains and teaches enterprises how to generate and retain customers through multichannel storytelling. CMI has a storehouse of prominent writers who provide us with tips and analysis each day. Over the period of time, it has become a go-to place for all those eager to know and learn the content marketing business. 

[Also Read: 10+ Early Traction Growth Hacking Strategies For Startups!]

CONVINCE AND CONVERT

Founded by Jay Baer in 2008, Convince And Convert is the best we have in the field of Digital Marketing blogs. You got a doubt regarding your business strategies for digital marketing? You’ve got Convince And Content just a click away to walk you through. Yes, this firm has helped other enterprises to grow to their optimum. This consultancy uses in-depth research to give its users the best strategy according to their needs. This has not just restricted itself to publishing blogs, but it also includes a variety of podcasts and e-magazines.

At Convince And Convert, their blogs are lucid to comprehend, and their strategies can be readily applied in the market.

BACKLINKO

If you know Brian Dean, then there’s no need to mention what they do at Backlinko. Yes, you got that right. Fathered by the globally famous SEO expert, Backlinko emphasizes on helping marketers to grow their business and SEO strategies rapidly. His blogs are brimming with actionable tips, strategies and techniques, which brings to its readers great SEO. Without any second thoughts, Backlinko is the best digital marketing blog globally.

SOCIAL BEAT

Social Beat is one of the topmost digital marketing blogs of India, which is globally well known. Jointly co-founded by Suneil Chawla and Vikas Chawla is one of the fastest-growing digital marketing companies in India. They mainly cater to the digital marketers and CMO’s who want to make a mark in the world of digital marketing. Their blogs are something you can look up to whenever a doubt pops up in your mind concerning your digital strategies. They not just have a variety of strategies but also help you in knowing which one will work best for you. 

SEARCH ENGINE WATCH

As the name hints, Search Engine Watch deals with all things related to search engines, be it SEO or Content. Its blogs act as a comprehensive guide for digital marketers as it deals in detail with SEO trends, Content and PPC marketing. It guides the owner on improving their visibility.

[Also Read: Subtle Process of Customer Acquisition]

MARKETING LAND

Marketing Land blogs is the best platform to know the latest trends and news of the digital marketing industry. They are very thorough with all the aspects of the digital marketing industry, and their blogs bring to us the ideas, knowledge and strategies they possess.  

They have not restricted themselves just to digital marketing, but their blogs also deal with email marketing and many more. 

SEARCH ENGINE JOURNAL

Search Engine Journal deals with the latest news and trends related to SEO, and it also provides valuable advice of the industries’ best’. Apart from being a patent SEO blog, there is much more to it. At SEJ, you get a plateful of information on Content, PPC and social media. It has the latest algorithm updates and makes sure that you use the best practice.

SEMRUSH BLOG

SEMRush is one of the best Search Engine Marketing tools available in the market. It publishes blogs that are of great importance and information. It covers a wide range of topics ranging from digital marketing strategies to how to boost your SEO.

AHREFS

The Ahrefs Blog is yet another blog that deals with tools and techniques for boosting SEO. Their content is useful for both the novices and old players of the digital market. Their blogs come in handy for everyone, and they are mostly in the forms of videos which makes it interesting for the reader turned listener. 

[Also Read: What Stripe Looks For In A Product Manager?]

OCCAM’S RAZOR

Occam’s Razor is a blogging page started by Avinash Kaushik, who is a man of great knowledge and claims. He is the author of two best-selling books Web Analytics2.0 and Web Analytics An Hour A Day. His blogs are full of his experiences and what he has learned in all these years. 

SEVEN FIGURE AGENCY

John Nelson is the face behind one of the fastest-growing global digital marketing blogs. His blogs are useful insights as they come with the first-hand experience. He has seen his own share of failure and very well knows what one should not do. His experiences and short videos that he makes on client case studies have proved to be efficient in helping many.

THINK WITH GOOGLE

Think With Google cannot be labelled as a blog, but the type of content it has is a must-read for all online marketers. This page has all of Google’s latest thinking and tools, which help in knowing the emerging trends. 

