This divide isn’t new and frankly, it’s not going to end any time soon. In the past I’ve been asked to design training programs only to find that some people [...]]]> LaunchCamp divided pretty easily into two camps, companies and executives who:

1. Understand social networking technologies inherently; and
2. Know they need to do something, but are not sure what.

This divide isn’t new and frankly, it’s not going to end any time soon. In the past I’ve been asked to design training programs only to find that some people within an organization understand social technologies and concepts very well and wanted to move on beyond the basics. Then there are those who are still figuring out how to sign up for a Twitter account or maybe have just dipped their toe into Facebook.

With this type of audience one size never fits all.

But for LaunchCamp it wasn’t just a division among individuals as Isis Maternity Community Manager Cindy Meltzer noted during our recent conversation. It could also be felt in corporate culture.

During the startup panel it became apparent that most tech-based companies being founded today are steeped in social networking tools. Not just because the founders are young, in fact their ages run the spectrum, but because the genesis for their ideas come from first understanding social networking. In other words: the aspect of marketing that takes conversation into account is built in. It’s part of their DNA.

Jules Pieri, CEO of the Daily Grommet

Take the example of the Daily Grommet. When moderator David Beisel asked about how much each company spent on launch marketing, the answer came back as nothing. Though, as Jules will tell you, it was nothing EXTRA. Frankly, marketing is baked into the idea of “Citizen Commerce,” which is the idea that the customers drive the direction of the products featured each day. This isn’t a one-way system of “we produce, you buy” but community conversation of “we find what you want.”

Since the community members are, by nature, excited by the products they’re more likely to take action and talk about them.

The same goes for Runkeeper, which factored sharing right into the product. From the start the idea wasn’t only to use a mobile device to track your routes and save information about you, but to share that information with your friends. By doing that you are, in fact, sharing the product you’re using. If friends want to share back they need to get that product too. The viral nature is built in, not tacked on later.

By contrast I hear from companies that have traditional business models and are looking for a way to build social networking into their marketing programs. This isn’t a bad thing (in fact, it’s great) but it’s also just the start.

To truly engage in this world each company must look beyond their marketing departments and find their communities, then use the tools to engage them. After all, that’s how new companies are finding their way.

After some introductory remarks, John Wall of Marketing Over Coffee fame kicked things off by sharing his insight on the Three Factors of Startup Success:

After John's presentation, we shared some popular YouTube videos with [...]]]> Please find below the video from last Thursday's LaunchCamp Boston 2010. We'll collect all the slides from speakers and post them shortly.

After some introductory remarks, John Wall of Marketing Over Coffee fame kicked things off by sharing his insight on the Three Factors of Startup Success:

After John's presentation, we shared some popular YouTube videos with the audience that helped folks understand the history and state of social media. First up was a history lesson by Brett Borders:

Next we watched the Social Media Revolution video from Socialnomics:

Finally, to help folks understand that companies both large and small can become social, we watched an interview of Scott Monty by David Meerman Scott:

Next up among our presenters was Jeff Cutler on the first of the Three Cs of Social (Content):

Following Jeff were Jim Storer and Rachel Happe of The Community Roundtable on the second of the three Cs of social: Community (naturally):

Last up for the morning Social Media Breakfast Briefing was Doug Haslam, who spoke on the last of the Three Cs of social: Conversation:

After a break for lunch and networking, Mike Troiano kicked off the afternoon LaunchCamp sessions with an excellent session on scalable intimacy:

Our entrepreneurial panel discussion was moderated by David Beisel of Venrock, and featured success stories from Jules Pieri (Daily Grommet), Ja-nae Duane, Jason Jacobs of Fitness Keeper and Raj Aggarwal of Localytics:

After the first panel, Dharmesh Shah shared with us his advice on sales 2.0:

Our last panel discussion was moderated by Paul Gillin, and featured a discussion on PR and marketing with Julie Hall, Carol McGarry, Bobbie Carlton:

Unfortunately, we didn't have the disk space or battery power to capture the afternoon breakout sessions on video -- you just had to be there, or watching the livestream. As mentioned, we'll be sharing the slides with folks separately.

The genesis of LaunchCamp came in October 2009, shortly after WebInno 23. At that event a number of journalists sat on a panel discussing how entrepreneurs [...]]]> We're now just hours from the start of LaunchCamp Boston, an event designed to help entrepreneurs better understand how to navigate the marketing world to get from idea to launch.

The genesis of LaunchCamp came in October 2009, shortly after WebInno 23. At that event a number of journalists sat on a panel discussing how entrepreneurs didn't need PR folks as the eager CEOs could just give them a call and tell their story.

