Yes, the Digital Marketing is full of jargon and we all confess, sometimes it is difficult to differentiate a pronunciation SEO / CEO, to lead the lead or TOFU will be the vegetarian option for lunch or classification of this post.
So it might not seem a very exciting proposal when we speak of Traction, another American term.
Well, let’s try to make it easier. Traction is nothing more than a pull, something that will move the companies and startups to grow.
It is the pamphlet you get with the sign and the viral of the next unicorn startup that does not stop appearing in your feed.
It is simply the channels and ways that businesses are to grow and acquire customers, organized strategically.
Okay, but this is not the same as marketing?
And when the 19 forms promised in the title will come?
I will answer those questions now!
Marketing Vs. Traction
In the book that can be your next night, Traction – A Startup Guide to Getting Customers, there is a clear distinction between marketing and traction. In fact, the most concise definition is:
“Traction is growth”. Paul Graham
You see, we would not be irresponsible to say that marketing is not growth. But that traction is marketing oriented growth. When evaluating the traction channels, we need to think of numbers because without metrics there is no investment.
Channels may not look great, but they do need to work. And believe me, it’s not because all the people in your industry are betting on display media, that their growth will be there.
That’s why Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares interviewed more than 30 startup founders to define the 19 traction channels useful to companies of any size and write the book that gives rise to this post.
But first, an exercise
By saying in the title that we wanted to approach the concept of traction in real life, we were not kidding.
We take examples of companies and challenging products to exemplify each channel, so we can demonstrate that from that pamphlet to the viral video if you select the right channels and control the risk and success variables, you can expect growth in any segment.
So that it is not obvious and this text tries to fulfill its claim to be memorable, know:
Dr. House: He is not an ordinary doctor, but can be Lupus. Our Dr. House does not attend patients, but to physicians who need help in defining diagnoses. A laboratory that serves other pathology laboratories!
Mr. McDonald: will not ask you if you want extra mayonnaise. In fact, our old McDonald has developed a new way to conserve food, a package that maintains the snack temperature for many hours and sells to the world’s largest fast-food franchises.
and Mrs. Engines: thought cars? We also, but Ms. Motors has an eCommerce pump for pools, artesian wells and engines for small industries.
(Because if you want to think of traction, you need to leave the autopilot.)
The 19 channels of traction and growth hacking
With our product set, we must remember that most of the owners or founding partners always have an intuition or two about which channels they want to bet, and this is true even for content marketing.
The natural thing is to think of SEO, a good strategy for social media and email marketing until we find out what events, such as Meetup or Summit can do for us.
Remember, traction is not common sense.
Therefore, it is not possible to predict with certainty which channels will work best. Until the first test results come out, your chances of making a full webinar on your branch or test Hurricane are the same, and none should be underestimated.
Let’s go to the channels:
1. Viral Marketing
Viral marketing is not synonymous with a viral video.
Viral marketing is growing your user base by encouraging existing ones to recommend the product.
Need examples?
Think of campaigns to bring your friend and get an extra toast when you share your Uber code to earn points when someone downloads the app or when you’ve invited everyone to join Dropbox to gain more space.
Want to see how they can work for our characters?
Dr. House: Offer special conditions for doctors with the same state CRM, simply enter the number to be discounted in some conditions or pool.
Mr. McDonald: Recommend other franchises and earn special conditions in shipping packages.
Mrs. Engines: eCommerce is one of the most favorable platforms for viral marketing.
While discount codes and sending an offer to a friend do not seem so appealing to engines, wait until they’re released at industry events.
2. Public Relations
It looks like rice and beans, but do not doubt what good PR can do for you.
Public relations consist of making your product be known by the general public, mainly through media and influential people.
Think of releases, articles in major newspapers and even press conferences.
Dr. House: No one likes to talk about epidemics. But a pathology lab can build credibility by identifying them more quickly and using the press to deal with the issue.
Mr. McDonald: A packaging that makes a sandwich last hours? It does not have to be a cover story, but there are several websites, newspapers, magazines and a world of hamburger lovers interested in testing and releasing something on the subject.