DIGITAL VIDYA

As the name suggests, Digital Vidya is one of those few platforms which provides digital marketing courses in India. It is a go-to place for all those who are either planning to start a Facebook page or Instagram handle and garner the attention of people. Its blogs are a step-by-step guide for all digital platforms. Apart from this, it has also done case studies on industries that have helped similar industries to learn and grow.

After the vast analysis of the topmost digital marketing blogs present globally, one can remark that they teach marketing in brand new, unexplored and fresh ways – where people don’t just think restricting their knowledge to themselves, but rather, they share it with the globe and aid them in knowing what to do and what not to do. 

In today’s digitalized era, if you have the determination, zeal and desire to take your business to new heights, there are people eagerly waiting to help you. And the best part is not all of these are paid, so you save a lot while you learn tons!

Product Management | Entrepreneurship | Growth & Marketing

10+ Early Traction Growth Hacking Strategies For Startups

10+ Early Traction Growth Hacking Strategies For Startups!

The rise in digitization and seamless connectivity has seen a boom in business development. A news article by the Telegraph shows that in 2016 there were 80 new businesses alone in the United Kingdom! Given this sharp increase and fascination towards entrepreneurship, another report states that only 25% of a new business lasts for 15 years or more, and 20% of the new business fail within a year! Thus, it is essential to understand business or product growth hacking strategies.

There are various strategies that a company or a business might consider to scale and sustain their product. Growth Hacking strategy is a buzzword that allows a business to scale quickly ― a technique that is accepted by experimentation. The process involves all the crucial components – marketing, design and development, engineering, and, yes, data analytics.

Growth Hacking Strategies

Some elaborate strategies are mentioned, which might help your customer find a quick and cost-effective solution to find new leads and build a solid user base.

Strategies to Develop at Pre-Launch

A study by Gartner states that a company needs a lot of time and effort to build a long-lasting product and sustain future generations.

Considering every aspect, an organization must strategize clearly – what their goal is. Even before you start, your marketing strategy should be solid, and you should let the mass know about the new product.

Pre-Launch Advertisements

Why not let people know that a new product is coming? Increase the Hype? Well, building hype is excellent! For instance, a popular video game Cyberpunk 2077, made so many promotional events before the game’s launching event that it became one of the most-awaited games.

Likewise, as an entrepreneur, you can strategize to let the mass know about your product. Pre-Launch Email List is a good starting point. It allows one to reach a targeted audience and deliver the correct message.

Pre-Launch Offers and Discounts like an additional one-month free subscription! The strategy allows you to build funds for your product – even before the launch, also you know precisely how many people are waiting in line.

Strategies at Product Launch

A company needs its advertisements. Portals like Product Hunt curate the new products in technology and let the user know.

Leveraging Referral Marketing – once your product is launched, and you have some customers, let them bring you more! Sounds great! Yes, this strategy is applied for products like CRED, American Express, and Google-Pay. There are always some self-cost requirements, but it is an effective solution!

Brand Partnerships and Launch Events

A Launch Event is where you get to market your product and understand new players in the same field. Another excellent advantage is that you get to build new connections that might give you potential good leads for your product – a remarkable growth hacking strategy!

Partnership and Collaboration with well-established business are perhaps one of the best strategies. It gives a solid buzz and news coverage!

Social Media and Digital Marketing

Social media plays an important role. A tweet at the correct time can do wonders! A single tweet by Elon Musk let the dogecoin see a 2800% rise in its valuation!

Well, that was lucky! But, advertisement and building hype in the social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter can bring wonders to your products. It is a very cheap and cost-effective way to let the mass know!

The HARO Strategy

Consider Helping A Reporter Out (HARO) as a forum for displaying your skills as one of the best growth hacking tips. It is not a tool for developing your brand; instead, it is a place to read different questions from journalists that may or may not be necessary to your domain.

Yes, it will take a lot of time, but it will be well worth it if done correctly. Consider it a worthwhile venture if you can spare 30 seconds three times a day to read their newsletters.