The PR folks in the audience knew this wasn't true. First, PR is much more than media relations. But even just in the media relations context we knew that if every company in Boston took that advice the reporters would be bombarded with even more stuff than they are now. Plus, the CEOs would get frustrated because their calls wouldn't result in stories (or not answered).

The reason is pretty simple: what's important to a CEO of a small company isn't what's important to a reporter. Each has their own idea of "interesting news" and often they don't line up. In this context, a good media relations person can help both sides.

During a solo PR coffee shortly thereafter we discussed having an event that would help bridge the gap a bit. That is, help entrepreneurs better understand the PR and marketing process while PR folks can listen and better understand what it is that entrepreneurs really need.

Things morphed and changed over the next few months and we're thankful that a number of great people have stepped up to take leadership and teaching roles, not only as speakers but also as leaders in breakout sessions and panelists.

Judging by the demand I can assure you that while this may be the first LaunchCamp, it won't be the last.

Thursday, February 4, 2010 8:00AM - 11:30AM Microsoft NERD Center

The Social Media Bootcamp is designed to help entrepreneurs understand the basics of how "social" has evolved from a communications tool to a full-fledged marketing and business management philosophy. It sets the tone for the afternoon [...]]]> Here is the near-final lineup for Thursday's LaunchCamp event:

Social Media Breakfast Bootcamp

Thursday, February 4, 2010
8:00AM - 11:30AM
Microsoft NERD Center

The Social Media Bootcamp is designed to help entrepreneurs understand the basics of how "social" has evolved from a communications tool to a full-fledged marketing and business management philosophy. It sets the tone for the afternoon sessions, providing a common vocabulary for everyone attending the more in-depth afternoon LaunchCamp sessions.

The Social Media Bootcamp is for both skeptics and those who need to convince the skeptics. It's also perfect for "intrapraneurs": innovators within larger organizations who are trying to create change. While many of today's entrepreneurs understand social well, this is also an excellent chance to make sure you have all your bases covered before your launch.

8:00AM: Registration Opens, Breakfast

8:30AM: Opening Keynote: John Wall on the Three Factors of Startup Success
John Wall, co-host of Marketing Over Coffee, will discuss the three key factors for startup success. If you don't have a million dollar budget to launch, do not despair. There's never been a better time for a new brand to cut through the clutter. Learn how to fight the fear, lead the rebellion, and win customers.

9:00AM: Social Media 101
In many ways, social media is simply the logical evolution of communication tools that were originally developed in decades past. In other ways, it's very different. This session goes over the history and evolution of social media from the Web 1.0 days and before.

9:15AM: The Implications of Social
Social is changing how companies are doing business, not just how they're marketing themselves. Understand the full spectrum of applications and ramifications of social media on your organization, and what this might mean for your communications policies.

9:45AM: Morning Break

10:00AM: The 3 Cs of Social, Part 1: Content
It's all about the content, but how do you create it and distribute it efficiently? Jeff Cutler will take the audience through the fundamentals of creating and distributing content.

10:30AM: The 3 Cs of Social, Part 2: Community
Jim Storer and Rachel Happe of the Community Roundtable will share their insights on how to build, grow and manage your communities.

11:00AM: The 3 Cs of Social, Part 3: Conversation
Doug Haslam, newly of Voce Communications, shares his tips and tricks for engaging your audience on various platforms, focusing specifically on where and how the conversation should take place.

Organized By: Social Media Breakfast
Hosted By: Microsoft
In Association With: LaunchCamp 2010

LaunchCamp 2010

Thursday, February 4, 2010
Microsoft NERD Center
11:30AM - 5:30PM

How can you, as a entrepreneur, most effectively use the limited intellectual, financial, social and temporal capital you have at your disposal to launch your company? What's the role of PR, marketing, social media and business in launching your new brand, product or service? When should you build, and when should you buy?

11:30: Registration Opens, Lunch

Noon: Lunch Keynote: Mike Troiano on Scalable Intimacy

Growing your customer base is one of the most important goals of any launch. How do you scale your operations while not losing the personal touch? Mike Troiano, principal of marketing agency Holland-Mark and founder of several successful startups, shares his insights.

12:30PM: Success in Social: Local Launch Success Stories Moderator: David Beisel (Venrock)
Panel: Jules Pieri (Daily Grommet), Ja-nae Duane, Jason Jacobs of Fitness Keeper and Raj Aggarwal of Localytics

Hear from a panel of local entrepreneurs about their recent PR, marketing, social media and business successes.

1:30PM: Sales & Marketing Keynote: Dharmesh Shah on the Sales Funnel 2.0
How can small- to mid-sized businesses automate their sales and marketing process? How do marketing managers in bigger organizations learn how to speak CEO? Dharmesh Shah, chief technology officer & founder of Hubspot, answers these and other burning questions for business owners and marketers.

