🎙️ Pod Shots

Today we cover a 1st Round Review episode with Arielle Jackson. She’s an expert in early stage marketing with an extensive background in product marketing including Google and Square. She shares insights on common pitfalls in category creation, messaging, and launch strategies, drawing from her consulting work with founders.

♨️ 6 Early Marketing Steps to Avoid

🎙️ Listen to the full episode here 

📆 Published: January 13th, 2022

🕒 Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes. Time saved: 82 minutes🔥 

Marketing can be a minefield for early-stage startups, especially when resources are tight and every decision can have long-lasting effects. Let’s dive into Arielle’s six early marketing missteps and learn how to steer clear of them.

🎯 Define Your Category Early On

Key Advice: Clearly define your market category from the get-go.

If you don't define the space in which you're playing, your audience will either have to do it for you, and they'll do eight different versions of it. Internally, you'll have people saying you are eight different things, and then prioritisation and efficiency all get out of whack. The earlier you do this work and define who you are, what you stand for, and where you play, the better it is for internal alignment and for really occupying that space in your target customer's mind.

Takeaways:

• Establish a Clear Category: Decide whether to play in an existing category, modify one, or create a new one. Each choice has its pros and cons.

• Internal Alignment: Ensure everyone on your team understands and communicates the same category to avoid confusion.

• Market Perception: Consistently use your defined category in all communications to reinforce your position.

💡 Don’t Overcomplicate Your Purpose

Key Advice: Simplify your company’s mission and vision.

Founders tend to overcomplicate the "why" with mission and vision statements. Ariel shares examples from companies like Google and Ring, stressing the importance of a single, clear purpose statement. This clarity helps in decision-making and aligns your team.

Takeaways:

• Single Purpose Statement: Focus on creating one statement that encapsulates your company's reason for being.

• Decision-Making Tool: Use this statement to guide strategic decisions and maintain consistency in your messaging.

• Internal Rallying Point: A clear purpose helps to unify and motivate your team.

🧠 Balance Emotional and Functional Benefits

Key Advice: Start with functional benefits before jumping to emotional ones.

Many founders rush to emphasises emotional benefits without first establishing the functional ones. Use frameworks like the "Cinderella spectrum" to balance both. Ariel suggests starting with clear, functional benefits that explain exactly what your product does and how it solves a problem.

Takeaways:

• Functional First: Clearly articulate what your product does before highlighting how it makes users feel.

• Cinderella Spectrum: Use this framework to find the balance between functional and emotional benefits.

• Test Messaging: Ensure your messaging resonates by testing it with potential users.

🖋️ Focus Beyond Logos and Fonts

Key Advice: Develop a strong brand personality and voice.

Founders often fixate on logos and fonts while neglecting the importance of brand personality and voice. A strong personality and consistent voice help in creating a more relatable and memorable brand.

Takeaways:

• Brand Personality: Define your brand’s personality traits and ensure they are reflected in all communications.

• Voice Consistency: Maintain a consistent tone of voice across all platforms and materials.

• Visual and Verbal Harmony: Ensure that your visual identity and brand voice complement each other.

📰 Manage Press Expectations

Key Advice: Be realistic about press coverage and prepare thoroughly.

Expecting extensive media coverage for a seed stage startup is unrealistic. Founders need to understand the current media landscape and prepare accordingly. Building relationships with relevant reporters and having a clear, compelling story is crucial.

Takeaways:

• Realistic Goals: Set achievable expectations for press coverage.

• Build Relationships: Cultivate relationships with reporters who cover your industry.

• Comprehensive Prep: Prepare thoroughly for interviews and media interactions to convey your story effectively.

🏁 Press as a Starting Line, Not the Finish

Key Advice: Use press coverage as the beginning of your marketing efforts, not the end.

A single press article won’t drive massive user adoption. It should be seen as a stepping stone to broader marketing efforts. Diversify your marketing strategies to sustain and build upon the initial buzz.

Takeaways:

• Integrated Marketing: Combine press coverage with other marketing activities like social media, content marketing, and community engagement.

• Continual Effort: Maintain momentum by continually engaging with your audience and promoting your product.

• Feedback Loop: Use feedback from press interactions to refine your messaging and approach.

Conclusion

Avoiding these early marketing missteps can set your startup on the path to success. By defining your category, simplifying your purpose, balancing benefits, focusing on brand personality, managing press expectations, and seeing press as a starting point, you can create a strong foundation for your marketing efforts.

Ensure your functional messaging is understood before emphasizing emotional benefits. Be explicit in your communication and use plain language. While a touch of inspiration in your headline is fine, focus on clearly stating who you are and what you do, avoiding jargon and meaningless buzzwords like “scale”, “efficiency”, “leverage”, or the overused “ethical/responsible AI”.

Remember, clarity and consistency are your best allies in building a memorable and impactful brand.

More reading- Arielle’s First Round Review articles:

• Positioning Your Startup is Vital — Here’s How to Nail It

• ​​Three Moves Every Startup Founder Must Make to Build a Brand That Matters

• So You Think You’re Ready to Hire a Marketer? Read This First.

The books on the subject that Arielle recommends:

• Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind

• Play Bigger: How Rebels and Innovators Create New Categories and Dominate Markets

• Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life

• Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

Want to know more quickly? Just ask the episode below [web only]👇️ 🤯 

Or if you prefer, 🎙️ Listen to the full episode here 

📅 Timestamps:

• [00:02:51] Category creation and modification.

• [00:09:09] Establishing unique positioning.

• [00:16:45] Carving out new subsegments.

• [00:22:22] Defining company’s purpose

• [00:31:51] Crafting a unifying purpose.

• [00:38:22] Emphasizing functional benefits.

• [00:46:26] Positioning strategies.

• [00:56:15] Pricing and consumer psychology.

• [00:58:27] Brand personality.

• [01:06:33] Evolution and importance of press coverage.

• [01:17:40] Seed stage investing trends.

• [01:21:23] Reframing competitor conversations.

• [01:22:37] Recommended books on positioning.