This time on Inspired Talks we invited David Perel from Obox Signature Series to give some insights and tips for the creative community. Warning: lots of useful advice for freelancers and startup owners in the design niche.
Recently we launched a theme company called the Obox Signature Series. After two months in a ‘saturated’ market it’s become profitable. The reason we believe it became successful so ‘quickly’ is because of the power of Social Media.
Our total marketing budget at Obox Design is about $100 a month. Usually at the end of the month we have $92 left. The only thing we have spent money on so far is a subscription to PeaShoot App… which we barely use.
So how is this possible?
The real cost is time.
In order to understand the process we need to wind the clock back to October 2008. One thing many people don’t realize is that Social Media is not a magic trick, like any marketing campaign it takes time. So even though we were successful from month two of launch it has taken months to build up to that point.
Very briefly, 10 months ago we launched a video blog, the vlog became quite successful within our target market and luckily some of the honchos of the design space used to watch it as well. Through a huge amount of effort and time we began to get a reasonably big viewership.
Because our viewers always saw who we were, and weren’t just reading a blog post which had been edited 1000 times, we got their trust from being real. It was through this process of vlogging everyday and interacting with every single commenter that we managed to build a big enough following of people who trust us and believe in our brand.
It took 10 months of pumping out content every single day, interacting on Twitter, Facebook and email in order to give us a base on which we could launch an online product.
The key to a successful Social Media marketing campaign is that it takes time and effort.
Expect to work long hours. Expect to shift your time zone. Expect to answer every single email. Expect to get shot down by people on Twitter.
Here are three marketing tips / ideas which we used in order to get growth, interaction and eventually, sales. None of these tips are miracles over night. They all take time and perseverance.
Build hype
People think that SM is about being completely honest and transparent. As true as that may be, you still need to remember the fundamentals of marketing. All we are doing is shifting tried and trusted methods onto a different medium.
Some things are best kept secret for as long as possible. Car makers build hype by hiding their test cars under ugly clothing, as the car gets closer to launch the Manufacturers start to show more and more of the car. This feeds the potential customers with little tit bits of what’s to come.
Through this slow process the hype of the revealing is built up. In the offline world this can cost huge money. In the online world it costs effort.
Two campaigns that we created were all done using a cellphone camera, a deadline and a secret. In both instances the secret was a theme. Also in both instances the deadline was almost impossible to achieve. What we did was post daily diary entries of the progress we had been making.
For each passing day we gave viewers the sneakiest of previews of what was to come.
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Shane Wilson December 5, 2009
How could I not leave a comment after reading that. Great advice and It has changed the way I will be interacting online. Thanks
Modern Day Peasant December 6, 2009
Congrats guys! Your message of hard work and patience is so true. It seems that most people think they can jump online and make an overnight fortune! While I’m sure it happens on occasion, it doesn’t happen that way for most of us. If you want a new career in the Internet Marketing Arena be prepared to set some obtainable goals, work hard and express some creativity.
Well done!
Suhail December 17, 2009
u guys truly are “Tribe builders”
Karim Awad December 17, 2009
fantastic! We’ve been doing very similar things for the past few months and know we’re on the right track.
So many broadcasters but not much quality or worthwhile info. Building up a relevant social media strategy is key. Just because you can have a free Facebook page doesn’t’ mean you should have one, unless as you say, there is a relevant reason for it. Perfect.
Clarence December 18, 2009
Great interview for those who wish to start web design company with little or no money. The successful of Obox design inspired me that we certainly have chance of getting sucess in the online business.
Mark Carter December 19, 2009
It took 10 months of pumping out content every single day, interacting on Twitter, Facebook and email in order to give us a base on which we could launch an online product.”
This is so revealing. Many thanks for this insightful article.
SEO Sheffield January 9, 2010
You know what, I’m in a band and 90% of this applies to that too!
Great ideas and I totally agree that SMM is NOT a golden ticket, but is a huge help if done correctly.
Barnsley Webdesign January 22, 2010
Great post mate, totally agree..
Dave January 24, 2010
Very refreshing to see someone give a realistic overview on Social Media. A lot people think that simply by creating a twitter account their SM work is done and the clients will roll in.
I think it also shows you can really do well online when you have the right plan and the focus to follow it through day in day out.
Dofollow January 25, 2010
Lofty interview on behalf of folks who hope for to start a tangled web design company with not very or else rebuff money. The booming of Obox design inspired me with the aim of we certainly retain ability of getting sucess in the sphere of the online topic.
Jason Holland Design February 5, 2010
Thanks so much for a great post!
I’ve been freelancing from home for the last 12 years (along side working an office job for another company).
Recently, I’ve decided to make a go of making my freelance a full-time business. I live in a small town here in California (Santa Maria on the Central Coast). The biggest hurdle I’m trying to overcome is how to find clients when I don’t live in a big city.
Thanks again for this great and relevant post!
Chris Olbekson February 20, 2010
I have always liked those 2 guys and loved their simple tutorials on hand drawn websites.
