THREAD: 10 significant lies you've been told about marketing:

On email marketing, ads, and referrals.
"Send a welcome email immediately after signup"

Don't. People will reflexively discard it as spam.

Instead, delay your welcome email by 15-45 mins.

The delay removes the subscriber's mental connection between signup —> your email, bypassing the reflex to ignore.

More opens.
"Only highlight your best product reviews"

Imperfect reviews can generate MORE sales than 5-star ones.

When a review weighs cons versus pros yet concludes the product was worth purchasing anyway, people see it's authentic & REAL.

So don't bury slightly negative reviews.
"You have to send a newsletter every week"

Most newsletters shouldn't be sent weekly.

High cadences force newsletter writers to rush and publish lower quality information.

Instead, consider only sending when you truly have value to add.
"Your startup needs a great referral program"

The referral programs that grew Airbnb & Dropbox don't work for most companies.

Instead, find your *social loop*:

E.g. An eCom pet store should get dog owners to post photos of their dogs on IG w/ you tagged.
"Always include a message while prospecting on LinkedIn"

Try connecting without a message—we’ve found that people think you're less fake. People accept the request more often.

In contrast, a templated message looks like automation & triggers people’s reflex to ignore you.
“If you can't get ads to run profitably, your business model is broken”

Most startups never get ads to run profitably

They're usually worth testing bc they're quick to experiment with & scale

But if they don't work, focus on SEO, referrals, product-led growth, & social content
"You need to go viral"

Word of Mouth is far more realistic and applicable to most startups.

WOM is the result of a product that:

1. Removes obstacles or pain from people's lives
2. Gives ppl dopamine hits of delight

Create something that people can't help but share
"You need PR for your launch"

You don't need a TechCrunch article. You need an audience—which can be built alongside your product:

• Build in public
• Add value
• Publish content

A group of ppl who want you to win > a one-off article written by someone who hardly knows you
"You should focus on blogging for SEO"

Most startups actually find it SIGNIFICANTLY more useful to create content to show their value and to HELP others.

This generosity—ironically—leads to a high-performing funnel:

Quality content —> Trust and sales
"Great products don't need marketing"

False.

Even the best products need marketing to effectively reach the right people at scale.

Tip the first domino for the rest to fall.
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