Market Analytics

Understand various points and strategies that you have applied – and learn which activity is bringing you customers, and which is not – and Why? In short –

  • How do I ensure that a transaction is credited to a user who reads material on our blog and then signs up?
  • Which paid traffic sources are the most effective in terms of ROI?
  • Which landing pages are converting the best for us?
  • Do smartphone apps convert?
  • Is there a group of users that convert well? How can we define that so that we can find more of them?
  • How do I use Analytics to detect errors?

Company Profile and Reputation

Platforms like GlassDoor analyze a company’s work status based on user reviews of past and present employees. Likewise, research for a suitable venue which your competitor uses – advertise and grow your company’s image.

Build some helping guides or tutorials that will let your user know how to use your product seamlessly. Also, it brings you new customers – since by knowing what it can do, and how it can be done – I might consider using it too!

These are some of the cost-effective strategies that can help you reach out to the masses – bring you valuable customers. One must strategize and choose among these channels – a combination of this and a bit of that!

What was your surviving strategy? What did work for your business? Share your learning with us, and we’ll be happy to share it with the masses!!

Product Management | Entrepreneurship | Growth & Marketing

Subtle Process of Customer Acquisition

Subtle Process of Customer Acquisition

What takes a business to grow? Online presence? More sales? Or more profit? Anyway, it all comes down to one factor ― more customers!

By definition, customer acquisition is the process of acquiring new customers or converting potential leads into new customers ― in a way that is measurable, achievable and repeatable. Every business needs customers ― your idea could be utterly awesome, but if it doesn’t serve anyone, it’s practically vague!

Thus, comes customer acquisition. For an organization, be it a small-scale or a vast one, customer acquisition is essential and a significant time-consuming task. A multinational organization might have a dedicated team to handle this process; however, a company with a small team might not be at leverage to spend time. Most of the time, a gap is seen between acquisition and meeting the customers’ needs. 

Let’s talk about how one can fill that gap ― with different methods and correct strategies.

Channels for acquiring new customers

Traditionally, customers were brought in using personal selling and marketing. However, a study shows that more than 50% of people agree that a close relationship is necessary to trust a brand. It brings revenue. Yet, the advancement of digital marketing and e-commerce has a massive impact on this model. Starting from an individual to an MNC, reputation and customer feedback is a must. In fact, authors Gabriel and Justin have suggested that any company must divide their time equally between customer acquisition and product development.

These are some of the popular methods and ‘easy to adapt’ channels that can help you in acquiring new customers.

Viral Marketing

A widely popular technique is viral marketing, where your existing customers and users bring more people. This strategy requires the least amount of time with a minimal investment.

  • Word of Mouth – when a customer uses a product, they tell their friends about it. However, the company has no control over this, and sometimes it might have an adverse reaction.
  • Virality due to usage – when you use a product, your friends start using it too. A classic example is when Facebook was inducted in 2004, only a few people joined. Gradually, people got addicted, and another social media platform, Orkut, gradually became obsolete.
  • Communication and features – some applications like Skype, Slack, Microsoft Teams are preferred in organizations. Looking at their benefits, a user may start using them personally.
  • Rewards and incentive programs – applications like CRED, Google Pay, American Express, have expanded their business hugely by providing referral rewards. After all, who doesn’t like freebies!

This process of marketing has seen much positive feedback; however, it has no control over customers. People might switch to another product, and you may not be in leverage as to know why. Also, many times comments and social media impacts can hugely overturn the business. For example, when WhatsApp introduced its new policies, a lot many people rethought and switched to Signal, making it one of the highest-grossing apps in the play store overnight.

That’s where ORM, aka Oral Reputation Management, and PR, aka Public Relations, comes in!

Public Relation

It is basically reaching out to your customer via newspapers, media, and blogs. When you reach a newspaper or a magazine, you use the monetary resource to let the mass know. Blogs are also a choice, but it needs time. Most of the time, positive feedback is circulated; however, you might have to use significant time and money to meet your customer expectations – since reaching out to the masses does not automatically guarantee that all the people will start using your product.

