Well, let’s try to make this a little bit simpler, shall we? Traction is nothing more than traction , something that drives the engines of companies and startups towards growth.
It is simply about the channels and ways that companies find to grow and acquire customers in an organized and strategic way.
Ok, but isn’t that the same as marketing ?
When will the 19 forms promised in the title arrive?
I’m going to answer that question for you right now!
In the book Traction – A Startup Guide to Getting Customers (which may be on your next read list), there is no clear distinction between marketing and traction. In fact, the most concise definition found is:
“Traction is growth” – Paul Graham
Let’s see. We wouldn’t be irresponsible if we said that marketing is not growth. But that Traction is growth-oriented marketing . When evaluating Traction channels, we need to think in numbers, because without metrics there is no investment.
The channels may not seem optimal, but they need to work. And trust me, just because everyone in your segment is betting on visual media doesn’t mean your growth will be there.
That’s why Grabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares interviewed more than 30 startup founders to define the 19 Traction Channels that are useful for companies of any size and write the book that gave rise to this article.
But first, an exercise
By saying in the title that we wanted to tackle the concept of Traction in real life, we weren’t just playing around.
We take examples of challenging companies and products to exemplify each channel, thus demonstrating 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 fulfills its purpose of being memorable, meet:
Dr. House:
Not a regular doctor, but it could be Lupus. Our Dr. House does not see patients, but he does see doctors who need help in defining diagnoses. A laboratory that serves other pathology laboratories.
Mr. McDonald:
It won’t ask you if you want extra mayonnaise. In fact, our old McDonald’s develops a new way of preserving food: a wrapper or package that keeps snacks warm for many hours and sells it to the largest fast food franchises in the world.
And Mrs. Engines:
Did you think about cars? We did too. But Mrs. Motores has an e-commerce site selling pumps for swimming pools, artisanal wells and motors for small industries.
(Because if you want to think about Traction, you need to get off autopilot)
The 19 channels of traction and growth hacking
With our products defined, we need to remember that most owners or founding partners always have an intuition about which channels they want to focus on, and that is true even for content marketing .
The natural thing to think about is SEO, a good social media strategy and email marketing.
Remember: traction is not common sense .
Therefore, it is not possible to predict with certainty which channels will work best. The interesting thing is that none of the possibilities can be underestimated when it comes to this topic.
Let’s then get to know the different channels:
1. Viral marketing
Viral marketing is not synonymous with viral video.
Viral marketing is increasing your user base by encouraging existing users to recommend your product to other users.
Need examples?
Think about “ refer a friend ” campaigns and earn a little something extra , when you share your Uber code to earn discounts when someone downloads the app, or when you invited everyone to join Dropbox to earn more space.
Want to see how these can work for our characters?
Dr. House:
To offer special conditions to doctors with CRM from the same state, simply insert the number to have a discount on some diagnoses or a partnership.
Mr. McDonald:
Recommend other franchises and earn special conditions on package shipping.
Mrs. Engines:
E-commerce is one of the most suitable platforms for viral marketing.
Although discount codes and sending an offer to a friend may not seem that attractive to search engines, wait until they are announced at industry events.
2. Public relations
It may seem strange, but don’t doubt what good public relations can do for you.
Public relations is about making your product known to the general public, primarily through the media and influencers.
Think about launches, 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 package that makes your sandwich last for hours? It doesn’t need to be headline material, but there are several sites, newspapers, magazines and a whole world full of burger lovers interested in trying and spreading the word about the subject.
Mrs. Engines:
There is always room for topics such as sustainability and engine efficiency, as well as the dissemination of statistics on productivity in the industry.
3. Unconventional public relations
This is a difficult translation for “Unconventional RP.” Here, macedonia mobile database viral videos are most appropriate.
This channel is dedicated to exceptional actions, such as making it rain chocolates and doing small actions to please consumers, such as sending handwritten notes .
Anything that impresses and can easily attract attention.
Dr. House:
Viral videos seem ironic when we talk about… viruses, but they can make a big impact when talking about the rapid spread of diseases and I am sure that it will be shared in the feed of any curious person concerned about security.
Mr. McDonald:
The idea of a wrapper that doesn’t let your snack get cold is appealing enough, but we can improve on that by challenging people on the street to experiment and have their reactions recorded.
Mrs. Engines:
Good storytelling moves people. Look, Mrs. much greater ascendancy than advertisements Motores sells, in practice, engines, but she impacts the lives of many workers and discovering their perspective can be useful.
4. SEM
SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing, and yes, it is different from SEO.
This SEM thing could be briefly summarized as Adwords . But that would be a terrible reading of what search engine advertising can do for a company.
We can’t deny that most investments are Google-centric, but there is a lot that can be done besides choosing keywords and investing a lot of money without looking at the return.
General rule: When creating an ad, never ignore competitor keyword research .
If your keyword doesn’t exist because you created aqb directory an innovative product, it may not be interesting to start with SEM, but rather with a patent and organic traffic.
Don’t rely solely on paid traffic and channels you can’t control.
And don’t forget that there are other search engines that need to be taken into account, such as evaluating better prices, appearance in temporary searches for Black Friday or even in app stores .
Dr. House:
People have many questions about health and insist on asking online, but in addition to Google ads, it is necessary to remember that YouTube is the second most important search engine on the Internet.