JUSTTE

After launching Slip Stopper earlier this year, I decided to focus exclusively on *sexy* marketing and growth tactics.

Some of these ‘sexy’ ideas included social media, media buy (in all shapes and forms), guerrilla campaigns, models (a woman posing), and the list goes on.

A few ideas produced returns, but most didn’t. The ROI was terrible.

Having already tried everything else and not knowing what to do next, I was forced to start search engine optimization (SEO), a tactic I resisted vehemently from the beginning because I thought it’s old-school and boring.

But SEO is already showing results.

The Lesson:

Sometimes it’s the unsexy, boring, and old-school tactics and ideas that are the most effective.

Are there boring but effective marketing strategies that you are turning your back to in your business?

Marketers can’t execute unless we know where we are going, what the objectives are, and how success is measured. You either need to set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) yourself, or get your boss to do it. Simple as that.

I want to share 5 ways to use Facebook advertising for any organization (where we’re going), as well as give specific examples of KPIs for each category (objectives & measurement of success).

KPIs for Branding

Branding is an investment into the future. As Marty Weintraub, CEO of aimClear, puts it: today’s branding is tomorrow’s conversion. Some examples of KPIs:

• Use Facebook ads to garner 2 million impressions of our new laptop line across a period of 3 months, with CPM (cost per 1000 impressions) under $0.15
• Raise new product awareness by 300%, as measured by website traffic or Google Insight

KPIs for Direct Response

Direct response, such as a sale, a sign up, or a download, satisfies the instant-gratification seeking part of every marketer. It’s important to keep in mind that most Facebook users are not in buying-mode, unlike users searching on Google. This means direct sales generally do not perform as well (there are always exceptions). On Facebook, it’s much more effective to focus on adding value through a sign up or a free download first. Some examples of KPIs:

• Sell 1,000 units of crazy-gadget to customers based in Canada, while keeping cost per conversion below $50
• Get 5,000 downloads of the free annual report on real-estate trends in the United States in 2012

KPIs for Making Friends

Facebook was built on the foundation of creating connections and making friends. In the case of a business, getting fans (aka: friends) provides a channel for repeated engagement in the future. Some examples of KPIs:

• Get 300,000 people in the UK & US market, who are between the age of 18-35, to LIKE the Facebook fan page
• Have 10,000 people play the interactive game via Facebook app

KPIs for Customer Service

People are talking about your company via social media regardless of whether you participate or not. However, by participating you can change sentiment and create goodwill, by providing great customer service. Some examples of KPIs:

• Drive traffic via Facebook ads to Twitter live customer support, increase Twitter followers by 20%, and decrease phone support time by 10%
• Target Facebook users who are interested in customizing cars, and offer a free branded DIY guide

KPIs for Crisis Management

We never know when a crisis will strike. With the targeting function in Facebook ads, companies can identify and directly reach out to those people affected by the crisis, and offer information or assistance. Some examples of KPIs:

• Target customers in Seattle and Lynnwood who might have purchased tainted sausages, and receive clicks to the information page from 10% of the total population in those areas
• Collect 1,000 phone numbers from customers in the affected region to send out SMS alerts

This post was inspired by Marty Weintraub’s Killer Facebook Ads: Master Cutting-Edge Facebook Advertising Techniques. Cool book, you should check it out.

Hello STOPPERS,

I’m happy to announce that Slip Stopper‘s design has been finalized. After shipping samples back and forth with the manufacturer close to 10 times, we think we got it right. Here are some photos, showing both the white and black:

Next Steps

We know you are eager to get your hands on the product, and we want to give you a realistic estimate of what needs to be done next and how long the process will take:

1. Packaging design (7-8 days to finish on 99Designs.com)
2. Contract signing and payment transfer with the manufacturer (1-2 days)
3. Production (10 days)
4. Shipping to our HQ in Seattle and Singapore (3-5 days)

Our initial estimate was at the end of May 2012. However, based on the above schedule, it will most likely start shipping at the beginning of June 2012. We apologize for the delay, but we are working as fast as we can to bring this to you. We want to ship this just as much as you want to receive it.

In this coming week, we will also be sending out messages to you via KickStarter to collect your shipping information and color preferences in preparation.

Thanks everyone!

For my first muse (a term quoted by Tim Ferriss to represent an auto-pilot startup), I decided to go into the highly competitive and saturated iPhone accessories industry. In fact, 9/10 times when I tell people about our product, Slip Stopper, they immediately ask, “but aren’t so many people already making accessories?” or “isn’t the industry super saturated?”

