How Would You launch The "Next Big Thing"?

[John Taylor]

Working in a niche market is relatively easy, you
can target people witha specific interest or a
pressing need by choosing the optimum keywords
and leveraging the places where your target
audience hangs out.

However, by the very nature of the "Next Big Thing"
it must have a massive general appeal and the
normal niche marketing approach isn't going to be
particularly effective.

So, how would you launch a website with what you
hope will be mass appeal?

What can we learn from the launch of..

CraigsList
eBay
Facebook
GMail
HubPages
MySpace
Squidoo
Twitter
Yahoo!

It seems to me that the majority of those sites used
some form of viral marketing.

But, what specific actions would you take to initiate
the viral process?

John

[Ty Wagner]

A tell a friend script seems to be the main viral component for the sites list. That, word of mouth and news coverage.

[Steven Wagenheim]

John, if I had the money, I'd simply have a professionally done video made
and then take out air time on a major TV network during some major prime
time event like the Super Bowl and be done with it.

If I'm going to undertake something that big, which is going to probably come
with a huge price tag to keep running anyway (think YouTube) then I might
as well do it right and forget about all the Mickey Mouse stuff.

Of course you could always just...

1. Write a press release

2. Get a bunch of your friends (you do have friends) to get out to related
forums and just start talking about it. ("Hey, did you hear about...") Should
do the trick.

Other than that, at 8 in the morning, I'm not too sharp on ideas, but the
above should get the ball rolling.

But I still like my original idea.

Gets it over with quickly.

[hayfj]

get your sales page, and register for www.onlywire.com and/or www.ping.frm
encourage a few friends to do the same.

Maybe we start (if there isnt one already) - a boomark forum on here.

Bookmark the site and encourage others as well, to create backlinks on other social media sites..

..BUT BE CANNY, and DON'T OVER DO IT.

You may also want to consider some of these options too -

1. Use Technorati: Front Page
2. Get friends in your network to Tag your blogs at All News, Videos, & Images
3. Use http://pingoat.com/goat/RPC2/
4. Publish an RSS feed (a news feed that people can subscribe to)
5. Use http://pingqueue.com/rpc/
6. Set up your own feed on http://feedburner.com
7. Use http://www.bloglines.com/ping
8. Use http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC25.
9. Use http://rpc.pingomatic.com/
10. Try Reddit, Netscape, Del.Icio.Us, and StumbleUpon.com
11. Leave comments on other people's blogs
12. Use Deep linking (refer to older blogs in your latest blogs)
13. Invite people to link to your blog
14. Get a mybloglog.com account
15. Submit your articles of about 500-800 words to Ezinearticles.com, Goarticles.com, & Searchwarp.com
16. Create Video Tutorials on Youtube.com
17. Participate on sites like Cnet, HowardForums and Mobiledia
18. Use pr sites like PRWeb Press Release Distribution Increases Online Visibility and Web Traffic and pressbox - free press release distribution and news - press store - copywriting services
19. Interview other website owners
20. Answer other peoples questions on Yahoo! answers and Linkedin.com
21. Submit your site ODP - Open Directory Project
22. Place an ad on craigslist.com
23. Create your own page pn Squidoo.com
24. Publish an article on Business Scene - The Business and Events Directory

Hope that helps.

Regards

[John Taylor]

Ty,

Originally Posted by Ty Wagner

A tell a friend script seems to be the main viral component for the sites list. That, word of mouth and news coverage.

Yes, the Viral Inviter type scripts which import
contacts seem to be the solution of choice.


Steven,

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

John, if I had the money, I'd simply have a professionally done video made
and then take out air time on a major TV network during some major prime
time event like the Super Bowl and be done with it.

While that might work for a US based audience,
it certainly wouldn't get global coverage.

Even I don't have the cash to fund a worldwide
television advertising campaign.

John

[Marian Berghes]

Go do media buys if you want global coverage

And by media buys, I mean the big ones...where you have to pay $100.000+

Or contact google and tell ask them for an IO (i think its called like that)...where you pay 1 million dollars for 1 million clicks on your ads

[Martin Luxton]

John,

Looking at your list, FREE seems a big component.