Social media platforms, like YouTube, are heavily used today for unconventional methods. Brands take support from celebrities and popular individuals to get their business/ product reviewed. That’s where the term Influencer Marketing comes into play!

For example, YouTube channels like The Linus Tech Tips, Technical Guruji, etc., are viral channels where they review gadgets like smartphones. Based on the channels’ fan-following, you get customers without spending much time.

Search Engine and Social Media Advertisements

Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo are well known and widely used. All of them provide an advertisement option where you pay to show your product at the top of the search page. Similarly, social media like YouTube, Facebook also have premium services where your products are displayed in-between videos or in the banner to the masses. Social media advertisement has seen a market growth of more than 40% in the last few years (Hoelzel 2004); obviously, the business has gained!

This has also given a boost to the Performance Marketing career. Brands pay huge amounts to experts just to maintain their ROAS!

Content Marketing and Search Engine Optimization

There was a time when Search Engine Optimization had outcasted everything ― and it still does, however, content rules!

And as I’m writing this, there will be another viral content ― in the form of photos, video or blog ― making users gaga.

Offline Advertisements

Hoardings, banners are not dead! They are pretty much used widely and are an efficient way of bringing customers if appropriately used. Again it’s all about what kind of content you are putting on it ― great content attracts customers and grabs attention! 

Business Development and Sales

For serial entrepreneurs, nothing beats if you have a proven record! If your previous product were widely accepted, likely your new product will be too. Similarly, if your product has a good reputation in sales, it will generate qualified and close leads.

For businesses who are new in this space, if you try this channel, bear in mind that you should still be on the lookout for areas of your pipeline that are slowing down the sales process. Are there any inefficiencies or items that prospective buyers might get hung up on that you can smooth out and make the purchase decision as simple as possible? The fact that you are contacting people explicitly does not preclude you from maximizing your pipeline as well.

The bottom line

Given all the above points and channels of customer acquisition – now is the crucial time to decide which is the best one and choose your medium. The below points should clarify some doubts.

  • If your product is similar to some other service in the market – use the same channel to let people know. Your competitor should have done their study, and you should minimize research and work. Precisely, understand where your competitor lacks and use it to your advantage.
  • Budget is crucial; some channels cost you more! Goals are the third most priority. Do you gain by reaching out to mass? Can you handle your product if your customer increases exponentially?
  • A strategy is to choose three channels and study their reach, effect, and customer growth. 

What did work for your business? Share your learning with us, and we’ll be happy to share it with the masses!!

Product Management | Entrepreneurship | Growth & Marketing

Segmentation enables focus and helps you focus those resources on the right areas of the business. Read to know why segmentation is important and what does it help you achieve!

Segmentation: Why is it Important & What Does it Help You Achieve?

I get a lot of questions about Go to Market #segmentation. Why is it important, how do you segment, and what does segmentation help you achieve? Here’s how we approach it at @HubSpot. đŸ§”:
The short answer: Segmentation enables focus. You have limited resources and limited time, and segmentation helps you focus those resources on the right areas of the business.
The long answer: Segmentation is the foundation of being #CustomerFirst. By focusing on specific behaviors and patterns within segments, you create competitive advantages and can deliver great end-to-end customer experience.
There are a *lot* of ways to segment and this can look different at every business. I’d love to hear how you segment. Next week I’ll share some thoughts on how you can bring it all together and tailor your GTM based on segment insights.
» NextBigWhat’s #Threadmill brings you curated wisdom from Twitter threads on product, life and growth.
Smartphones unleashed 3 distinct attention wars. Social media can only *effectively* compete in 1. This post will tell you how!

The “Three Attention Wars” Of Social Media!

