Data mining: Cold start problem of Internet products

Article Description: looking for seeds--an analysis of the "cold start" of Internet products.

Cold boot is a technical term in the field of data mining, which means that data mining needs to accumulate data, and that the initial data is empty or the amount of data is too small to achieve the required amount of data.

Data mining in the field of cold start is a professional problem, we do not analyze, here to talk about the Internet products, "cold start" problem. Or, more accurately, to use the concept of "cold start" to explain how the new product gets the first batch of users.

(a) of the reasons for the cold start problem

In fact, any new internet company is facing a "cold start" problem, that is, how and where to get my "seed users." New company because of no historical accumulation, need to accumulate users from scratch, it is not possible like Tencent QQ, NetEase mailbox access to billion-level inherent users, when the reality of the problem on the desktop, I am what to get my first wave of people eating crabs.

The "Seed users" seed user, mentioned above, is a common concept in the operation of Internet products. The seed user has at least two levels of meaning: first is "early", followed by "Hope".

The so-called "early" refers to the seed users in addition to the product research and development of the first batch of people outside the company to contact the external users of the product, these users with a curious interest in the mood and looked around the new product.

The so-called "hope" refers to the seeds of the user bred hope, nurtured by Word-of-mouth marketing to bring more users hope. Even if the web2.0 product, the seed user's opinion and the feedback can also contribute to the product promotion, therefore does not rely on the Word-of-mouth marketing the web2.0 product to depend on the seed user.

Come to the point, cold start problem new products will encounter, large companies can use the existing mass users to introduce new products to the user so that very good to avoid this problem. But "Importing users" is also risky, not lucrative business.

(ii) Ways to solve cold start problems

1, looking for seed users

The development of seed users is almost "hand-to-hand combat", domestic and foreign companies have precedents.

Linkined's first group of users are invited by the entrepreneurial team online (each is responsible for inviting 50 highly qualified business users, the CEO is responsible for 100); MySpace's first users are the founder's offline band Resources, Cyworld's initial development is to do offline propaganda in Seoul.

Domestic Sina, NetEase, Sohu several case readers may be more familiar with. Sina Blog Development in the early days through the media relations to a large number of opinion leaders, celebrities, especially the entertainment industry to open blog posts, and even pay high prices, other portals have followed. And this scene in the micro-blogging era again, we can expect the light Bo times this scene will also be gorgeous release.

To find the seeds users need to pay attention to the following points:

(1) Quantity

The specific number is not conclusive, depending on the specific circumstances of the product, but at least to reach the size of 1000--5000 people. In the early stage of product launch, this quantity should be strictly controlled. The reason is that the new product may still have unknown bugs or performance problems, through a small sample of the seed user trial can be effective to detect problems, rapid iteration, to avoid large-scale heavy volume when the server due to the pressure problem hangs off.

(2) Quality

Relative to the quantity, the seed user is more critical is the quality problem. In general, the seed users are the Internet industry practitioners, but also to product managers, development engineers, Internet enthusiasts mainly. Due to the professional relationship, these groups of people are highly concerned about the trend of the Internet, and the age of light on the new things have a strong curiosity.

2. Invitation mechanism

Facebook detonated the virus marketing precedent, happy net detonated the domestic pull wave makes the product after another, the time invite mechanism became the "best way" to obtain the seed users. It is necessary for us to consider the invitation mechanism carefully.

The premise of the invitation mechanism is that the product is closed and not open to anyone. The invitation mechanism is also a variety of practices, common in the following categories:

(1) Mail invitation

This is the most traditional and a long history of the way, this thing is done well called EDM, do the hit is called Spam Mail. So you know ~ ~

(2) Link invitation

Generate a unique URL with parameters to send this URL to someone else. You ask me the way, usually QQ and other IM tools. Well, it's a good thing to do. Reference to the previous one.

(3) Activation Code Invitation

Activation code, inside code, invitation code and so are the "code" Alias, in short, is a piece of code, usually a combination of numbers and letters, the length of more than 6 digits. The product design of activation code should fully consider the background management function, including function switch, generation rule, usage effect and so on.

The above three categories belong to online invitations, and several offline invitations

(4) Oral invitation

Inviting someone to open or activate a product in person, verbally or by telephone, is a popular way for media companies, usually for inviting celebrities. The inviter's personal relationship network allows the invitees to open a product or service. Sina Blog and Weibo are used to this approach.

(5) Invitation card Invitation

The product information, registered Web site, or even activation code printed on the entity card, through the offline release invite users to register. Physical cards are usually paper or plastic, such as the size of business cards for easy distribution and dissemination. Children's Network product box the world at the beginning of the product operation is in Guangzhou Primary School to issue invitations card, directly to the target users-primary students. This approach has had a good effect. However, printing entity card costs are high and should be used as appropriate in the promotion of budget constraints.

3. User Import

An alternative way of inviting registrations to absorb the user is an import of an existing user. For example, QQ and NetEase mailboxes have more than billion users, so huge user resources is a rare precious wealth. By importing existing users into new products, the rapid upgrading of new product users, greatly reducing the cost of new products to absorb users. In fact, QQ space, Tencent Weibo, QQ mailbox and so on product operation This method has been very mature. Not only direct flow import, mutual recommendation, as well as QQ killer "upgrade acceleration" and "lighting icon" to promote the method. This technique in the promotion of QQ products have been tried, quickly improve the market share, so that competitors scared. NetEase Micro Bo also through the built-in NetEase mailbox in the mini Weibo quickly increased the number of tens users, but such a promotional approach brought about by the user's active degree to be another discussion.

Summary: User import method can quickly improve the product users in a short time, but the negative effect is often low user activity, resulting in a large number of "silent users", in the community product users to import especially need to pay attention to this point. Otherwise the hydration of the community is unavoidable, and once the community is hydrated, it is even more difficult to bring the user back to the community.

(iii) The significance of solving cold start problems

According to the theory of critical value, if the number of people who support a certain opinion in the crowd reaches 1/10, it may lead to an overwhelming advantage and rapidly spread into mainstream opinion. If the initial user group of Internet products can account for 1/10 of the target user group, it is very likely to become an "event", promoting the spontaneous and continuous diffusion of the product, thus reducing the risk of premature death and reducing the cost of promotion, which is basically to improve the success rate of the product.

Let's take a look at the implications of solving cold start problems:

1, the rapid accumulation of user capacity to form the basis of word-of-mouth communication

2, reduce the cost and difficulty of marketing, thereby reducing project risk

3, the control of product release rhythm, for rapid iteration to win the opportunity.

Cold start to solve the need for products, operations, market cooperation, in particular, product design in advance, from the beginning of the product project will be ready to solve cold start. Various invitations are the weight and primary and secondary, of course, can be mixed with a variety of, but online, the basic mechanism is to ensure that the first. Offline invitation mechanism can be used in specific situations, if unconditional, will be able to receive online invitations good enough results.

(d) then what?

And then?! What the hell are you doing? Give a reply Ah, kiss!