Get High at Work!

Marketing is all about the numbers

Written by

Kevin Sandlin

in

Tonight we got a special treat at our #DGM2 class: Maria Joyner of Synapp.io laid down the growth hacking truth on the class, setting the bar very high for our next three guest speakers. Who knew that Synapp.io was her first salaried job? The key to Maria’s success?

“Find a startup that’s killing it, and take credit for all their success.”

As a growth hacker, here’s what Maria has done since starting work at Synapp.io:

  • email marketing
  • rebranding the Synapp.io web site
  • relaunch the web site
  • a/b testing
  • building out the support team
  • Moving into the new office
  • interviews for a sh**load of new employees
  • product management
  • API integration for partners
  • work with web site designers 
  • write cookbooks
  • learn basic HTML and markdown

What the heck does any of that have to do with digital marketing? Everything, and segmentation. That’s startup life. If you work for a huge company, you’ll do one of these things. At a startup, you’ll do all these and more. Learning basic coding is very helpful to anyone in a startup, but specifically for a growth hacker.

So we’re now in our 4th week of Digital Marketing class at General Assembly, and these new marketers are rapidly learning that “digital marketing” is far less about fun web sites, apps, and banner ads, and far more about the numbers, and Maria helped drive that home with a thorough talk on customer segmentation.

Last week, we slogged through a couple of sessions of Google Analytics. Now that we’ve slayed that beast, tonight we dug into the world of data analysis and visualization. You know what that means, right? Excel. In all its glory. Microsoft Excel, whose replacement has been the motivation for hundreds of SaaS startups, still rules the day when it comes to analyzing data.  In fact, just today, I retweeted this gem:

That’s right. #4 behind three kinds of software gurus is the person who is most adept at making sense of all that data. I got my first promotion out of B-school because I could make an Excel spreadsheet sing with pre-IPO numbers. Remember: marketing is all about the numbers that go into the top of the funnel and the percentage that make it out the bottom of the marketing funnel and into the loyalty loop.

Comments

Leave a comment

More from Kevin

  • Normal is just a setting on the dryer

    We’re in session 3 of Digital Marketing at General Assembly, and the word “normal” has popped up in our discussions of analytics and measurement.  What is normal? Some would say “normal is just a setting on the dryer”, but we’re not talking about “life” normal, but marketing analytics normal.  In the DGM world, “normal” is…

  • How to Generate New Ideas For Your Blog

    Cross posted from the General Assembly blog. One of the most frustrating things about blogging – or writing in general – is coming up with new and fresh topics. You may call it “writer’s block,” and everyone who is even somewhat engaged in creating written content has run into writer’s block at least once. Well,…

  • How To Start Your Email Newsletter

    Cross posted from the General Assembly blog. There are many parts to a content marketing strategy. One of the most important parts is an email newsletter. Despite many cries to the contrary, email is not dead as a marketing tool. In fact, email remains the most effective digital marketing tool, in spite of the meteoric…

  • Week 1 of Digital Marketing @GA

    I could not ask for a more enthusiastic and engaging group for this session of Digital Marketing at GA’s Atlanta location. In our first two sessions, there has not been a dull moment.  So far, we’ve delved mainly into creating a brand and articulating that brand’s message.  Last night we got a great insight into…

  • How To Start a Blog For Your Business

    Cross-posted from the General Assembly blog. In the daily operation of Atlanta Tech Blogs, I have spoken to dozens of daily and weekly bloggers about what, how, and why they blog. Unfortunately, I’ve spoken with many more businesses who do not blog. The reasons so many startups and small businesses do not blog are many,…

  • DGM: It’s on

    The Digital Marketing (DGM) class at General Assembly‘s Atlanta campus starts TONIGHT, and it’s on from the start.  Here’s a quick peek into what the next 10 weeks will hold. Day 1 – we’re bringing Pitch Practice into Digital Marketing! Can you believe it? That’s right, the first step in your digital marketing journey is…

  • Teaching Assistant Needed for Digital Marketing Class

    I’m leading the Digital Marketing class at General Assembly Atlanta starting Tuesday Jan 27. The class will take place every Tuesday and Thursday night through April 2 at GA’s location at Ponce City Market in Midtown.  The class is full, and we need a teaching assistant.  While there will be an occaision or two to…

  • 4 steps to outsource your blog

    After Monday’s post outlining some of the benefits of outsourcing your content marketing, I received several surprised reactions and comments, mainly they didn’t even know they could outsource their blog.  Here’s where we are: You know you should have an active company blog You know why you should have an active company blog You know now that…

  • Social Media Strategy Class Recap

    I’ve written before about how we learn more when we teach something.  Last night’s Social Media Strategy Mapping class at General Assembly was no exception for me.  I always learn from those whom I am supposedly teaching, and that is a very good thing. Another full house at @_GAAtlanta for Social Media Strategy. pic.twitter.com/gbGOAGLlmy —…