Another week, another edition of “This Week in Canadian Startups”.
We kick things off with a look at whether a startup can pitch in three minutes. Mark MacLeod reflects on the Montreal scene, there’s a look at how startup can create strong messaging, as well as the ultimate list of intelligence tools for startups.
Want to get the newsletter delivered to your inbox every Saturday? Here’s where you can subscribe.
Tagged Canada, startups
When I do messaging projects with startups, it is a process that takes engagement, time and, often, patience. At the end of the day, the goal is coming up with messaging that connects with target audiences because it meets their needs, interests and goals.
When a project comes to a conclusion, many startups believe they have nailed it so their messaging doesn’t have to be touched again – probably because they don’t want to go through the process again.
The reality, however, is startup messaging never really ends.
Instead, it continues to evolve and change as the startup, its customers and the competitive landscape evolves and changes.
It means even the best startup messaging may have a relatively short shelf life because it works at a certain period of time. At some point, startups need to recognize the landscape has shifted so their messaging has to be refreshed, tweaked or even overhauled.
In many respects, it’s like doing renovations on a house. After spending the money and time to get a project completed, it is understandable that a homeowner is unwilling to spend any more money. But houses, like messaging, never stop needing upgrades and improvements – be a coat of paint, repairs or major renovations.
Tagged Marketing, messaging, startups
I’m working on a marketing project with a new client that has kicked off with the creation of core messaging.
It’s a fascinating and intellectually challenging process because it involves an in-depth exploration of the startup’s target audiences, which includes their needs, motivations, goals and the sales funnel.
In many respects, what we’re looking to do is get a granular idea of potential and existing customers. Armed with this insight, we can then develop messaging that will, hopefully, resonate because it connect with their core needs.
So, how does this process happen?
To be honest, the best place to start is by talking and brainstorming.
One of the realities of running a startup is you have a tremendous amount of information sitting in your brain. This information needs to be unlocked, unloaded and then picked through to identify the most compelling ideas, topics and themes.
In many cases, it takes several conversations to make this happen. From the outside looking in, it may seem like a slow process but truth be told, messaging slowly unfolds as ideas are pushed into the spotlight and examined. In an ideal world, messaging would happen in a flash but the real-world process it much more measured and methodical.
As you down the messaging funnel, what inevitably happen is the most interesting ideas start to bubble to the surface. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are perfectly formed but they have the potential to be crafted, nurtured and polished.
What’s great about this step-by-step process is it reveals new insights, ideas and information along the way.
By taking a deep dive into your target audiences and market, it provides the opportunity to check out new directions, even if they might seem off the beaten path. You never know where a great message nugget might exist so it makes sense to take a different path.
As much as messaging can take a while to materialize, it is important to have a timeline to make it happen. As a creative process, it is possible to keep going and going, which makes no sense for a business that wants to quickly move forward. In some respects, there is a balancing act between moving methodically and making quick progress.
In the next blog post on Thursday, I’ll look at another angle to messaging: the idea that it’s a fluid and dynamic entity.
Tagged messaging, startups
The latest edition of the newsletter kicks off with AppHero, whose founder, Jordan Satok, appeared on an NBC television affiliate in Cleveland. The host basically fell over themselves, calling AppHero the “best free app ever”.
The newsletter also includes a couple of posts on startups and UX, $9.4-million in FedDev funding to 16 Toronto companies, BDC giving $150,000 to each of the four graduates from the latest GrowLab cohort, 10 steps to be a happy startup entrepreneur, and tips on how to create a one-minute marketing guide.
Here’s where you can subscribe to the newsletter, which is published every Saturday morning.
Tagged Canada, newsletter, startupI am, by no means, a UX person but it’s an area that fascinates me because how well that someone interacts with a Website or application is a break/make proposition.
Part of UX’s appeal is how it’s closely aligned with messaging, which is part of my skill-set, and design (another area of interest).