If each war is winner-take-all and has one clearly superior format, then we’d expect the winner in each war to offer a feed that is 100% the best of that format.
🙉 When Instagram launched and started delivering high-quality full-bleed pictures (incl. from many pro photographers!), FB’s legacy text-centric mixed-media feed was like a knife in a gun fight. IG quickly became the most engaging place on our phones. Until the 2nd war began.
đŸ” In the no-constraints heavyweight division, we’d expect the winning app to be 100% video and *really* take advantage of sound to further outgun any mixed-media competitor that can’t assume your sound is on. TikTok executed perfectly. You can’t even use it without sound-on.
TikTok doesn’t even pretend to be “social” media — while IG/FB force you to jump through hoops like making an account and adding friends, the For You Page is a straight dopamine IV-drip into your eyes and ears; the maximally engaging entertainment machine.
🙈 It’s kind of surprising how long podcasts and music shared a weird duopoly on the third battleground? Clubhouse is quickly building a supply of quality audio creators and becoming the most engaging option when you can only listen but not look.
Clubhouse’s huge advantage over Twitter of course is that it’s 100% audio, and can fully optimize for one war (like TikTok) instead of foolishly trying to fight two wars at once. A futile strategy!
Twitter has always been in the purely visual arena (in the attention wars, text+photos are closer than photos+videos). They could carve out a modest (compared to IG) niche simply because text as a format selected for a very different type of successful creator.
This is why Fleets are so weird. I chose my Twitter graph based on the quality of their thoughts, not the quality of their sunset pics (no offense). There are so many ways Twitter could make better use of that real estate. On that note:
Spaces could work if it turns out that (a) there’s a lot of overlap between the best text & best audio creators (likely) and (b) they nail push notifs that bypass the feed entirely. Listen-only is our default resting mode so push is especially powerful in this war.
At risk of playing armchair PM, if I were Twitter I’d turn the Fleets bar into the truly live (i.e. audio) layer of the “pulse of the planet” that their text feed always strived for, and definitely extend visibility beyond followers-only (bring a gun to a gun fight!).
Now that Twitter is shipping stuff, it could be an interesting battle. TikTok is leagues ahead in the heavyweight division but the other two arenas will be fun to watch.
Thank you for coming to my “Three Attention Wars” TED talk — I know you have many options for where to direct your eyeballs and hope these humble tweets were an okay use of your attention 😄
» NextBigWhat’s #Threadmill brings you curated wisdom from Twitter threads on product, life and growth.

13 easy tactics to a successful mobile marketing campaign

The world moves on mobile, and if you are looking to promote your business, this is where you should move too.
 
Wendy Clark, Senior VP, Integrated Marketing, Coca-Cola Companies had once said – 

“If your plans don’t include mobile, your plans are finished.”                          

Take a look at how mobile our world has become –
According to a survey

  • 93% of people use their mobile phones for shopping
  • 90% of all consumers check their phone within an hour of waking up
  • Text or IM is the first thing consumers access on their phone

By the end of 2018, over 36% of the world’s population has been projected to use a smartphone. But guess what, your audience isn’t limited to them.
All mobile devices available in the market are SMS –enabled, making text marketing the only mobile channel that offers the widest reach with the well-known actuality of 98% SMS open-rate, with 83% opened within 3 minutes.  A low-cost, high-return marketing system, Short Message Service is one of the best methods to reach your audience and beyond.
Diamond jewellery retailer Orra CEO Vijay Jain says, “SMS is the most direct form of marketing and people tend to respond faster to it than any other mobile communication. Even if people mute other notifications, such as those from a messenger service or email, they usually leave the SMS alert on.” 
Below are some of the easiest tactics that can lead to a successful promotional SMS campaign.

1. Segment To Target

What’s your first instinct when you see a promotional SMS? Is it really for me?

The right message to the right customer is the key here. You don’t want your audience to complain about too many marketing messages; instead, you want them to act on it.
Segmenting your audience and targeting them simply means your customers get the message that is relevant to them.

