The 19 Ways of Marketing: How to do the right marketing for your products and services?

Traction by Gabriel Weinberg is one of the most helpful books I’ve ever read (the CEO of DuckDuckGO). There are just 19 marketing channels, according to the thesis. Done. Period. In fact, I concur. Only 19 marketing channels are available. Any growth hack or approach you’ve seen falls under one of those categories. The art and science of building a business fundamentally involves testing as many campaigns in as many channels as possible, so it’s helpful to be familiar with them all (and, of course, measuring the results).

That continues to be the way we conduct marketing today. A few hundred dollars are spent on an experiment while we wait for the findings. If we attracted clients at our ideal cost of acquisition, we increased our efforts. We would switch to a different channel if we didn’t. That is exactly what this YouTube channel is. And the doubling down phase is still in effect. Gabriel’s book challenges you to think outside of your typical channels because all startups are concentrating on the same channels. For this reason, I believe it would be quite beneficial if you could memorize(?) this list. Well, I’ll go over all the channels this book mentions and give an example of each of these campaigns for each one. approximately 30 seconds later.

1. Viral Marketing

When you can persuade users to convert to other users with a good virality coefficient, you are engaging in viral marketing. The amount of new customers a current customer converts is estimated by the r0 number, which I’m sure you’re familiar with by this point. And you have virality if that number is greater than one. If you consider virality to be your growth engine, your product should be centered on it.

That is an example of Wordle, which the New York Times recently purchased. Because you figured out today’s puzzle, you want to brag about your intelligence, and this goofy, basic emoji board was ideal. Naturally, being viral is easier said than done. It necessitates a mastery of user experience and a solid grasp of gamification. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to create a gamification video.

2. Public Relations (PR)

It requires cultivating relationships with reporters and producing stories that they are sure to share, whether you handle it yourself or your PR firm does. Now, Tesla is likely the most significant example since, despite doing virtually no promotion, EVERYONE talks about it. People want to read about Tesla, and the press loves to write about it, whether it’s the introduction of a new model, the development of self-driving technology, launching a vehicle into space, or even Elon Musk’s craziness. I have mixed feelings about PR because it’s difficult to measure and you can’t always choose when you’ll be highlighted. Nonetheless, I have saw startups succeed by relying heavily on this. That also works.

3. Unconventional PR

In theory, sending an automobile into space falls within the category of unorthodox PR. Or, a publicity stunt that receives a lot of attention. For instance, Olivia Munn, Jim Carrey, Jimmy Fallon, and Martha Stewart were invited by a company named Airtime (which passed away and we haven’t discussed in Detail yet). a publicity gimmick that made them the talk of the town. Stunts also include viral videos. Do you recall “would it blend”? These blenders are genuinely sold, and the marketing is brilliant. dangerous, of course. It’s challenging to manage, but it’s effective if you can.

4. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

In essence, this is paying Google for the advertisement that responds to searches. Because of the moment of intent, search advertisements are amazing. You can sure that anyone seeking for a “pitch deck development service” is an entrepreneur needing to create a pitch deck. As of right now. Well, that is the reason they Google it. The choice has been made. It is just converting a consumer who has already made a purchasing choice and is only considering where to carry it out. It is not brand awareness or nurturing. Although SEM advertising are frequently pricey, if you can make the economics work, you effectively open the door to a highly effective and scalable growth channel.

5. Display Ads

You can run those on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. The demand for what you have is not there. Instead, you are focusing on their areas of interest. Don’t spend too much time on this; you already understand how it works. I’m not sure if we could say that anybody is killing it in this situation. These days, it’s nearly a standard. These were effective for us as retargeting. We provide them to viewers of our films or visitors to our ads. Yes, you will soon begin to notice them.

By the way, influencer marketing fits into this category in my opinion. Despite the fact that I believe Instagram influencers have somewhat tarnished the term, there is value in having someone you know or who you follow recommend a product. It is TextMagic in this instance. It was a great coincidence when they contacted me because their CEO, Priit, watches our channel. I utilized their platform years ago when I worked for another company.

TextMagic is an SMS service for businesses, and the reason I thought it was important to discuss them in this video is because they have an unconventional marketing and outreach channel. Although their application provides the standard SMS functionality we are accustomed to (2-step verification), marketing is their main priority. You may deliver SMS campaigns using TextMagic through their online platform, as well as using email, Zapier, or a direct API integration.

