Startups

Feb 25 2011

Groupin Taking Pakistan By Storm

Part Group Buying Site, Part Dare to Get Sued By Patent and Trademark Holders…

Yes, my Pakistani Friends, you, too, can enjoy the Creamy Goodness that is Group Buying!

Groupin.pk.

According to the site, “75,931 people have shown interest in getting a better deals in Pakistan.”

Here’s a screenshot.

Hey, I’m all about eCommerce: that’s the American Way.

But I do have to wonder if these folks will have a couple issues…for instance:

1. Similar Name. If Facebook can sue anything with “Face” or “book” in the title, what’s stopping “Groupon” from going after “Groupin?”

2. Patents. Groupon owns a few. Tippr owns a few. How defensible are those patents?

3. US-Pakistan Relations. Don’t know how icy those currently are, but imagine if Groupon, from the USA, were to politely ask these guys (or gals, not sure, they do look multi-gender in the picture from the web) to “stop it.”

4. User experience. Oh, that might be the biggest one. We’ll be watching to see (1) if the 75,931 people number grows overnight (it doesn’t LOOK like a counter) and (2) we ever do get our confirmation email.

I can’t wait; here’s to planning my trip to Karachi!

Oh, and we STILL think Gilt will beat Groupon. Here’s our post from last month on that subject:

https://area224.wpengine.com/why-gilt-will-beat-groupon/

Jan 07 2011

Marketing, Meet Sales; Marketing and Sales, Meet Web Analytics

We work with a good number of small businesses here at Area 224 HQ. Think “Small” Equals “No Silos?”

These are Silos.

Sometimes, even the smallest of businesses have a silo mentality.

Marketing may be a loosey-goosey term. If so, Sales may “own” Marketing – bringing with them their own ideas about what it means to “market” your company’s products or services.

Unless you’re in a financial services or legal position where having a silo mentality (in the form of a regulatory “Chinese Wall”) is required, you’ve got to get away from the “I, me, my, mine” mentality.

HOW?

Well, for starters, think about how you’re using your company’s web data. We’re not talking Social Media (YET), we’re talking about the baby steps.

You DO have a web site, right? Okay, good, bad or otherwise, you’re getting analytics.

If you’re getting those analytics – whether or not you are Marketing or Sales or Operations or anyone else – you have an opportunity to learn something.

If you’re not getting those analytics, stop reading now and find out who owns them. Then get them.

Next, you want to focus on some key things. For instance:

Who? You may not be in the business of capturing emails – and the jury’s still out on whether it’s about list building or providing information that keeps you top of mind with limited fuss. (I favor the latter for Area 224, but the former has worked in the past with other businesses.) If you don’t capture emails, you can still figure out who by glancing at your analytics. Sites that are referring visitors is one way to start – specific tabs on your site where people begin their journey, or “landing pages” may give you a clue as to where people are coming from.
How Long? Back in our U Sphere days, we knew we were on to something when we had visitors spending an average of 7 minutes per visit on the site. If you’re anywhere close to that number, you probably have the content that captures people. Good on ya, mate. If not – a focus on the right sorts of content is a good idea.
What Does It Cost? Acquisition cost is a great metric to have at your disposal. And it doesn’t have to be that tough to get – value your time, figure out how much of it you’re spending doing web stuff, see how much you are spending on keyword advertising — and decide on what “acquisition” means to you. Is it a bona fide customer? An email address? A registrant?

At U Sphere, when we started, it was costing us $20 per user — all in, 20 bucks to acquire a college-bound student as a registrant wasn’t bad.

But we got better at it — lowered that acquisition cost to $3.50 a year later.

How did we do it? Well, Sales talked to Marketing, and Marketing talked to Sales — and they both were best friends with the Web Analytics Guy.

We were too small for silos, too. How bout you?

Jan 03 2011

Revolutions vs. Resolutions

Here’s the question: are you going to do something “Revolutionary” in the New Year?

First Work Day of 2011. Lists, Best Of, How Tos. Maybe there’s a self-help book or three waiting for you. Maybe you’ve downloaded some e-books and you can’t wait to get started.

Or Maybe You Shouldn’t Get Started On The Same Old Stuff.

I’ve never been one for New Year’s Resolutions. They always seem too big, and aren’t broken down into small enough chunks for me.

Instead, it’s the small simple goals that work best for me – and may work for your company, too, as you figure out exactly how to market your “stuff.”

As long as these goals add up to something “revolutionary” – then you’re headed in the right direction.

Let us give you a for-instance…

The “revolutionary” idea for Dave from Area 224 was, simply, build a startup. The small goals leading up to that date were attainable in chunks – but would have been too too much to accomplish all in one big bite. Incorporate. Build the website. Find partners. Build brand.

In fact, the revolution was built over a few months, as opposed to overnight.

But, when a big change came – downsizing, in this case – the backup plan was already in motion.

Revolutionary ideas, sure. Small chunks, well-planned, got the idea off the ground.

The New Year’s Resolution, then, shouldn’t (in our opinion) be “Lose Weight.” “Quit smoking.” Or “Build the Startup.”

Those can be the New Year’s Revolution – just break them down into smaller, more attainable chunks.

“Eat Smaller Portions.”

“Chew Carrot Sticks.”

“Set Up the Website.”

Go. Be Revolutionary.

Nov 19 2010

Static Discharge and Your Marketing Plan

Lightning Strikes
Waxing nostalgic on a Friday…

Back some 20 years ago, I was returning from college for Thanksgiving weekend. Took a plane, and we left Syracuse bound for Cleveland, then Northern Indiana. The first half of the flight was fine. It’s that second half that was rocky – something about the weather conditions, flying over Lake Erie, and a choppy, choppy ride.

Then: a bolt of light and a nice, loud, explosion on the right side of the plane.

It wasn’t until maybe 10 minutes later when the pilot came on and said “this plane was hit by static discharge, but all planes can handle static discharge, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

It wasn’t until I landed about an hour later that I was finally able to get the real story:

The plane had been struck by lighting.

Lightning is scary stuff, it’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature, and all that…but this has stuck with me for years – a not-so-pleasant experience for us, but the pilot in charge had everything under control. And the system in place – the plane and its engineering marvels – handled the lightning strike as if it was another day at the office.

So, are you prepared?

Is your Marketing Plan capable of withstanding Static Discharge?

We’ve pointed back, again and again, to the value of the SWOT Analysis in any business planning. Strengths. Weaknesses. Opportunities.

THREATS.

Your business might not get struck by actual lightning tomorrow – but you could run into a bump in the road, positive, negative or just plain goofy.

Are you prepared?

Nov 15 2010

Maybe It’s Your Business Model

Awash in business books at the Barnes & Noble, and here’s what catches our eye…

The book is called “Business Model Generation.”

The book is a standout – for a variety of reasons, but mostly because, with all of the “Social Media For Goofballs” books you can buy, here’s a book that doesn’t ram social down your throat.

Timely find, too: we had a Saturday morning chat with a client, and there we were, talking about things beyond social. Things addressed in the book, and things addressed in the “Canvas” the book helps you build.

(You can learn more about the Canvas at the Business Model Alchemist site.)

Partners, Channels, Value Propositions. Cost Structure. Customer Segments. Revenue Streams.

If you’re not where you need to be – is it because you haven’t sorted out how you’re going to get there?

Our Saturday Morning chat gave us some thoughts – for our client’s business, and for our own.

Time to fix a few things…and go back to the Canvas.