Mrs. Engines: There is always room for sustainability matters and engine efficiency as well as the dissemination of statistics on productivity in the industry.
3. Non-Conventional Public Relations
This is a difficult translation for “Unconventional PR”, but this is where people who love the term “out of the box” congregate. And yes, viral videos are more appropriate here.
This channel is dedicated to exceptional actions such as rainmaking chocolate making small actions to please consumers and sending handwritten notes.
Everything that strikes can easily attract attention!
Dr. House: Viral videos seem ironic when we talk about the virus but can cause major impact to speak of the rapid spread of disease and I’m sure would be shared in the feed of any relative curiously concerned about security.
Mr. McDonald: The idea of a package that leaves your lunch cool is already attractive enough, but we can improve it by challenging people on the street to try and we record their reactions.
Mrs. Engines: Good storytelling moves people. See, Mrs. Motors sells, in practice, motors, but it impacts the lives of many workers, figuring out their perspective might come in handy.
4. SEM
SEM means Search Engine Marketing but is different from SEO.
SEM could be briefly summarized in Adwords. But it would be a poor reading of what advertising on search engines can do for a company.
We cannot deny that most of the investments are Google-centric, but there is much that can be done besides choosing keywords and investing a lot of money without noticing the return.
General rule: to make an announcement, never dismiss the search keyword competition.
If your keyword does not exist because you created an innovative product, it might not be interesting to start with SEM, but for a patent and organic traffic.
Do not rely solely on paid traffic and channels that you cannot control.
And do not forget that there are other search engines that need to be taken into accounts, such as better prices, seasonal searches for Black Friday and even in-app stores.
Dr. House: People have many questions about health and insist on taking them via the Internet, but in addition to the ads on Google, you need to remember that YouTube is the second most important search engine on the internet. Who knows, it is not possible to impact a doctor or an end patient (never call a client!) over there.
Mr. McDonald: As it is not exactly a snack bar, Mr. McDonald cannot go around investing in keywords restaurants or geolocation, but can search which are the most sought by people interested in opening franchises food or snack bars.
Mrs. Engines: Do eCommerce, Ms. Motors may have tried ads in Adwords, but it is important to not only invest in long-tail keywords as not to be confused with car engines but follow the announcements: Beyond the cost-per-click (CPC), what is the true CPA of ad efforts?
5. Ads on social networks and display media
Self-explanatory! Right? Well, only if you went beyond Facebook, YouTube and Twitter and vanity metrics. There are many ways to make online ads and conversion rates and niche sites cannot be ignored.
It is important to remember that each media has its particularity – and this goes beyond the size of the image. Good campaigns are not simply deployed in other media, but designed to work on the ones that work best.
Dr. House: You need to be careful. There are specific rules set by the Federal Council of Medicine of online advertising, but you can take advantage of the parts produced in an ethical manner by other channels of traction – as a record of Unconventional Public Relations – and use them wisely in Ads.
Mr. McDonald: Mr. McDonald’s product already goes a good way alone, but all need to understand that advertising is generally understood as an interruption. No wonder the “Skip Ad” button exists.
If you have a good product, make it become entertainment to be consumed. Turn around on YouTube 5s and prove that by the end of the video, the end customer’s sandwich will continue to be warm.
Mrs. Engines: Good luck to an engine stand out in the Facebook feed, playing with kittens, memes, and much more expensive ads. But if we are talking about eCommerce, remarketing is always an option as well as display ads in specialized forums.
6. Offline Media
Not having a television at home is a choice, but it does not reflect the habit of the universal market.
So do not ignore offline media because ads on TV, radio spots, billboards, infomercials, newspapers, and even the flyers have their impact.
Much is argued against the results of traditional media, difficult to measure. To that, my sincere wishes for happiness to reach audiences of 55 years or more in the segmentation via Facebook.
In addition, few technology companies use this channel, and where competition is less, there may be your opportunity as well as the chance to tangible your product.
Dr. House: Ever heard of medical journals? They are periodicals directed to Regional Medical Councils, which even have photo poetry columns. I bet an ad about a pathology lab would work in that media.
