We’ve aggregated the world’s best growth marketers into one community. Twice a month, we ask them to share their most effective growth tactics, and we compile them into this Growth Report.
This is how you’re going stay up-to-date on growth marketing tactics — with advice you can’t get elsewhere.
Our community consists of 600 startup founders paired with VP’s of growth from later-stage companies. We have 300 YC founders plus senior marketers from companies including Medium, Docker, Invision, Intuit, Pinterest, Discord, Webflow, Lambda School, Perfect Keto, Typeform, Modern Fertility, Segment, Udemy, Puma, Cameo, and Ritual.
You can participate in our community by joining Demand Curve’s marketing webinars, Slack group, or marketing training program. See past growth reports here.
Without further ado, onto the advice.
How to get customer testimonials from hard-to-reach executives
Based on insights from Guillaume Cabane.
A customer testimonial from a well-known executive may be the social proof that improves conversion rates on your landing pages or in sales collateral. But executives of reputable companies are generally busy and difficult to reach.
Here’s how to get the testimonial:
- Contract with a freelance journalist who’s written for a reputable publication like the New York Times.
- Reach out to your executive customers with something like “Hey, we have a journalist who has previously written for NYT who’s interested in speaking to a few of our customers for a piece. Do you have 15 minutes for a quick call?”
- For $200 in freelancer time, you get a testimonial you can use (in the words you want) from a reputable executive. Be sure to figure out some way to make it worth the executive’s time.
How to make Snapchat ads profitable
Based on insights from Tim Chard.
- Snap has niche audiences you’ll want to take advantage of. Examples include “people with digestive issues.” Facebook doesn’t have that. Plus, ad clicks on Snap can be cheap ($0.30 USD isn’t uncommon).
- However, Snap traffic typically converts poorly once it arrives on your site or app.
- Here’s a technique to mitigate that: cross-target your Snap traffic. Meaning, use unique UTM tags on your Snap ad links. Then, in Facebook/Instagram, detect that unique UTM to create a custom audience of Snap visitors. Finally, retarget those visitors with FB/IG ads, which tend to convert much better than Snap.
- In other words, combine Snap’s narrow targeting with FB/IG’s conversion potential for maximum effect. This works for LinkedIn ads too.
How do startups make their video ads?
Based on insights from Connor Mooney of Zestful plus Asher King Abramson of Demand Curve.
- SaaS and mobile apps: They often use Screenflow or TechSmith to record a 45 second timelapse of their in-app experience. Then they pair that recording with a professional voice over from VoiceBunny.
- Ecom business: They often create stop-motion animations of their product in action, for which they’ll hire an inexpensive animator through Upwork. Or, they’ll intercut stock footage from Shutterstock alongside footage of their product being used. They’ll use Animoto as their video editing tool and they’ll source product videographers through Thumbtack or Yelp.
- Some companies make animated explainer videos. One inexpensive way to make these is to pair a Fiverr animator with a professional voice over from VoiceBunny.
Should B2B companies hire a PR agency?
Based on insights from Varun Mathure of Midnite.
From my experience, B2B PR only has a real shot at working if it ties into something topical.
In my job at a gambling and sports-centric media company, we saw traction from running a survey to sports club fans across the UK. It asked how those fans voted on Brexit (which was and still is a hot topic). That survey took off and got us coverage in almost every major daily’s web edition.
Bear in mind that a big part of our PR plan was to generate high quality backlinks that would help us scale our SEO efforts. That was the primary goal — not the traffic. Not even the brand awareness. In other words, know why you’re doing “PR” and focus on that.
Firms are extremely hit and miss. To find a good PR firm, rely on referrals. Ask your investors and founder friends.
Further insights from Casey Armstrong of ShipBob.
Have somebody on your marketing team run a half-hour bi-weekly meeting with your most public-facing executive. Use this to brainstorm how your company can fit into the narratives on Google News from that week. After each meeting, email 5-10 journalists pitching these topical angles.