2. Learn to KISS (Keep It Short Simple)

Your SMS is limited to 160 characters; make sure you keep it short and simple. Express yourself clearly and avoid using open-ended messages because they can confuse the customer.
30% off on your next order. Click here
OR
30% off on your next order. Expires 10 PM tonight, click here.
Both the examples follow the KISS strategy instructing the customer what to do, but the first one is an open-ended message that invites the client for the offer but doesn’t create a sense of urgency as the information is incomplete.

3. Timing Is Everything

  • Send at the right time
  • Create a sense of urgency

The Formula One British Grand Prix used SMS marketing to generate interest in tickets for their upcoming event timed to go out the moment BBC finished airing its coverage of the Monaco Grand Prix.
‘Enjoyed the Monaco Grand Prix? Get your tickets to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone now! http://bit.ly/12wYgh1 To opt out text STOP to 60070’.

4. Espouse Opt-In Across All Platform

Encourage your customers to opt-in and the best way to do this is to give them an opening at any and all possible contact points including your

  • Website
  • Social Media Platforms
  • Newsletter
  • Point-of-sale

5. Follow-Ups

Obviously, you might want to come across only when you have relevant information, but going weeks or months without any communication is bad. Out of sight is out of mind and successful organizations know it and leverage the power of SMS communication by regularly staying connected to their customers.

6. Call-To-Action

You want your customers to get engaged with your organization and for that, you have to send them texts that hold value for them. Clear call-to-actions carries a strong chance of your audience interacting with you.

  • Buy Now
  • Click Here
  • Text-To-Win
  • Offer Expires


Call-to-action buttons make it easier for customers to act on the SMS.
The live trivia game GetLocoNow.com uses SMS alerts with call-to-action bringing people together to participate in the quiz at a particular time.

7. Use The Power Of Immediacy

Leverage the power of immediacy by including some sort of expiration date or time constraint. It would encourage the customer to act fast on the SMS producing great results.
Take a look at how the takeaway pizza chain Domino’s smartly used SMS marketing in one of their campaigns that targeted the right time slot being mindful of the location.
“Domino’s Mumbai. All this week Buy One Get One Free Online Online. Use Code (code) @dominos.co.uk Exp 13/03 T&Cs Apply OptOut STOP to (number).”
They sent out the following message at 4.15pm to customers of one store at just the right time when people think of what they want to eat for an evening meal and the response was terrific.

8. Personalize The Text

Customers respond more positively when the message is directly addressed to them to personalize the SMS by inserting the customer’s name or preferences for a more successful campaign.
The extended warranty provider OnsiteGo sends repair/replacement SMS notifications based on user interest.

The length of an SMS is 160 characters and to fit in that you can use link shorteners like mCampaign URL shortener, Google link, bitly.
It is beneficial because:

  • Firstly, the customer can access the web page directly through the SMS.
  • Secondly, it saves you space.

Paisabazaar uses SMS updates to boost their customer confidence by keeping them updated at each step of the process. Here’s a screenshot of one of their SMSs –
Dear Customer, Thank You for applying for Personal Loan to CASHe through Paisabazaar. Please use the http://hyperurl.co/dfocni, download the app to complete the application.

10. No Spamming

Nobody likes to get SPAM. Get over it.

11. Analyze Your Previous Campaigns

The only way to know how your SMS campaign is faring is by measuring it. Analyze the data and use it to set further campaign strategies.
Use Audience Demographics to learn the best time to contact or measure cross channel-engagement or the opt-in /opt-out rate and more.

12. Keep Things Interesting

Always ensure you are updating your messages and not repeating messages. changing your message to offer variety helps in keeping things interesting.

13. Keep An Eye On Your Database

Mobile phone numbers get changed often, so it’s all the more important to know that your SMS is being sent to the right people.

The Bottom Line

SMS is affordable and offers a great ROI provided you get the SMS marketing campaign right. More than finding a balance between the timing and the content, it is about offering relevant information to your customers. I highly recommend SMS marketing campaigns to fellow startups and SMEs who are low on budget and struggle to get their messages heard.
Hopefully, after this article, you are now ready to leverage this powerful channel.  