Then, there has to be something about the site that makes early adopters keen evangelists.

What wow factor can you incorporate into this that makes people want to send it to their friends? Not a Tell A Friend script, but some content from the site that people can pass on. Or is there a cause?

It's hard to suggest something specific without knowing what the "Next Big Thing" is.

A lot of the big sites you mentioned didn't seem to take off straightaway and there seems to be an element of organic serendipity to any viral success story.

Myspace didn't really enjoy the exponential growth they say it did according to this article

Myspace viral growth numbers


Twitter grew because people used it in ways the developers hadn't dreamed of

Evan Williams on listening to Twitter users | Video on TED.com


Facebook's growth exploded outside its original demographic

2009 Facebook Demographics and Statistics Report: 276% Growth in 35-54 Year Old Users | iStrategyLabs


and the Swedish Pirate Party got 20% more members in a couple of hours after its leaders were sent to prison.

Pirate Party Membership Surges Following Pirate Bay Verdict | TorrentFreak


Maybe you should target middle-aged pirates with weird ideas

Martin

[John Taylor]

Martin,

Thanks, that's an excellent summary of
references.

The thing that interests me about the
above list of sites is that they are free
to join and there's no immediately
obvious monetisation.

The usual "Big Launch" is based on the
ubiquitous JV/affiliate promotion with
lots of buzz.

However, the really big sites often don't
start out with an affiliate commission or
incentive of any kind.

John

[hayfj]

many are corporate wannabe acquisitions after they attain critical mass.

lets face it the average startup entrepreneur isnt looking for a $50Bn buy out.

They want to make $20K, $50K or even $100K p.a.

They aspire to run a lifestyle business.

But one thing for sure, there is a very distinct process that many neglect or get wrong.

1. WHY - a detailed understanding of why it will work (or why its not working & fix it)
2. WHAT - what are the objectives they want to achieve - Create a Plan !!
3. HOW - the tactical implementation.

that also equates to

1. MINDSET
2. STRATEGY
3. TACTICS

(in that order)

Too many wannabe marketeers rush into learn the tactics, ill prepared mentally, or struggle to resource the implementation because of their over excitement or enthusiasm at being suckered into someones excellent long sales copy.

Sorry guys.

It needs to start at the beginning....

a sound idea that demonstrates a solution to a problem that people are prepared to pay for, then the plan.

My personal favourite tactics are -

1. REFERRALS online and off
2. Social networking (and business networking)
3. Copywriting
4. Video marketing
5. teleconferences, webinars and workshops
6. JVs
7. Blogging & Micro Blogging
8. Classified advertising (online and offline)

EVERYONE FORGETS WE ACTUALLY LIVE IN AN OFFLINE WORLD

9. PR.
10. Exhibitions / tradeshows
11. Ebooks
12. Forum/Group/Club marketing - Be Selfless not Selfish.

Hope that helps.




Fraser

[Martin Luxton]

Originally Posted by John Taylor

Martin,

The thing that interests me about the
above list of sites is that they are free
to join and there's no immediately
obvious monetisation.

The usual "Big Launch" is based on the
ubiquitous JV/affiliate promotion with
lots of buzz.

However, the really big sites often don't
start out with an affiliate commission or
incentive of any kind.

John

That's the thing, isn't it? Get the buzz and the interaction and hope your startup money covers the programmers and bandwidth until you can get some monetization in place (or a business angel).

Martin

[Steadyon]

Don't forget one of the most important factors:

A punchy, memorable domain name which is as short as possible and easy to spell.

yahoo
google
facebook
twitter
ebay
gmail
squidoo
myspace

etc. etc.


I just noticed that each of the above has two syllables.

Coincidence?

Sam

[Clark]

Originally Posted by John Taylor

What can we learn from the launch of..

CraigsList
eBay
Facebook
GMail
HubPages
MySpace
Squidoo
Twitter
Yahoo!