I started freelancing about a year ago and it’s a rough business but I believe if you keep at it like David Peril, you can be successful.
vinyl wood flooring February 23, 2010
Nice information, many thanks to the author.
Wolf March 10, 2010
Totally agree. The same goes for How To Successfully Launch a Web App Startup with Social Media and almost No Budget. Hard work & long nights. Can’t even remember when I got some proper sleep lately. When we tend to go to bed here in Europe our aussie users are getting up and vice versa – but that’s part of the deal right! But we can take it because we love what we do.
maloon March 10, 2010
Great article, very well written and so inspiring. But the thing that crossed my mind while reading the first part and the first tip “Hype” was this:
Sure, it’s great to post new content every day and hype is a very effective way of getting to sell the product in the end. And if you have a fanbase to start with, it will grow and flourish as time passes by and as long as you keep creating new and interesting content. But how do you get that fanbase?
Let’s say I want to start a new webdesign business but nobody knows me (apart from my friends that is but as you said – friends and biz are two different things). Nobody knows my site/blog/vlog/twitter account, etc.. I could post videos all day long, if nobody knows about it, nobody will watch it, nothing will get spread etc.
For me it’s always the same: Got a lot of money? Easy to make even more money. Got a lot of fans and a good and widespread reputation? Easy to get even more of it.
Maybe replace “easy” with “easier” but you guys know what I mean.
Apart from that: Still very inspiring, I especially like the hard work and post relevant post part. Good Good Good :-)
John Gore March 11, 2010
This is a great post, you guys are doing all the right stuff, kudos!
ebooks-port March 11, 2010
Good article. I personally got it done with http://www.web-artis.com Its cheap and fast!
Muhammad Ghazali April 6, 2010
A good basic and simple advice for me, nice. I’ll try it. Thank you.
Web Design Barnsley May 22, 2010
Decision makers in new businesses need to recognise the importance of internet marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy.
krish June 17, 2010
Agree with the concept of sowing seeds first to reap benefits later. We got friends all through our life like this. We met people, talked to them, understood each other and probably later became friends. Getting a new client is no less than this friend building process.
Ed Townend, Barnsley Web Designer July 19, 2010
Definitely applies to me, but keeping every post and contribution to the desired standard is tough when you’re adding posts all over, every day. That’s the hardest part in my mind, consistently writing interesting content rather than spam.
Tyler Malicote October 16, 2010
These are really nice tips for freelancers and startup owners in the design niche, and i agree with the key to a successful Social Media marketing campaign is that it takes time and effort.
Tom Brauch November 4, 2010
Blood, sweat and tears. Love it. I like the teaser idea. That’s the interesting piece I need to look into more. The rest I’ve heard, but all good stuff.
Nathan November 4, 2010
I think you make some really good points. What I do wonder if whether you did an ROI on the $8 marketing spend and calculated what you actually spend in hours over the year.
Consider:
A cost benefit analysis of this approach vs outsource by employing a strategist for an upfront planning phase, a community manager for x hours a week and implementing a well thought out SEO campaign.
Spend that extra time producing marketing materials and cold calling a range of targeted businesses and conducting some face to face networking techniques.
Employ the services of a lead generation partner who is paid to provide quality leads to your business. You then need to follow these up with a quality offering.
I think your approach has been unique and no doubt provided great learnings. If your time was not otherwise consumed servicing your clients I would say two thumbs up, but this approach will not suit all start ups who may be more delivery focused.
Brian Renew November 4, 2010
Great article, and I agree. You have plenty of good tips that I can pass along to my clients. Thanks a bunch!
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Asif November 10, 2010
This is worth reading article, great points, experience, very good :)
Thanks for sharing!
Amber Weinberg November 17, 2010
Social media has always been the best way to gain clients as a freelancer, as well as getting the word out on the best services. It allows you to compete against the big companies without having to have their budget. :)
Slaapme December 7, 2010
Really THX for this post, we are trying to launch or buisness, and the most difficult part is everytime communication . And we are French so….more difficult to meet interesting people ..
THX a lot !
Eric February 20, 2011
Wow thanks for this post, really useful tips!
Anthony Galeano February 21, 2011
awesome, just awesome, thanks.
montessori academy franklin park nj December 2, 2011
Its very nice article and i appreciate you for such nice info.
gary January 28, 2012
Good post, it still amazes me that people ask for website / fb page / twitter account to launch at the same time – but haven’t given the time to think about what they want to achieve with them. I come across clients that think social media is a magic wand that will direct traffic to their website – but completely miss the point and fail to dedicate enough time to make it truly work.
Traditional marketing techniques work in the social media sphere – it’s just more difficult to analyse the ROI.
Ideally i’d like our clients to contact us 8 or more months before wanting a website, that would give some time to build up interest using the social tools and make for a happier website launch.
SEO Sheffield May 9, 2012
A really great article. I always advise to my clients to embrace the Social Media themselves ideally the business owner. It does take time to build and you need to set aside time per day to complete it.