Entrepreneurial Lessons From Your ‘PanditJi’


The topic may sound very abstruse, but then this is how we (humans) perceive things at first go. Many young age entrepreneurs are often ardent about learning key entrepreneurial skills. In their odyssey, they try extracting lessons from almost everything, which inspires them. From books to successful individuals, they dive deep into every probable source of entrepreneurial ‘Gyan’.
In my quest to find another ‘true’ source of inspiration,  one fine day I encountered my family ‘PanditJi’. After greeting him, I quickly indulged him into a conversation before my parents get a hand on him. My curiosity led interaction with him gave me a ‘handful’ of lessons on an entrepreneurial journey as a ‘prasad’. Below are the extracts from my interaction:-
It’s pure ‘Busy-Ness’ – Yes, that is how he defined it. He isn’t the first age entrepreneur, he is just leading his family’s tradition. His business requires a sheer expertise into ‘Time Management’. Appointments are given and managed with precision. One home after another, worshiping and paying tribute to god & goddesses never ends.
You go and meet your clients (Yajman in Sanskrit) and explore opportunities in any of the possible associations. And yes the appointment entirely depends on the astronomical calculations; they often (very often) have the alternative dates in place. I asked, ‘What if you still miss onto ‘timings’? He replied “Bhagwaansamajhletehain”.
Lesson: Time Management
Old (in) School– He has been on and off adding academic degrees in Astrology, Sanskrit and others to his qualification. I asked him, “Why is it still important for you to study? He responded, “Padhaai se jo gyaan milta hai us se log impress hote hain” (The knowledge I get through study impresses people).
His degrees are not just the value additions, but it also helps him generating more business. From being a simple ‘Pandit’, he now gives tuitions to kids who are willing to learn ‘Sanskrit’. He also has pupils, who are keen to learn more about the Hindu Mythology and Astrology.
Lesson: Learning Never Ends
Gone Digital – Since my childhood days, I have seen him carrying a lot of books (ancient) in decrepit condition. The condition of the books only worsened with time. But guess what? He has now gone digital! Yes, he now carries a tablet, which has been gifted to him by one of his clients (yajman).
The tablet contains all the necessary chapters, slokas, mantras, stories, etc. in audio or video formats. Usually, he used to sing ‘Aarti’ in his grating voice. But this time, I was amused to see him playing the ‘Aarti’ on his tablet. He also told me about him being listed on a couple of online portals that provide him leads for more clients.
While everyone was so pleased with the pooja, I kept on thinking about the change technology can bring to anyone’s life. But you have got to play with it first!
Lesson: Adopt Technology And Acquire Marketing Skills
The Team Game- I almost fell unconscious when I heard this from him. Yes, he has a team now. With an increase in the flow of business opportunities, he saw many of them slipping from his hands because he was a lone warrior.
What he did to tackle this situation was inspirational. He became an employer! He brought a few amateur pandits from his small village in U.P. and brushed their skills through training. He now sends his teammates to lesser valuable or new clients. By this, he ensures maximum business generation. This has also given his business model a nip in the form of ‘exclusivity’.
He has now become ‘Guru Ji’ who attends occasions, which are more auspicious and has more revenue generation opportunities.
Lesson: Build a team. Believe in it. & Grow.
Net (WORK) ing- Although he has built a team now, but he got stuck to his roots. He gives all necessary personalized attention to his clientele. He personally meets his clients on a regular basis. His team provides him ‘feedback’ from the new clients and he focuses on those who can become a ‘follower’.
Amid of his busy schedule, he precisely pays attention upon ‘client retention’ while maintaining a good rate of new business acquisition. He further affirmed,

“ Poorane yajman hi logon ko refer karte hain unhe main mana nai karta”. (Older clients give more referential business and thus, I don’t say no to them).

While being on a growth track, he realized the importance of ‘Word of Mouth’ marketing and counts heavily on it.
Lesson: Networking is important, but don’t lose focus from getting positive ‘Word of Mouth’.
Atul Pratap Singh
Co-Founder & Director
V Spark Communications
India’s leading Reputation Management Company for Brands & Individuals