
Using free products for lead generation - svirelka
http://blog.clearbit.com/how-were-using-free-tools-to-engage-developers
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ktamura
The advice here is sage. If you run a platform-type SaaS business (not
necessarily PaaS but more like SaaS with multiple functional use cases, which
the OP calls the API business), make sure to read the OP.

To me, this one resonated best:

"APIs have a particularly tough marketing challenge in that the product can
have a ton of varying use cases. You need different messaging to multiple
customer segments each with their own use cases and needs."

In terms of "doing things that don't scale early on", this is _the_ thing API-
as-a-Service companies ought to do. Your users won't build reference apps for
you. You need to build them for your customers and make them very easy to use.
This amounts to what enterprise software marketers call "solution selling."

Disclosure: I lead marketing at Treasure Data, an early Clearbit customer.

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svirelka
Hey, I have nothing to do with this company. I just kept article as an
interesting case to attract users. I use some of the examples given in this
case myself. So why not to save for the future are some more tips?

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cheriot
It generalizes even further.

[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sitorsquat-restroom-
finder/i...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sitorsquat-restroom-
finder/id511855507)
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.charmin.si...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.charmin.sitorsquat)

There's plenty of simple tools that won't make a business by themselves, but
will draw plenty of attention to the company that makes them.

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jblazevic
I think a great example of this is the Photomath app (photomath.net). These
guys are really a mobile vision/OCR API startup and they released Photomath as
a free showcase app, which went on to achieve global media coverage and topped
the iOS app store for a while.

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lucozade
So, the opposite of alchemy then. Cool. Will now read the article to see how
they did it. Oh.

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zappo2938
Is Sharelock[0] mentioned in the article HIPAA compliant[1]? It seems that
there is a systemic problem of small doctor's offices and insurance lawyers
sharing private medical information insecurely. Security is overlooked and not
enforced.

[0] [https://sharelock.io/](https://sharelock.io/)

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Insurance_Portability_a...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Insurance_Portability_and_Accountability_Act)

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starikovs
Thanks a lot! I love this article! :)

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svirelka
My pleasure)

