

Ask YC: What are the best ways to market bootstrapped apps? - pjharrin

What are the best ways to market bootstrapped apps? PPC is great because of the tracking but the costs add up very fast. Obviously approaching blogs/news sites/newspapers/magazines is a great way to get some PR, but what are some other ways?
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petercooper
We had a rather successful Ask YC on this several days ago - see
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=341138>

It did focus mostly on online PR, however, so perhaps others could provide
deeper coverage on this question on areas I know of but have not tried (or no
longer use). For example:

\- trade shows

\- schwag

\- guerrilla marketing

\- speaking at events (supposedly can work wonders if you do it right)

\- publicity stunts (think Richard Branson)

\- becoming a press contact who's quoted a lot

\- producing an event for your industry / sector yourself (worked wonders for
Carsonified!)

\- presenting your product in a remarkable way (think of how Google presented
Chrome with the comicbook approach - get inspired by Understanding Comics by
Scott McCloud - <http://www.scottmccloud.com/> \- or see <http://xplane.com/>
for a more corporate look)

\- paying for word of mouth (risky)

\- on the street promotion (booths, etc)

\- leveraging networks like LinkedIn

\- sponsorships

\- cross promotions

\- affiliate marketing

\- e-mail list marketing (not spam)

\- lead development and phone calls (surprisingly effective in many areas,
though I don't do it as it's not relevant to my sector)

\- writing a book on your topic (works better if you're a consultant OR you're
happy to be the "face" of your product)

\- social objects (look at Hugh MacLeod's career as of the last 3 years)

\- be interviewed

\- do your own interviews of people in your industry for your company's blog
(see FiveRuns' blog for this in action - it's been very successful)

In terms of books, some personal recommendations (as in, I've read them and
they rock):

\- Dirty Little Secrets of Buzz by David Seaman (this is like dynamite)

\- Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden

\- Any of the "Guerrilla Marketing" books by Jay Conrad Levinson

\- Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson.

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fleaflicker
It depends on the product.

Fleaflicker's sole source of promotion the first two seasons was Google
AdWords. Fantasy football search terms are always popular; one user would
invite a dozen of their friends to play after they discovered the site.

I tried other methods but that provided by far the best return.

I spent a lot of time E-mailing bloggers and journalists. The reply rate is
very low but if one person actually reads your message writes about the site,
the payoff is huge. Obviously don't spam when you do this. Research the
journalist you're pitching to and make your E-mail memorable. It's kind of
like a cover letter when applying for a job.

~~~
papersports
Fleaflicker,

What type of Adwords bidding strategy did you use? Since fantasy football
search terms are so popular, I imagine that your adwords campaigns could get
expensive.

~~~
fleaflicker
The term "free fantasy football" mostly.

They were very expensive ($1-$2 per click during peak season) but it was worth
it. A print ad costs a few thousand dollars and you're not guaranteed any
visitors.

One thing I learned about print ads is the price is very very negotiable.
Start with a price so far below their asking price that you feel embarrassed.
The list price for magazine ads can be several times greater than the price
they're willing to settle on, especially as deadlines approach.

Another good option is to advertise on small niche sites. There are a lot of
"mom and pop" fantasy sites with cheaper advertising and the exact audience I
was looking for.

~~~
papersports
Thanks for the reply!

That is about the rate I expected. I agree, it is still a safer bet than print
or banner ads.

I've been a big fan of Fleaflicker. Congrats on your success.

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jadence
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=341138>

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imp
This approach isn't for every company, but if you offer a free application
that is related to your industry then that can be an amazing way to get
traffic and name recognition. Basically, a free viral application to get
others to do the marketing for you.

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ruslan
Peter, I have some idea on colaboration. In short, we just ran a flash based
calling app, we are going to experiment with flash ads. Just for sake of an
experiment, we can load your flash clip for a while to see if it gives any
results. If interested, pls contact me over email or google talk at
ruslan.zalata at gmail.com.

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curiousgeorge
Use Google Alerts and Google News to track keywords related to your product.
You'll pick up a lot of SEO spam with the former, but it's a decent way to
make contacts with journalists writing on related subjects.