Strong focus on maintaining high-level User Experience & Interaction with the User's communities above anything else.

Word of mouth marketing cannot be forced... if the user deems it worthy then they'll advocate the website/service/product for free.

Initial promotions are necessary to stir up buzz then the community will decide its fate virally.

Also, the entry point to utilize the above services mitigates any and all risk from the user's standpoint (usually free to use and not too techy).

YouTube was missed in that list although, it is the quintessential example of WEB2.0 where user generated content, feedback and user generated viral promotions took the internet by storm above and beyond anything else since Google sharpened its saw in the late 90's to provide "relevant" search results at a time when Search was hit or miss with the other SE's.

Add the Warrior Forum to the list as well. The WF changed its platform last year to add greater usability features (not to mention the added strength of its indexing in Google) for the community which has increased its subscriber base without any out of pocket external promotion.

Basically, give the user the experience that they want and they'll come back with all their friends as raving fanatics.

For all those sites listed above including the Warrior Forum, it isn't about the site itself, it's what the site enables/entitles the user to accomplish even on an emotional level via interactivity with their community... a sense of user-based ownership is then born which enriches the overall user experience for new and established users/members of the community THEY built... not what the website owner built from a technical blueprint.

For the website owner, keeping on top of the user experience is the key which then enables the "satisfied" user to promote it through the user's own story framed around their "experience" with the site to the rest of their world.

Now, if I can bottle all that up and sell it, you'd create a thread about me too which then continues the viral promotional storm activity all while I hang out with a bunch of Virgins with Sir Richard Branson wondering with a smile, how the heck I got here in the first place

[Paul Hancox]

If you notice, most of the Big Things you listed...

Originally Posted by John Taylor

CraigsList
eBay
Facebook
GMail
HubPages
MySpace
Squidoo
Twitter
Yahoo!

... essentially CONNECT one person to another, in some way.

eBay connects buyers with sellers.
GMail connects one emailer with another.
Twitter connects one person's Twitter stream with another's.

So it seems the KEY to the Next Big Thing is to find something which will CONNECT one type of person with another.

That way it grows virally and almost naturally because of the user's need to CONNECT.

Finally, before it's launched... don't promise it's going to be bigger than the Internet if it turns out to be a Segway

[John Taylor]

Clark,

Originally Posted by Clark

YouTube was missed in that list although, it is the quintessential example of WEB2.0 where user generated content, feedback and user generated viral promotions took the internet by storm above and beyond anything else since Google sharpened its saw in the late 90's to provide "relevant" search results at a time when Search was hit or miss with the other SE's.

Yes, you're right I missed Youtube. And, although
it wasn't meant to be an exhaustive list, it is a
great example of the type of site I want to use
as a benchmark.

Basically, give the user the experience that they want and they'll come back with all their friends as raving fanatics.

I love the use of the term "fanatics".

For all those sites listed above including the Warrior Forum, it isn't about the site itself, it's what the site enables/entitles the user to accomplish even on an emotional level via interactivity with their community... a sense of user-based ownership is then born which enriches the overall user experience for new and established users/members of the community THEY built... not what the website owner built from a technical blueprint.

Thanks for that, now if I could just get the
technical team to uderstand the importance
of connecting with the end user on an
emotional level!

For the website owner, keeping on top of the user experience is the key which then enables the "satisfied" user to promote it through the user's own story framed around their "experience" with the site to the rest of their world.

Exactly, my challenge is to get the volume
of new "members" that will make that
experience something to keep coming back
to.

Now, if I can bottle all that up and sell it, you'd create a thread about me too which then continues the viral promotional storm activity all while I hang out with a bunch of Virgins with Sir Richard Branson wondering with a smile, how the heck I got here in the first place

I'll have several cases of such a product...
bottled or canned.

John

[John Taylor]

Paul,

Originally Posted by Paul Hancox

So it seems the KEY to the Next Big Thing is to find something which will CONNECT one type of person with another.

That way it grows virally and almost naturally because of the user's need to CONNECT.