It’s not because we’re talking about mass media that we need to dispense with segmentation.
Mr. McDonald: One of the small challenges of everyday life is coming home with the drive-thru warm and intact.
But the message can be reinforced on the go by going through an understandable average of billboards that encourage you to choose from a network that opts for packages that leave your burger warm until you return home.
As for stealing the potatoes, no advertisement can do much.
Mrs. Engines: In the US, there are large industrial centers. Coincidentally or not for interesting tax rates, they are usually in inland cities that bring together closed industries and condos.
Great for making TV ads and local radio stations for industrial engines and artesian.
Point for Ms. Motors.
7. SEO
The Good Old Search Engine Optimization! It is the process of appearing in the first results of a Google search, but not at all costs.
To be listed, you need to understand how Google works and indexes the results, and instead of trying to circumvent the mechanism, make your content understandable to the robots and the people who will access what you offer.
Dr. House: With Advertising Manual FCM (Federal Council of Medicine) in the arms, it is possible to address some tests, methodologies, and diagnostics with the right keywords, but also understand their own Google as a competitor with the cards that make the search for more reliable health.
Mr. McDonald: The B2B market makes SEO efforts and ranking a bit more difficult, but it is always interesting to rank well for these companies to seek.
Over delivering Menus? Children’s gifts? Research and produce something about what your customer searches for and is in the results.
Mrs. Engines: SEO for eCommerce is always a challenge. But do the basics well: bet on good titles, good product descriptions, photos and in the case of products as specific as engines, instruction manuals, demo videos, and user reviews will never be too much.
8. Content Marketing
One of the best channels, which baptizes this blog. And while Traction’s literature does not go deep into content marketing beyond blogging, we need to point out that you’re going to need a lot more than good text to attract customers.
Please also do not limit yourself to articles and eBooks. Invest in webinars, infographics, videos, quizzes, podcasts and content in other media such as apps.
Remember that producing content and educating your customers is far from being jabá or making your product expendable (if it was useful in the first place).
Dr. House: There are many scientific articles already produced through, so to make the content generate results and is not just an offshoot of Science, it is necessary to structure the content in a sales funnel.
The content needs to approach the doctor and hospitals in a laboratory that will not only tell about new medical discoveries but how to identify diseases and make everyday medical a more assertive task.
Mr. McDonald: The B2B market loves data and Mr. McDonald need not only to deliver packages.
A well-researched food consumption survey would already provide a good base of leads interested in serving hot snacks.
Mrs. Engines: Remember that strategy for product pages with useful information, such as videos, instruction manuals and blog posts for better SEO? Content marketing is well done with an emphasis on keywords.
A blog would also not hurt to teach industry owners why they should consider switching engines in the first place.
Many traction channels can be complementary, so take a peek at what others can do for others by directing their investments to the ones that bring the most results!
9. Email Marketing
Email marketing is not spam and it can be easy to forget that, no matter what you promise in the conversion box.
Emails have been made to approach and convert with strategic messages and can be captured via landing pages and forms in exchange for relevant information.
So when adopting the channel, think of your own email box. Which ones do you really open? Which ones have you ever been able to get rid of? And which ones actually got you to buy something?
The goal of email marketing is to make access to information and the flow of purchases closer to the lead but to recognize their points of interaction so they do not get … uninteresting.
Dr. House: Emergencies arrive with the same frequency of emails, thus a pathology laboratory should not cause problems, but solutions to the inbox.
With the day-to-day running of professionals, you need to think about not only the timing of email but also the responsiveness of the message.
Mr. McDonald: The B2B market has no time to lose. Probably half of Mr. McDonald’s leads have a serious inbox control problem, so he needs to find out when orders for supplies are made and prepare the terrain there.
Mrs. Engines: A CMS of eCommerce cannot insist so much on the frequency of email marketing.
After all, one does not buy a CMS with the same frequency as a shirt. But reminders of maintenance dates, parts rebates, and usage tips ensure direct authority in the inbox.
10. Engineering as Marketing
A little word is spoken and hard to be translated, engineering the marketing is to build something to get qualified users.