To target them with specialized campaigns and the personalisation you’d expect from an email marketing solution, you can group your contacts into several mailing lists.

6. Email marketing

We now come to email marketing. These days, it seems to be a given, yet there is still potential for innovation. Take a look at businesses like Morning Brew or the Hustle, who have built remarkable communities simply by sending out effective emails. You are competing with hundreds of other emails in peoples’ congested inboxes. It’s not simple and it’s an overdone outreach technique, but if you add value to the information or utilize a different delivery channel, you can definitely make it work for your business.

Although SMS marketing offers certain additional advantages, I would classify it here. Even now, within three minutes of being sent, 95% of SMS are read. Also, they cost a lot less than emails.

7. Offline Ads

Offline ads are the following. As entrepreneurs, we don’t often consider offline advertisements, although they are still effective. You can advertise on billboards, the metro, or television. This book’s author, Gabriel Weinberg, ran a very effective advertising campaign using billboards on the route connecting San Francisco and Silicon Valley. You drive that route a lot if you work in tech, and especially if you are a Google employee. His advertisement on DuckDuckGo attracted a substantial influx of new users and even garnered media attention (unconventional PR).

The New York Subway is where my friend Pete from Jackpocket advertises, and they’ve figured out a means to track those conversions, evaluate the campaign’s effectiveness and return on investment, and then repeat.

8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO comes next. optimization for search engines. the science and art of Google ranking. We could not be where we are today without SEO, which for us effectively created our business. However it could not be a possibility for you depending on your industry. Zapier is one of my favorite examples. a beloved and used tool. In essence, they have written articles or instructions for every platform link you can imagine. Zapier will appear if you search for that.

9. Content marketing

The next topic is content marketing, which is like preaching to the choir. You already know what it is if you’re here. Check out the whole video I made explaining why you shouldn’t do it.

10. Engineering as marketing

One of my favorites is marketing engineering. I wanted a quick mortgage breakdown while I was buying a house, and a bank provided me with this little, straightforward tool for free to complete my estimate. Even email is not necessary. A small, straightforward technique to increase brand recognition (and possibly enroll me in a retargeting campaign).

Adobe is another excellent example. They offer so many free tools. They have this amazing app that scans your sketches or recognizes your handwriting, and because it’s part of a marketing effort, it’s free. marketing as engineering.

11. Guest posting

Guest writing can be very beneficial. Gaining trust, producing worthwhile content (content marketing), and including backlinks all help with SEO.

12. Business Development

Developing business is. Basically, building relationships with individuals to get them to refer you and your business to their friends, or to get them to consider you a “partner.”

13. Sales

Next up is Sales. And that’s just  sales. Capture a lead, convert it.

14. Affiliate Marketing

Via affiliate programs, you may find advocates for your goods and pay them to spread the word about them on your behalf. Why not pay someone $50 to handle the conversion if bringing a consumer costs $50 using advertising?

15. Platform-based Marketing

The term “Platform-based Marketing” Building on top of current distribution networks is the definition of leveraging existing platforms. vs. establishing your own website vs. selling on Amazon. Or using the App Store to gain exposure (I spoke with the CEO of this platform; they are perhaps the best example of using Apple’s platform I can think of). Keep an eye out for it to air in a few of weeks).

16. Trade shows

Several businesses allocate their entire expansion budget to a booth because of the value, connections, and clients it generates. Last year at Saastr, I met two founders who had spent more than $50,000 on their booths and who had produced a lengthy film explaining their justifications.

17. Offline events

Offline activities involve developing relationships with individuals in the actual world. What better way to increase brand exposure than shaking someone’s hand or sharing a beer with them? The meetup culture in cities like New York is wild.

18. Speaking Engagements

is speaking appearances. There are businesses that solely rely on webinars for expansion. Webinars are excellent for generating leads and showcasing your network’s and your own expertise.

19. Community  Building

Last but not least, community building marketing incorporates many tools from the other channels. It involves talking to and meeting with customers, giving them free merchandise, encouraging them to spread the word about you (virality), organizing events for them (such as offline gatherings and speaking engagements), and keeping in touch with them through email or SMS marketing.

There are no more channels; this is all. Never disregard a channel just because it has an outdated sound. Consider it after testing.

If you have any question, clarification, or suggestion, feel free to leave it in the comment section below.