2:15PM: Afternoon Break

2:30PM: PR & Marketing Panel
Moderator: Paul Gillin
Panelists: Julie Hall, Carol McGarry, Bobbie Carlton
What's the role of PR and marketing in the launch of a startup in today's environment? PR isn’t dead, it’s just wounded. The whiplash educing changes in the media environment has left the PR industry reeling. It’s not dead, as many have declared, but it’s certainly dizzy and looking for some direction. Entrepreneurs have a more immediate problem: how do they get the word out in this shifting environment, where a site that didn’t exist a two years ago is suddenly a major player in communications?

3:15PM: Break-Out Sessions, Part 1 (Pick One)

What's Your Exit Strategy?
Leaders: Rick Marciniak and Terry Phinney of BrandAlign
It’s never to soon to begin thinking about your exit strategy. In owner operated companies, the greatest obstacle to a successful exit can often be the owner. Are you thinking long-term?  Rick and Terry share the  personal, financial and structural elements to a successful exit strategy.

Branding & Web Design
Leader: Margery Stegman
What should you skimp on and what should you pay for when it comes to site design and branding?

Product Development
Leader: Bryan Maleszyk of Molecular
Social channels are a great place to collect product development feedback, but how do you organize, prioritize and act on the feedback you collect online?

4:15PM: Break-Out Sessions, Part 2 (Pick One)

PR Improv
Leader: Adam Zand
Editors: Wade Roush of Xconomy Boston and Scott Kirsner of the Boston Globe's Innovation Economy
Think you're ready for the big pitch? Adam Zand and our guest reporters will put you to the test (but probably won't sign that NDA you want them to).

Agile Techniques for Startups: The Faster Path to Success
Leader: Joel Foner
Learn why Agile methodologies can enable you to ship faster, ensure that your product works better, has fewer bugs, and has "the right stuff that customers will care about" built in at the start. Find out how Agile approaches can work at small scale, even with a micro-startup of only one or two founders, while helping to create a culture of innovation and success.

Searching Your Brand
Leader: Jim Spencer, JBS Partners
One of the most important aspects of your brand is how visible you are in search. What are the tips and tricks you need to know when it comes to chosing a domain name, content management platform and content in order to optimize your brand for search? Jim Spencer takes you through the tricks and techniques you need to know to really own your brand online -- with a special emphasis on WordPress sites.

5:00 Closing Remarks

Thanks to our Sponsors!

HOSTING SPONSOR

EVENT SPONSORS

EVENT ORGANIZER & FOUNDING SPONSOR

EVENT CO-ORGANIZERS

It looks like [...]]]> Working on LaunchCamp Boston has been a pretty exciting thing this week. We've seen the sign-up list grow with some wonderful participants heard from some wonderful people who want to take part and add to the discussion along with the many who were already on board to work with us on this project.

It looks like the Microsoft NERD Center will be packed on February 4th.

Our goal is to help entrepreneurs make the decisions needed to launch their brand, product or service. While a lot of events help you learn how to find VC money or learn how to sell sell, this one falls in the middle by taking on the PR and marketing angle.

I've worked with many companies over the years that have struggled with just this problem. Years ago it was pretty easy, as the marketing options were much more limited. But today, when your Website is more than a billboard and you're tasked with engaging with your audience through social media, and on top of that, still need the exposure offered by traditional media, it can get very confusing. Today even your customer service and product development teams have become key parts of your marketing and PR effort.

But more than that, they're often not sure what pieces of the vast marketing puzzle they truly need. LaunchCamp is about understanding that puzzle and having the information to make informed choices.

Among the highlights is a panel hosted by David Beisel of Venrock Partners that also features:

• Jules Pieri, CEO and founder of the Daily Grommet;
• Raj Aggarwal, CEO of Localytics, a company that took part in TechStars;
• Carol McGarry, creative director of Schwartz Communications, one of my personal mentors and someone who has helped many companies launch; and
• Ja-Nae Duane, CEO of Wild Women Entrepreneurs.

The breakouts sessions themselves look to be pretty amazing and a chance for smaller discussions, but also as interesting is the PR Imrpov. This is something created by Adam Zand in which he takes the basic facts about a business from someone in the audience and "pitches" it to a reporter on stage. In this case Adam will be pitching to Scott Kirsner of the Boston Globe, as well as one or two other reporters who we're still lining up.

If you haven't seen it, it's a great way to understand the skills involved in getting your name heard.

Our goal is that entrepreneurs come out of this event with a much better understanding of the skills they need to fill on their teams to get themselves through launch.