{"id":4966,"date":"2013-05-06T05:45:53","date_gmt":"2013-05-06T09:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/newvinegrowing\/?p=4966"},"modified":"2019-06-07T13:39:30","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T17:39:30","slug":"launch-fest-2013-talks-start-ups-in-new-orleans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/newvinegrowing\/launch-fest-2013-talks-start-ups-in-new-orleans\/","title":{"rendered":"Marketing Monday: Lessons from Alexis Ohanian of Reddit, Breadpig and Hipmunk"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nWhile thousands of music fans watched bands and ate good food in the rain at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival<\/a>, just a few blocks away, Launch Fest<\/a> gathered a couple hundred entrepreneurs for talks about how to score investors and how NOLA can develop its tech-savvy talent pool.
\nI got fired up by the enthusiasm and knowledge of the presenters, including my Brooklyn neighbor, Alexis Ohanian<\/a>, whose resume includes leadership at Reddit, Breadpig<\/a> and Hipmunk<\/a>. He\u2019s also an ambassador for legendary start up accelerator Y Combinator<\/a> and author of the book \u201cWithout Their Permission.\u201d<\/a>
\nOhanian shared several lessons he\u2019s learned, including:
\n1. Don\u2019t overdo your launch, whether it\u2019s a new business or a new product.<\/strong>
\nIf you shoot the moon with a huge Hollywood-style launch, you set customer expectations too high. Instead, if you soft launch by telling people, \u201cThis is our first effort, we\u2019d love your input,\u201d they\u2019ll be more willing to give you feedback and give you room to make some mistakes.\n<\/div>\n
2. Take the time to appreciate and thank your customers.<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Website form builder Wufoo had a team building exercise where every employee hand wrote thank you notes to their customers. Imagine getting a thank you note in the mail from a tech provider, Ohanian said. How much of an impression would that make?<\/div>\n
He added that your earliest customers deserve special thanks for believing in you. Show them how much you appreciate them helping you achieve your goals.<\/div>\n
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3. When you\u2019re building your website, you need it to be good enough so visitors don\u2019t hit the back button \u2014 or click away to cat photos.<\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Internet is full of temptations, including numerous cat photos Ohanian shared. If you don\u2019t want visitors to your site to click on the back button so they can search for something else, or to bail out to look at cat photos, make your content and design compelling enough to stay.<\/div>\n
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The day included lots more advice and experience so check out my Storify round up of some of the day\u2019s tweets below.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Launch Fest 2013 talks start ups in New Orleans<\/a><\/h1>\n

A couple hundred entrepreneurs (and want-to-be entrepreneurs) gathered at the New Orleans Museum of Art May 2, 2013. Here’s some of what they shared on Twitter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    \n\"SiliconBayou\"<\/a><\/p>\n
    Silicon Bayou News<\/a>@SiliconBayou<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    “Don’t wait for people to give you permission because they never will.” @alexisohanian<\/a> #launchfest<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Thu, May 02 2013 10:23:30<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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    \n\"TuttiDynamics\"<\/a><\/p>\n
    Tutti<\/a>@TuttiDynamics<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    “Less meeting, more tweeting” @paulsingh<\/a> #LaunchFest<\/a> @launchpad<\/a> #NOLA<\/a> #inspiration<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Thu, May 02 2013 09:32:01<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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    Launch Fest<\/a>@launchfest<\/a><\/div>\n
    \u00b7<\/div>\n

    Thu, May 02 2013 08:13:24<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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    \n\"cnewvine\"<\/a><\/p>\n
    Colleen Newvine <\/a>@cnewvine<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    Networking hacks: Run an email list, host great dinners in your vertical. Be known in your space, suggests @paulsingh<\/a>. #launchfest<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Thu, May 02 2013 09:22:10<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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    \n\"WhoDatWhoDidnt\"<\/a><\/p>\n
    Alexander McConduit<\/a>@WhoDatWhoDidnt<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    What I’ve learned at #launchfest<\/a> so far…. 1. Figure out & follow my biz’s important metric 2. Build community into your product<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Thu, May 02 2013 09:40:57<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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    \n\"BlairHduQuesnay\"<\/a><\/p>\n
    Blair H duQuesnay<\/a>@BlairHduQuesnay<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    Great stuff from @delk<\/a> at #launchfest<\/a>. Legitimize yourself, find internal champions, empower them, ignore laggards, double down on traction.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Thu, May 02 2013 08:19:16<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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    \n\"launchpad\"<\/a><\/p>\n
    Launch Pad<\/a>@launchpad<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    “It comes down to hustle, and just working your ass off.” @schlaf<\/a> Steve Schlafman, Lerer Ventures @launchfest<\/a> #LaunchFest<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Thu, May 02 2013 09:37:26<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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    \n\"edolinski\"<\/a><\/p>\n
    Elizabeth Dolinski<\/a>@edolinski<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    “If you want to raise money ask for advice. If you want advice ask for money.” @rosshinkle<\/a> via @longomr<\/a> #launchfest<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Thu, May 02 2013 09:37:09<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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    \n\"amandatrot\"<\/a><\/p>\n
    Amanda Trotenberg<\/a>@amandatrot<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    My exclusive interview with Alexis Ohanion, co-founder of @reddit<\/a>: youtu.be\/WbDjXOTz-fY via @youtube<\/a> #launchfest<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Fri, May 03 2013 07:02:42<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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    \n\"BlairHduQuesnay\"<\/a><\/p>\n
    Blair H duQuesnay<\/a>@BlairHduQuesnay<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    The only thing that could have made #LaunchFest<\/a> better? Female speakers! Where are the women entrepreneurs? @LaunchFest<\/a> @Launchpad<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Fri, May 03 2013 11:51:15<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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    storify.com<\/em><\/a><\/div>\n
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    \nColleen Newvine Tebeau is a reporter and editor who then earned her MBA at University of Michigan with emphases in marketing and corporate strategy.\u00a0<\/em> She is a marketing consultant <\/a>who helps small and midsized organizations with strategy and tactics, including social media and communications. <\/em>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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