Given the intersection of UX, messaging and design, one of the highlights of last week’s GrowTalks conference in Toronto was a presentation by Luxr’s Kate Rutter, who provided an engaging and thought-provoking take on what’s happening with UX and why.
To me, what was particularly interesting was the parallels between UX and messaging. In particular, the questions asked by Rutter are a reflection of how I approach messaging. These questions include:
- Who will use it? What are the target audiences?
- Why will they care? -Why does it matter to them? What are their needs and goals?
- What can it do that people will pay for? What can it do that they couldn’t do before?
- Which features are most important? What are the features that will let do that thing?
- How does everything fit together? What brand, product and voice?
Rutter described UX as a “series of starting point” and “incredible set of tools for discovery and understanding” for a product – something that think core messaging performs for startups looking to establish their identity, brand and user community.
In many respects, the lines between UX, messaging and design are blurring because they don’t and can’t operate in silos. They’re interconnected, integrated and flow seamlessly together to create an amazing experience.
If you’re a UX person, it’s inevitable that you’ll touch upon messaging. Meanwhile, messaging people like myself can’t help but dabble with UX or, for that matter, design.
Are you as fascinated with UX as I am? What are your thoughts about how UX, messaging and design are coming together, and how do startups approach all three?
Tagged design, startups, UX
Last week, I talked about when startups should leverage public relations to reach out to reporters and bloggers (The answer: when they’re ready).
Today, let’s look at what a startup needs to do to drive PR outreach.
1. Develop a compelling, interesting, unique or different story. The goal is coming up with a story that will grab the attention of reporters and bloggers, who get inundated with pitches. It could be something easy such as a financing but often startups are looking to put the spotlight on their product. In this case, a startup has to create a narrative that will capture the spotlight, even if the product plays a secondary role. For example, it could mean latching on to a trend or a news development that would see the startup be part of the story but not the story. Another angle is using the background of the founders to create an interesting story.
2. Put together a list of reporters and bloggers to target. It is important to think about the different kind of reporters who might be interested in your story. For example, a story about a new online restaurant discovery service may appeal to technology, lifestyle, city and food reporters and bloggers. It means tweaking the pitch to meet the interests of each different segment.
3. Get to really know your targets. Building a list of the reporters and bloggers who might cover your startup is the easy part. The challenge is doing enough research to personalize each pitch to meet their specific interests. It means reading articles and blog posts written by each reporter or blogger so you’re familiar with their focus, the types of stories they like to write, and what they have written about recently. This will let you create a pitch that shows you’ve done your homework and, as important, you’re not wasting someone’s time with a pitch that will fail to resonate.
3A. Develop real-world relationships by meeting reporters and bloggers. It could be for a coffee, or at an event or conference. It could start by following them on Twitter or commenting on their stories or blog posts. Whatever the approach, you want to establish a relationship that can be built upon. Truth be told, reporters and bloggers are more inclined to write about people they know so get to know them.
4. Get the right help to give your pitch a fighting chance. As I mentioned above, relationships matter so, in some cases, you may want to “rent” relationships by hiring a PR firm to craft and deliver your pitch. What you’re buying is their Rolodex, and access to people who will give them the time of day to look at a pitch that would otherwise be ignored. Look at PR as an investment as opposed to a cost. The most important consideration is finding a PR partner who knows the people you want to reach and has knowledge of your industry.
5. Don’t give up if you pitch falls flat. There are many reasons why a reporter or blogger will take a pass that has nothing to do with how interesting they find your startup. It may be a busy day or it may not be the right fit. If you’ve done your homework, it makes sense to maintain a dialogue with a reporter or blogger to stay in their universe. If could mean, for example, sending them a note if a story breaks that involves your industry in which you can offer some insight or commentary. In other words, keep stoking the fires. As well, recognize that PR outreach is an art as opposed to science. There’s no formula that will guarantee coverage so don’t expect instant success simply because you’re doing outreach to reporters and bloggers.
What kind of other PR outreach tips would you offer startups? What techniques have worked particularly well for you?
Tagged PR, startups
Consulting., 2012. All rights reserved.