It usually involves putting your programming, IT and product team to launch a tool, microsite or widget that has some common context with the service to get leads.
Know Fantastic Generator Personas? That’s exactly what we’re talking about.
Dr. House: Okay, it’s hard to compete with the Watson of IBM, artificial intelligence that could diagnose a rare form of leukemia.
But it would not hurt to have an online reference of examinations to be ordered segmented by body organs, hormones, age groups … Just type a combination and see the list of the most recommended.
Mr. McDonald: There are several deliveries that promise to deliver warm food in X amount of time.
In order for X to cease to be an unknown, Mr. McDonald must provide a calculator that calculates the time a food can be delivered and that the lettuce will not go awry with its packaging.
Mrs. Engines: Would you give your email to find the return on investment (ROI) of a power-saving engine? Ms. Motors’ prospective clients yes.
11. Targeting Blogs
In free translation, “focus on popular blogs to reach new audiences”.
In short, influencers and their niches.
But do not just think about blogs, there are podcasts, Facebook groups, pages, etc. And for each industry, there is an influencer (and its price).
The best advice is: do not try to force your product to an influencer. Most people like influencers because they feel empathy for their ideas, likes, and the embodiment of something they believe or sympathize with.
Paying someone to talk about something like in an infomercial, if not intentional, will not get good returns.
Dr. House: There are many blogs about health. Many. Why not do co-marketing with the most relevant? When you cannot win the fight for keywords, you’d better do a guest post.
Mr. McDonald: The B2B market cannot rule influencers or the perception of the final public. In the food industry then, the ingredients, recipes, and methods speak for themselves.
Therefore, inviting a Youtuber to test whether a package actually conserves the temperature of the food can influence franchisees to opt for such a solution.
Mrs. Engines: There are many forums and communities for specific industries, believe me. Talking honestly with an active user and asking for an opinion on a product can go a long way.
It is not by chance that I am emphasizing the question of honesty. There are few users willing to risk their reputations to sell a product and a fake review does not scale as a traction channel.
12. Business Development
Business Development (BD) is a channel that tests the limits of traction marketing channels, but can be defined as the “process of creating strategic relationships between a startup and a partner.”
It’s basically the process of developing your business, acquiring a good base of users and making smart partnerships, often thinking about the acquisition by big players of the market.
Dr. House: Partnering with major hospitals looks good. BD for Dr. House could be prospecting for large clinics, having slides, arguments, numbers and professionals ready to schedule meetings and close deals.
Mr. McDonald: True to its name, depending on the interest in packaging, unit value, and efficacy of the product, it is possible that Mr. McDonald gives exclusive right to franchise of fast-food gallery.
Mrs. Engines: eCommerces need many seals to work: SSL, reliability seals and badges industry. Better yet to be nominated as a brand partner that you sell online and mostly, redirected from their website.
13. Sales
Exchanging products or services for money. Simple, right? Until the end of the month!
How is traction about scale, how to create sustainable sales processes? If my product is new, how do you find your first early adopter other than your mother and your followers?
Enlist your family and friends to talk about your product, but combines its disclosure policy to an aggressive sales target and track your metrics.
To get started, check out your business model. Read about Inside Sales. Find out how to make your customers work more autonomously and make sure they are compatible with the solution you offer before you spend time, and invest money.
Offer trials, let the process less bureaucratic, if your service is not self-service (yet), make your salespeople an expert on the subject.
Do not let the sale end the contract, take care of your customers and see if you deliver what you promised, get reviews and get better. Exchange!
Dr. House: Monetized from delivery and exams, the business could be done more easily on the internet.
Special fields for physicians to document your samples could be filled out, printed and sent with online payment.
Mr. McDonald: Do not make me think. Just get the magical packs to come when I need them.
Mr. McDonald could create ordering systems or manage inventory with his suppliers. Ended up? There’s more going to the door of your dinner.
Mrs. Engines: In eCommerce, sales are conversions, right? But there are many paths that lead to the buy button.
Analyzing them incessantly and having incredible support for specific questions will make sales a more natural process for Ms. Motors.