I guess that could be said of just about
any website. Blogs connecting readers
with content, sales copy connecting buyers
with products. But, in the context, of a
large community, it's important that the
ability to make the primary connection
needs to be clearly stated and easy to
navigate.

Finally, before it's launched... don't promise it's going to be bigger than the Internet if it turns out to be a Segway

Mmm, excellent point!

John

[Lance K]

Originally Posted by John Taylor

It seems to me that the majority of those sites used
some form of viral marketing.

But, what specific actions would you take to initiate
the viral process?

Depending on the level of backing, I'd go with celebrity endorsers.

I had a sister-in-law who first heard about Twitter a couple of months ago because she heard that Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher used it.

Imagine if you could get Brangelina to use your new service.

And if you don't have the funds to get them, Oprah, Tiger Woods, etc. you still may have a chance.

In today's world of "reality" TV, people will pay attention to just about any train wreck. i.e. John & Kate, Kendra, etc.

[kenj]

John

I'd love to know what this product/idea of yours is.

On a more serious note - I think that there is an element of good fortune in capturing the imagination of Joe Public.

I remember hearing about "friendsreunited" on "Steve Wright in the afternoon" (UK radio show) and thinking what a great idea it was. UK.

If they had'nt been on that programme would they have made it? Eventually in my opinion but it was the catalyst for the huge uptake in members.

All the best

Kenj

[John Taylor]

Ken,

Thanks for the timely reminder. Radio is
an often overlooked media and can be
a very effective weapon in building a
strong brand and get the message out
there. It can also be more cost effective
than other "offline" media.

John

[MisterMunch]

I do not think forcing the page on people is the way to go. You can not throw a few millions dollars at a website and expect people to stick. If you were visiting the first page of facebook before knowing what it was. Would you have joined?? Is that "Sign up here" form so compelling?

My idea on this is that you need to give your first 1000 visitors a reason to promote your site. WRONG. You need to give them a reason to promote THEIR site.

Social media becomes big because people invite their friends to go on. It is a good way for them to communicate. Squidoo went big because we all believed we could make money by promoting our content. Ebay because the different people was promoting their own stuff and people started browsing around.

So you need to build a community. You need to make your visitors believe in the page and have a reason to spread the word. You need to have a service that is good of course but you need influential people to support you.

Keep the concept as simple as possible in the beginning. The fewer words you need to describe it the better. This will make people understand what it is all about in a few secs, and they will only need a few secs to describe to their friends and blog readers why they should visit.

Read some Seth Godin. That will certainly help. Not the blog. The books (the blog might give some guidance also)

Munch

[MisterMunch]

Think about what is a human needs:

Communication
Community
Greed
Expression
Entertainment
Personal Growth

I do not really know, but I think it is important to think in those terms. Build a list and pick a few to focus on. This will give the users the desire to continue using your service/website.

People are different and we have different emotional triggers.

This desire will of cource help the user to share and promote.

[Ross Dalangin]

Originally Posted by John Taylor

Working in a niche market is relatively easy, you
can target people witha specific interest or a
pressing need by choosing the optimum keywords
and leveraging the places where your target
audience hangs out.

However, by the very nature of the "Next Big Thing"
it must have a massive general appeal and the
normal niche marketing approach isn't going to be
particularly effective.

So, how would you launch a website with what you
hope will be mass appeal?

What can we learn from the launch of..

CraigsList
eBay
Facebook
GMail
HubPages
MySpace
Squidoo
Twitter
Yahoo!

It seems to me that the majority of those sites used
some form of viral marketing.

But, what specific actions would you take to initiate
the viral process?

John

So far, what I'm thinking is to make these sites linked to my site in the essence that each one of them has its own tons of visitors. By integrating like facebook connect and twitter to automatically add your post and comments to their site will be viral.

Also check tweetmeme, they are viral too! And what they are manipulating is twitter users.

Ross

[John Taylor]

Ross,

Originally Posted by Ross Dalangin

So far, what I'm thinking is to make these sites linked to my site

I'm liking your thinking. It's yet another twist on
making the "Connection" work.

John