The answer to both of these questions is “yes,” but a highly competitive and saturated industry means there is demand and money to be made. Otherwise there wouldn’t be all these players in the field. With a large demand, there is the opportunity to find a niche and become the big fish in the small pond. This is exactly the strategy I took with Slip Stopper.

Will this product gain adopters by the hundreds of thousands in a highly saturated market? Probably not. But can it be a successful niche muse with very little hands-on time? Very likely.

The lesson summarized: competition means there is money to be made.

Hello STOPPERS,

If you haven’t done so, be sure to subscribe to our email list, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

We received the latest samples from our manufacturer and we are quite happy with the result. Two highlighted changes:

1. We changed the material from epoxy resin to polyurethane, because the latter has even greater durability and is less prone to air bubbles. The two materials feel very similar and have the same anti-slip property.
   
2. The cutout to show the Apple logo has now been changed to a circle for simplicity sake.
   

The Next Step

Before we go into full production, the packaging needs to be designed. We will crowd-source the work on 99Designs.com, just like we did for our logo.

Stay tuned!

PS: that’s Roxy the Husky (aka: landlord’s dog)

We made it! Thanks everyone for your generous support, both in terms of funding and helping us spread the word. We could not have done it without you. Thank you!

In addition to running Reddit advertisements on the last few days, we received a nice boost from being featured on KickStarter’s “Ending Soon” section. Definitely a nice surprise.

Receive Slip Stopper Updates

We will continue to update you on the manufacturing and product fulfillment process via KickStarter. To make it easier, you can also follow us on:

Facebook.com/SlipStopper

Twitter.com/SlipStopper

Slip Stopper Email List

Answers to Your Questions

When will the Slip Stopper ship?

• Our ideal shipment timeframe is at the end of May 2012. Since this is the first batch of production, and you are our first batch of customers (the most important), we want to get the product 100% right, even if it means slightly delaying the shipping time. We will keep you posted via KickStarter and all of the above channels.

Focus Transition

With the KickStarter campaign successfully funded, we are now transitioning our focus to creating a fantastic product for you. We will provide regular updates to keep you informed on all of our channels, and please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. The next step is to work with our manufacturers to finalize the material, packaging, and costs in order to go into full production.

Thank You!

We made it, high-fives all around.

We are SO CLOSE in achieving our goal of $4,500 for the Slip Stopper KickStarter campaign! 85% funded with 6 more days to go. Check out the project activity below:

Some Notable Successes

First, we managed to secure a very generous $1,000 pledge! Just look at the big jump in the above graph =)

Second, we have been running some advertisements on Reddit.com and getting fantastic results. The amount of pledges coming from Reddit blows Facebook advertising and Google Adwords out of the water.

We Need Your Help

Everyone has shown us great support for the Slip Stopper project, and we really appreciate it. As we are coming into the final stretch, we need your help to continue to spread the word on your social networks. A tweet, a like, or a pin; they all help in getting the message out.

We are almost at the finish line! =) Again, the link for Slip Stopper on KickStarter.

Thanks everyone.

Before we get started with our KickStarter funding round, check out some samples we received from our supplier. We’re still in the process of testing  a few different manufacturers to ensure the most consistency in the quality of the product.

KickStarter Slip Stopper status

We are now 15 days, or halfway, into our KickStarter funding round. Only 15 more days to go before time is up! How much are we funded so far? $1,800 out of our $4,500 goal, which is roughly 40%. (pledge here)

We would be in a comfortable position if we were 50-60% funded right now. However, since backing tends to spike at the beginning and end of a project, we remain optimistic =)

Marketing efforts

As mentioned in our previous update, TechnologyTell.com covered us in a story. We have been hustling in the past week and approaching many other blogs as well, and have been covered in sites like TheFancy.com, Technabob.com, as well as 7Gadgets.com. Once these blogs picked us up, many smaller blogs also wrote stories about Slip Stopper. Awesome!

Facebook advertising has been very cost effective, although the volume hasn’t been high enough. As suggested in the previous update, we did look into media buy in podcasts. However, due to the logistics involved, we don’t think there will be enough time for coverage this time around.

Invaluable lessons

The best way to learn is to actually do it, and this KickStarter funding round has proved to be an invaluable experience for us. From pitching to bloggers, to building relationship via social media, we’re really starting to get a sense of what it takes to get an idea or business up and running.

Please help spread the word

We really appreciate the support you have given us; couldn’t have made it this far without you. As we are coming into the final stretch in the next 15 days, it would be awesome if you could continue help us spread the word. Thanks everyone!