14. Affiliate Program
They seem to be complex or the reasons for “make money without leaving the house” ads, but they are not.
Affiliate programs are simply a way to pulverize sales by using your own customer base to sell more in exchange for some privileges such as discounts, services, etc.
It’s like giving the license to someone to sell or to indicate something yours in exchange for something, a tactic much used in eCommerce and info products. Do you know the seller’s discount? That’s what we’re talking about.
If you’ve found viral marketing up there, you’re right!
But unlike the one-to-one recommendation, the affiliate program wants the broker to reach more users and make it a profitable activity, even paying monthly for sending leads and conversions.
Think of coupon sites, loyalty programs, and content aggregators. Even sponsored newsletters have parameterized URLs for you (and many others) use the link and ask them to buy something.
Dr. House: Some affiliate programs in health has bad connotations. If you had an email in the early 2000s, you should get a message to increase organs, be cured by plants or anything.
The most ethical to recommend is to create loyalty plans for basic exams routines, such as check-ups at the beginning of the year, to have banners parameterized in health websites, among others.
Mr. McDonald: To sell for food franchises, nothing better than having sales representatives on a good affiliate program. You just have to be careful with the percentages.
Because a hamburger is a commodity, you need to ensure profitable levels of profitability for Mr. McDonald and his affiliate friend.
Mrs. Engines: A good discount URL can do wonders for any eCommerce. Great players such already leave their affiliates to create their own hot sites with a selection of products, giving a percentage of the sale to the aggregator.
15. Existing platforms
Focus on platforms that already exist, such as Facebook, Instagram, Play Store, etc. To generate an audience and leverage their growth. To add-ons and plugins for browsers’ worth (AdBlock!).
Remember the Happy Harvest on Orkut? The developers must have been very happy and made enough money with Flash animations until the decay of the social network.
There is a big difference between using existing platforms to grow and relying entirely on them. Do not opt for the second option.
The startup darling, Slack, started that way, but it’s no longer dependent on that to be installed.
Note: You can create products with expiration date and within platforms, no problem.
Seasonal apps that are going to be uninstalled or made to run on Facebook are welcome and make the internet a better place, or almost.
They are just more fragile to the API time, algorithm and key changes from the platform you chose. Keep track of your investments so you do not get lost.
To the examples:
Dr. House: If there is a laboratory application to track the results should have. And if it does, it needs to be well-ranked in stores.
Mr. McDonald: Use social media and take advantage of all the informality of the product to engage in memes. Think of Burger King vs. McDonalds Vs. Giraffes, this is your element.
Mrs. Engines: Be where your audience is. If there are groups of industrial boards and artesian wells, be part of it, but do not treat the audience as a maneuver.
Everyone knows that member who just throws a link and leaves, and no one likes that.
16. Trade Shows
Also called “industry events”, but we would be confused with the next topic 17) Events. There is a reason for this differentiation.
Trade shows are popular trade shows, filled with stands and products to offer. More than that, a unique opportunity to benchmark with the competition, interact with customers and have contact with the press in niche sectors.
Remember to prepare not only the stand but its service and a clear purpose to be there. Without a business perspective and a good audience, do not invest.
Do not be a place where visitors take a bag with gifts, flyers and leave.
Dr. House: There is a world of medical conferences. Choose the best and the specialties where you can give the best diagnoses. Take medical cases, good numbers, and logistics options so that efforts are not in vain.
Mr. McDonald: Power Trade should be great, but events in general always have some food options. Proving that you can make that meeting and still find your hot lunch can save a bad day.
Mrs. Engines: Not only eCommerce events live Ms. Engines, as associations of small and medium industries to show the efficiency of its products. Spot.
17. Events
The idea here is to create your own event (or sponsor much of it). Breakfasts with industry players, conferences up to a summit for the international presence.
Remember that organizing an event, no matter how small, already tells a lot about your company to the market, so do not play on the job.
You cannot get people to talk about yourself. Generate relevant discussions.
From testing the presentations in advance to ensuring a good network, it is your reputation that is at stake.
