Arengufondi blogi: Founder Institute: Week 10

If there’s one marketing skill you would need to learn, it’s how to create emotions in people.

Our topics this week

· How do you establish yourself as an expert in your field?

· What tools can you use to follow important news and narratives?

· How do you identify and create industry narratives of your own?

· How do you identify and connect with influencers and journalists?

· What infrastructure do you need to be influential?

· How do you create content that attracts readers and commentary?

· How do you grow your influence in a market over time?

Our mentors this week

Rui Coutinho is currently Senior Advisor to the President of Porto Polytechnic in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation, responsible for defining and coordinating the IPP Entrepreneur 2020 program. Within that program, he manages the Porto Design Factory, part of the Design Factory Global Network. He also coordinates Porto Polytechnic's communication strategy and activities.

Kati Nikopensius has founded and built up technology startups in cleantech and IT sectors. Thanks to her experience she is a valued business coach and mentor, having advised over 100 technology startups to date with the focus on strategic business development, business model development, talent acquisition, financial planning and fundraising.

Siim Lepisk is the CEO of Prototron, a fund for startups seeking financing for rapid prototyping and proof of concept creation. In Siim’s own words: “I help organizations to improve their performance. My focus is on software projects that increase their efficiency and/or sales. My passions: Digital marketing, strategic & tactical e-business for 12+ years. Information Systems' project and team management for 10+ years. Developing new and existing business with corporate clients for 9+ years. Advising and training people in-house and elsewhere on efficient delivery of digital projects for 7+ years.”

Tips and highlights from our mentors

· B2B and B2C have very different strategies. When addressing your customer you have to emphasize your product, when addressing other businesses then you have to prove to them that you can deliver.

· PR is often undervalued. It’s a powerful tool that you can use to maximize the success of your business.

· So, what can you do to attract customers?

- Contact bloggers, FB pages, YouTube reviewers, forums, influential people on Instagram and send them your prototypes so they can experience your product and recommend it to others as well.

- Put a press section on your website with high resolution photos and videos so that people can use them in their blogs etc.

- Organize give-away campaigns on popular websites; you will receive a lot of attention.

- Organize live promotions; you’ll get one-on-one feedback from your customer.

- For B2B marketing go to different trade fairs and conferences. NB! This does not have to be expensive – use cheap airlines and buy a visitor ticket, you don’t need to have your own stand to get contacts. Before you go make a list of people who you will approach.

- Be active in social media, reply to your customers comments.

- Don’t send out boring press releases. When you are going to send one make it original, tell your story, how your product came to life.

Here are some good reading tips:

http://techcrunch.com/

http://www.businessinsider.com/

http://venturebeat.com/

https://hbr.org/