Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 11, 2011

Not because they didn’t want to do Pay-per-click (they are huge buyers of SEM) but because they didn’t want other people to know what they paid for clicks! So when he saw the browser it instantly dawned on him that this would be the greatest customer development tool ever. We had a nice discussion on this topic.

Competition 350

Competition Idealab Product CitySearch 350

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 12, 2014

It’s building a product that is substantially differentiated, and, as Bill Gross, one of the most prolific tech entrepreneurs of our era says, “ It needs to be 10x better than the competition ” (because if you shoot for that then in competitive markets you might achieve 3x. Rebelling is simply a form of snobbery.

Marketing 379

Marketing Startup SEM SEO 379

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

In the same year they won Business Insider’s Startup competition. Ethan had pointed out to me that merchants were being barraged by “deal site” wanting to drive customers in the door but they didn’t have great tools to manage their customers. I was standing with him when he won the TechCrunch 50 award.

CTO Coach 359

CTO Coach Google CTO Hire Yammer 359

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 19, 2015

Almost every online business I know (eCommerce, online software, mobile games) invests heavily in “customer acquisition” This includes investments often not properly measured (SEO, PR, Social) as well as costs that people measure more precisely (advertising, SEM, FB CPA/CPI ads). But you don’t need to spend money on SEM.

SEM 150

SEM Content Platform Acquisition 150

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2015

Social media is now one of the key marketing tools, but not the only one, so the challenge is to manage the resource tradeoffs effectively by constantly assessing payback versus cost. Your plan should include a well-designed web site, events, press releases, and search engine marketing (SEM). Don’t forget the metrics and analytics.

Social Media 108

Social Media Media Startup Tips 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2013

There are multiple low-cost website tools available, like Adobe Dreamweaver, which allow you to do your own work and save thousands of dollars, but a budget of $10,000 is a good starting point. Use social media and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to start. Find partners and channels which are complementary, and not directly competitive.

Marketing 106

Marketing Startup Social Media SEM 106

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 16, 2014

There are multiple low-cost website tools available, like Adobe Dreamweaver, which allow you to do your own work and save thousands of dollars, but a budget of $10,000 is a good starting point. Use social media and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to start. Find partners and channels which are complementary, and not directly competitive.

Marketing 102

Marketing Funding Social Media SEM 102