Doing marketing as an entrepreneur: What I'm doing + Asking for feedback

[brasyliam]

Hi /r/growthhacking!

Jumping right in: I'm a software developer diving into marketing for the first time. Beyond just selling, I want to get good at gathering user feedback - things like beta testers and testimonials. I'm learning as I go.

A bit about me: I'm building software products in public on Twitter. My latest project is an AI that improves landing pages (relevant for context).

Here's my game plan for launching this new product:

• Product Hunt Launch Day: Setting a specific day for this.
• Twitter Strategy:
  • Daily tweets for 7 days leading up to the launch, mixing valuable content with product links.
  • Discussing my marketing approach.
  • Sharing tips on creating effective landing pages.
  • Highlighting the problems my AI solves and practical use cases.
  • Giving a behind-the-scenes look at building the app.
  • Engaging actively with the community.
  • Reaching out via cold DMs.
• Reddit Efforts:
  • Seeking beta testers in exchange for free credits.
  • Soliciting feedback.
  • Finding threads where people seek website reviews and offering my service (maybe for free?)
  • Maybe sharing the story behind my app.
• TikTok Moves:
  • More cold DMs.
  • Posting a promo video.
• Pre-Launch Preparations: Creating a teaser for the Product Hunt launch.
• Posting on Hacker News.
• Directory Submissions:
  • Submitting to app and startup directories (I've manually curated a list of around a hundred, prioritized by traffic and ease of posting).
• Other Channels:
  • Maybe contacting AI newsletter editors?
  • Exploring Facebook strategies?
  • Potentially writing an article for Indie Hackers?
• D-Day: The Product Hunt Launch.

Honestly, I'm sort of shooting in the dark here. Any advice or specific suggestions you have would be awesome. Thanks!

 

[wisprof]

@brasyliam

My latest project is an AI that improves landing pages

How so? Analyzing copy, design, data?

If you have data to back up it works, I'd lead with that. Make some case studies, do some cold out reach, and offer it free. They only pay if they see improvements on their end. If they do, ask for a testimonial. Once you have a few under your belt, this would be an easy sell.

 

[brasyliam]

@wisprof I see. I hadn't considered case studies, but they definitely seem like a good way to go. I've never conducted one though, so I'll have to experiment a bit. I also received feedback to include a "demo" report, which I think could also serve somewhat the same purpose, but not as well.

> How so? Analyzing copy, design, data?

The analysis is divided in 6 categories:

• Design and Aesthetics
• User Experience (UX)
• Originality and Creativity
• Content Quality and Copywriting
• Conversion
• Mobile

So, a bit of everything, but always based on the visuals (it uses a screenshot as a reference), so no data analysis or other methods for now.

Thanks for the idea! Will definitely give it a thought!

 

[wisprof]

@brasyliam I see "roast my landing page" posts frequently on r/saas. You could give some value along with some free promo demoing it on those posts. Could maybe get you a few early sign ups.

 

[brasyliam]

@wisprof That's what I hope!

Thanks again for the comments!

 

[ms4runr2]

@brasyliam Identify your ideal customer first. Then, narrow your marketing efforts to that avatar. Otherwise, you are scattering your efforts and money on getting page views from anyone regardless of their true needs for what you are offering.

 

[brasyliam]

@ms4runr2 Thanks! Seems like something very basic I should know

Better late than never!

 

[nusue]

@brasyliam This is the most important step for any startup.

If you do the research to truly know your target market AND actually talk to individuals in your target market to answer these three questions:

1. Is there a market that can be identified and is accessible that. when asked directly, says yes, I have a need for your product or service?

2. Are those that have the need willing to pay for your product or service?

3. Will they pay a price that has sufficient profit in order to sustain the business?

If you can't answer 'Yes' to all three of these questions, then you should hit pause and figure out if you can make adjustments or pivot to a situation where you can get a positive response to all three.

Without this level of validation, your startup is likely to fail.

Good luck out there.

BTW: I have a full market research masterclass available for free if you're interested.

 

[brasyliam]

@nusue Thanks for the class! I will definitely be making use of this knowledge in future projects!