Dr. House: Many doctors meet to discuss diagnoses. Presenting reviews and partnerships that move the community can be something accomplished often and generate insights for the product itself.
Mr. McDonald: Who does not love gastronomic events? Even for the B2B market, moving the final public around products can be sensational and generate furor over that sandwich that has not cooled.
Mrs. Engines: Events to discuss energy efficiency and demonstration of engines to move from small industries to academics. Do not forget to record the best moments.
18. Lectures
It seems more of the same, but it is not. Lectures are likely to demonstrate your authority and embody your brand. They range from webinars on a white wall of your home to a TED.
Again, no one likes those who talk only about themselves, let alone using only adjectives. What do you have to say about the market? What story do you have to tell? If you are good, there is more chance of trusting your product naturally.
Dr. House: What is the case that most intrigued the lab? Share. Explain how they came to the diagnosis. Everyone loves a good medical narrative. Take advantage of the other channels to spread the word and expertise.
Mr. McDonald: Food is culture and a human need. At some point, we are all minimally interested.
It is a challenge for Mr. McDonald to cut back on his market share and to promote interesting discussions: what is the future of food consumption? How do nutritionists, food chain owners, and newspaper critics stand on this?
Trying to answer these questions, vitalizing the answers, and adjusting products to emerging needs are possible outcomes of that effort.
Mrs. Engines: Lectures for a small group of people or industries that just buying a product. Traction is not just about acquiring but maintaining customers/ users.
19. Building Community
Have you ever heard that if you use something for free, is it because you are the product? It sounds Machiavellian, but it’s how Wikipedia works.
Create a community is not limited to the open-source movement or the number of users whose exposure justifies the investment in advertising, such as Facebook and its 1.6 billion users.
If you’ve ever entered a more or less serious fight over iOS vs. Android, understood what is building a community – a legion of users around a product.
This involves having clear communication, incredible branding, and culture about their services.
Dr. House: Doctors have their own communities based on their specialties, clinics, and hospitals that work. It is important that laboratories be able to deliver more than awards, such as creating diagnostic discussion groups, having an agenda that fits the specialist rather than being taxing, among others.
Mr. McDonald: With the market luckiest this selection, Mr. McDonald can make a gastronomic tour of all the restaurants who choose their packaging. Just imagine the shirts.
Mrs. Engines: Remember the groups and forums of discussions addressed the other channels? Ms. Engines can begin to mediate discussions and become the reference to each other. Many communities need not be created from scratch but organized around some authority on the subject.
Yes. You have reached the end. These were the 19 traction channels.
Where do I start?
With all this content, this is one of the first questions to ask.
First, take the time to brainstorm these nineteen channels.
If you never have time to think about it, there is something wrong. You need to have time on a workday to think about how you can get and keep users. Otherwise, your company is not ready to grow.
Do not create limitations in your brainstorming. We all know that we never have enough budget or contacts, but this is not the time.
For each idea, ask whether the competition is not using the same channel, whether you have the capital to invest or a better idea to differentiate. Otherwise, the channel is saturated and you have 18 more ideas to explore.
Another sieve is figuring out if you can achieve quick results or sustain them over time. If the biggest industry event is next year and you do not have the money to rent a booth, you might not need it right now.
Content marketing, for example, is a long-term investment but medium-to-low investment that gains volume over time. If you never get started, you’ll never see the results.
In the end, select at least three ideas that look promising. You will only be able to prove these theories to the test channel and what will define the permanence of action or not, it is the CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost).
There is no expiration date for traction channels and much of the continuity of actions goes from which channels ensure a good CAC.
Be careful not to get lost in the variables. There are inconvenient truths in each channel and often your sales are not going forward not because of the color of the buy button, but because the product was not well established in the first place.
Your North must always be the most efficient and scalable way to get real users without appealing for easy solutions.
But do not be discouraged. Take the challenge and remember that multiple traction channels like events, lectures, and social media have the timing to happen.
Momentum is great, but we must continue to create it so as not to be known only as “that company with a legal action” and retain users.
Keep this in mind, pen, and paper in hand and go ahead!
