Lean Startup Marketing--Idea to Product for Profit

Introduction to the RAF marketing method to actualizing your ideas into products, services, and startups for profit. In this video, we drill down and closely examines the RAF marketing methodology step-by-step. 

We review the three most common reasons startup's fail, and then learn how to employ the RAF marketing method to avoid these startup failures.

The process of PRODUCTIZATION begins with MARKETING.

In fact, the entire Lean Startup Marketing course is about product and startup marketing. But taking an idea from your head, and producing a product or service that someone actually wants, and then sell them on your offering, requires an intimate knowledge of marketing. 

Whether you have your MBA, or are new to the marketing game, all the marketing you need to know is in this, and the next video.

This is the slide deck from a Webinar that was presented @ SVI Accelerator in Sunnyvale last year. It is more in depth than the Marketing 101 video, and it's worth going through, as Marketing is THE foundation that will build, brand, and grow a sustainable business.

MARKETING is SELLING people on our products, services and messages. Get ready to delve deep, down to the foundation of what motivates people to ACT— buy our offering and into our messaging.

This video is close to the bone. The subject matter is equally controversial when I teach it LIVE. It will likely challenge your currently understand of MARKETING, whether MBA or novice, and [hopefully] motivate you to think about MARKETING differently, more... realistically than ever before.

PRODUCTIZATION is the process of taking an idea and turning it into an offering of value— something somebody wants. In this video, we explore the process of productizing an existing product we all know, to better understand the mechanisms and methodologies of PRODUCTIZING an idea into a product or service, targeted to benefit a specific group of people.

We begin the journey of PRODUCTIZING our idea by taking the first step— Step 1. Get Ready and identify your ideas offerings and markets...

"Every minute spent organizing, is an hour earned," Benjamin Franklin said. 

In this video, learn how to set up a PROJECT HIERARCHY for your new venture that will save you time searching for files, but also give all stakeholders access to the same content and corporate brand standards. This video demonstrates how to create a FILE HIERARCHY of dynamic CONTENT— Productization Lists, Images and Videos to use in your branded advertising and marketing campaigns.

With your PROJECT HIERARCHY set up, it's now your turn to execute STEP 1 of the RAF MARKETING method: PRODUCTIZE your idea into an offering of value. 

Many innovator today are developing software as a product, or service (SaaS). It's smart to do so. Software takes time to produce, but cost less (in real money) to actualize. 

This video will take you step-by-step through the PRODUCTIZATION PROCESS of actualizing a SaaS IDEA into a software service of value.

The MARKETING PROCESS starts wide and drills down to the individual. TARGET MARKETING is the process of identifying broad groupings of potential users for our offering. We do this with a variety of techniques that we review in this video. 

Performing the TARGET MARKETING process is essential to the success of any company with each new offering, but critical for new ventures. You will learn to identify how your new offering satisfies a desires, or solves a problem for large, but specific groups of people.

Never forget, MARKETING is SELLING. And we are NEVER selling to target MARKETS. We are always selling to PEOPLE. This video explores the PROCESS of Targeting USERS, the people in our target markets. 

Using a SaaS application idea as a model, we examine how to identify the people who will find benefit in the features of our offering. We'll drill down on where to find them, and how to reach as many as possible with your upcoming advertising and marketing campaigns.

Your #1 job as CEO of your IDEA is to SELL IT. You should be chatting up your IDEA constantly, at networking events, to your friends and family, and just about anyone else who will listen. It is your job to create early buzz, but more importantly, to get feedback about the viability and usability of your IDEA from those you tell about your potential offering.

Feedback helps us make our products and services better! In this video, we focus on the step to developing and writing an engaging ELEVATOR PITCH- a 5-15 second persuasive speech showcasing the best bit about your new venture.

Learn why 'stealth mode' isn't effective yesterday, or even in today's wired world. 

Every hour wasted searching Netflix for a good movie, is an hour wasted of my life. All too often, user platforms offer nothing useful unless we know exactly what we're looking for and search for that directly (with only a few keywords, since most search engines can't understand more). 

The problem is, quite often we don't know exactly what we're looking for. We only have a vague idea.

ITERATIVE SEARCHING is technique for effectively using SEARCH to find what we need in the most efficient way. But first, you must understand 'SEARCH,' which we also review in this video.

So, you think you have a GREAT IDEA? You, alone, have thought of this unique and wonderful new offering that would solve an issue for a specific, but rather large group of people? 

Maybe. But unlikely.

More often then not, there are competing products and services for our offering, even if only indirectly. Some may already be produced, and successful. It is imperative to find out who your competition is, and what they have, before you bother to actualize your initial IDEA. COMPETITIVE ANALYTICS shows us if our IDEA really is unique, and how to ITERATE OUR INITIAL OFFERING, if necessary (and likely), to compete. 

The process of COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS will help you not only identify your competitors, but show you what you have that is different, hopefully better, than theirs. 

The third place startups fail: They don't invest in research and development. In today's wired world, it is imperative that startups release updates, and/or new products and services every 6-12 months or so. Trying to ride on your initial success doesn't last long in the internet age. Competitors will likely find and produce something similar if your offering has a sustained growth pattern.

HORIZONTAL & VERTICAL MARKETING is a method of identifying potential new markets and users for our offering, as well as exploring ideas, and therefore markets for offerings to come. This last set of dynamic PRODUCTIZATION LISTS, give you and your team a continual base of new target markets and users in which to aim your marketing and advertising campaigns.

How will you make money with the IDEA you are actualizing into a product or service (or message)? 

Typical PROFIT MODELS, from Brick and Mortar to VARs to .ORGs are examined in this video, and also trending SAAS PROFIT MODELS, to give you a range of choices to realize a profit on your offering as soon as possible after launch.

AFFILIATE MARKETING is a trending new way to make money today. This video walks you step-by-step through the AFFILIATE MARKETING process, to give you a greater understanding of how to utilize this growing trend, that has become a new industry, in online marketing.

Think you know the PRODUCTIZATION PROCESS introduced in WORKSHOP 1?

PROVE IT!

PRODUCE ALL 8 PRODUCTIZATION LISTS, an ELEVATOR PITCH, and a PROFIT MODEL for rollout and beyond, for YOUR projected APP, PRODUCT OR SERVICE!!