Marketing:Swarms
A Marketing swarm is a gathering of bootstrappers who have with experience marketing businesses. They will in the space of on meeting prepare a recommended marketing plan for the subject business.
Contents
June 2006: Bootstrap Network
I wish I'd recorded this session. It was as valuable to the attendees as it should be to Bootstrap Austin.
Swarmers
Notes
http://www.bootstrapaustin.org/wiki/images/3/3d/Swarm-1.gif
Commentary
The swarm was working from the following goals:
- Increase members of bootstrap
- Increase percieved value of bootstrap to bootstrap members
- Make bootstrap self-sustaining through revenue
The swarm felt that it was necessary to accomplish the following things with the Bootstrap Network's message:
- Make the purpose more obvious to visitors. For example, where would I go specificaly to hear or read Bijoy's vision?
- Make the different parts more connected.
- Make it easier to find people and bootstrap stuff.
- Make it easy to invite new members and potential members in.
One-hour Marketing Plan
- Create a central information place with the following characteristics:
- Has resources to quickly describe Bootstrap's mission
- Aggregates information with editorial control. For example, why not provide content from bootstrap blogs? See 9rules for an example.
- Each subgroup is clearly shown with links to descriptive information, including how to participate.
- Let bootstrappers purchase access to this page. For instance, they can buy a category or geographic location. REVENUE
- An obvious place to send prospective members
- An obvious way to invite people by email
- An obvious and easy way to join. REVENUE
- A unified calendar. Since Yahoo! has bought Upcoming.org this may be the place to host it.
- ANALYTICS so that the value of the bootstrap site can be defined. REVENUE
- Let the bootstrap community create value for itself
- An area of the site that provides for social networking, marketing of bootstrap businesses, and transparency of members should be made available.
- Building Traffic
- Use Search Engine Optimization to drive traffic to the site. Sprysoft's Ben Finklea has volunteered to head this up in exchange for being the bootstrap sponsor of the SEO sub-group.
- Expand the adwords campaign. Michael Griffin seems to have already posted some adwords.