Instigator Blog

One of the biggest challenges for startups is keeping in the public eye - getting the word out on a consistent basis to drive an audience, customers, buzz, etc. There are lots of marketing techniques for startups but one that I think is under used and under appreciated is PR.

Public Relations is all about getting the word out. But generally, PR is used to reach the mainstream press and a mainstream audience. So a lot of startups - especially those living in a Web 2.0 bubble - don’t focus much energy on PR. If your startup is in the Valley or another true startup ecosystem you may be able to generate sufficient buzz through the community, but for the rest of us, we need everything we can to keep in front of people, garnering attention.

The thing with PR is that it’s not just for attracting mainstream press, although that’s a good reason to use it. The press certainly looks at blogs, social media and less traditional avenues for its scoops, but they still work via press releases & press relationships as well. And even companies living in a Web 2.0 bubble - the ultra-coolest of the cool consumer apps only for the “Facebook crowd” - can still benefit from breaking into the mainstream. Ultimately that ultra-cool Valley crowd is still pretty small, and you’ll need to break out beyond it for real success.

So what can PR bring a startup?

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I recently attended an event in Montreal where Albert Lai spoke. Albert’s a serial entrepreneur with a number of successes (and failures) under his belt. Great speaker. One of the things he said really stuck in my mind (which I’m paraphrasing), “It’s all about the market. Don’t do things based on your own personal whims of what you think is right or wrong, good or bad. Listen to the market. It’s always right. And you’re typically wrong.”

It’s important advice - especially for startups - because we often live in a bubble building our web apps till our heart’s content, thinking we’ve just invented the next Google. It’s not that entrepreneurs don’t seek out advice, but whether we listen to it is another story. One of the biggest hindrances to taking advice (even our own) is time. We’re rushing to launch, building as quickly as we can to get a head start on the competition, and we don’t necessarily have time to sit back, get good feedback, assess it and adjust accordingly.

Nowhere is this clearer than in people’s websites. Most people will agree on the importance of design. There are exceptions (think: Plenty of Fish) which in my mind just prove the rule. Where most websites fail is in their organization and navigation. And in their missions. What’s the goal of your website? If you don’t have a clear answer to that you need one as soon as possible.

Everyone will “test” design out — just ask a bunch of people, “Does this new design look good?” But information architecture, navigation and the effectiveness of a website in meeting your goals … people just don’t test those things enough.

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Preparing for presentations isn’t easy. Even team meetings with your colleagues can be stressful and challenging. Few of us are true extroverts, and even fewer of us are comfortable with public speaking. Awhile ago, I joked a bit about things you shouldn’t say in a presentation but really, it’s no laughing matter.

One of the most anticipated parts of launching Standout Jobs at DEMO is the 6-minute presentation you have to give on-stage. The DEMO people are great at preparing you and letting you know what to expect, but ultimately it’s up to you. And for most presenters it will be the most important, most stressful, and biggest presentation they’ve ever given in their lives.

Some people have asked me, “What about all the VC and angel investor pitches you’ve done? Those must be pretty tough?” Yes, they are. But once you’ve done a few of them, you learn what to expect fairly quickly, and often they’re more conversations than presentations. You’re hoping to engage the potential investors in a healthy discussion. The format is typically less formal than going on-stage in front of hundreds (if not thousands) of people and doing your thing.

So how do you prepare for a big presentation?

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Buzz alone won’t guarantee startup success, but it certainly can’t hurt.

In the glorious Web 2.0 startup world that many of us live in there’s a lot of noise. To stand out from the noise, startups need to do more to draw attention. Some startups are great at this. The folks at Xobni for example. They blog, use video, and spend a good amount of time promoting themselves. And much of that was done pre-launch.

Most startups don’t really have a comprehensive strategy for generating buzz and marketing. To a degree, this is understandable — they’re focused on building the product. And the strategy of “build a product people want to talk about” still holds plenty of water. Build something people really love and that might be all the marketing you need.

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The Canadian Marketing Association is holding a 1-day conference in Toronto on Word of Mouth Marketing called From Mass to Grass. The name still cracks me up, I can’t help it…

The conference is on April 12th. They’ve got a great cast of speakers lined up including Jackie Huba from Church of the Customer and Kyle MacDonald of one red paperclip fame.

Sean Moffitt (one of the organizers) introduced me to the conference. Sean is a word-of-mouth guru himself — check out Agent Wildfire and his blog Buzz Canuck.

It should be a great day - tons of great sessions and lots to do and learn. My only disappointment is the cost. They’ve got an early bird special going on right now for $595 (which ends March 12th.) Otherwise it’ll be $695. That seems just a bit too steep for a 1-day event, no matter who is involved. But that part of it is out of my hands - I’m certain the event will be a blast.