How did the top 1 million users get it?

To reach the first "million users", social networking platform Twitter took 24 months, photo-sharing site Pinterest 20 months, Geo-signed application Foursquare spent 13 months, social media Facebook for 10 months, Network File Sharing tool Dropbox 7 months, mobile image sharing application Instagram 2.5 months, and path 2.0 only 2 weeks to reach 1 million downloads.

So how do you get a 1 millionth user? Serial entrepreneur Michael Geer shares his experience.

Do you think a good product will definitely attract users? Do you believe that media reports are the most attractive to users? Geer first questioned these two points, noting that good products can retain (retain) users rather than attract (attract) users. In other words, a good product, there is no chance to let people know, how to attract? Furthermore, PR and media reports attract audiences (audience) rather than users, which is not the real purpose of the product. To find the right target users, and then stand on the top of the flow of information to spread virus-type promotion is a viable way.

Geer, who has been a consultant or co-founder of a dozen startups, is also a senior lecturer in "entrepreneurship" at an industry knowledge-sharing firm, and is happy to share his experience in these startups.

A way of believing that there is no real benefit

Buy user data: He also spent money to buy a bunch of user information, email address, usually the quality of these purchases are very low, and is not your target users, it can not expect them to receive your email will click to register.

Leave information about startups on blogs, forums, and social networking messages: Unless you have free interns, this is a waste of time.

Accept all early user suggestions: User feedback and advice is of course important, but tune, every product and service has its own rewards and debasement. But entrepreneurs need to keep their strategy and direction.

The coolest sites, the most awesome videos: Yes, this is a very important part of the corporate image, and then sometimes this may not bring the best effect, this is not like Cadogan Bao advertising a support for China's good voice can increase sales, sometimes your video has been reprinted hundreds of thousands of times, also can not change how many real users.

It is not difficult to see that the above method, either not find their own target user group, or stand at the end of the information flow. So what is a practical method?

How to find a seed user

It's hard to start at the beginning, perhaps more difficult than the 1 millionth user is the 100th user. At this stage, Geer mentions the importance of partners, looking for companies that have the same or similar target users, but offer disparate services, to work with them, get some of their data, and even post your product information through their subscription email.

Of course you ask, why would anyone want to work with you? This is what we have repeatedly emphasized: entrepreneurs need to have sufficient resources (resourceful), and the concept of mutual benefit. Either these partners may be from your circle of friends, or you can provide a profitable model for others.

These users, like your seed investment, are the seeds you rely on to grow millions of users.

The spread of seed users

With the seed users, how do we best play the seed effect? According to the characteristics of their own products, access to customer communication circle, the common methods are:

Email Contact: In the U.S. market, you'd better open the four-mailbox API, including Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook (Hotmail), and AOL. Of course, in the Chinese market, also don't forget NetEase mailbox, QQ mailbox and so on.

API links for Social networks. As in the US, because social networking differences may require you to make different choices, the main social networks include Facebook,twitter,linkedin, Foursquare, google++, etc.

Mobile phone Address Book

Contact Humanities file: even include some traditional business card files.

3 ways to get through the user chain

When you have a seed user, when the seed user is ready for their contact list, all we have to do is get the information to the user list. According to the nature of different products, Geer listed the following three ways:

Natural sharing of products: for example Dropbox, and before the popular you draw I guess. These products themselves have the commonality of interaction, the user will naturally encourage the next user.

Provides some benefits, lets the user participate in the dissemination way: Here The typical example is the gift, for example buys the website, you invite the friend to join and completes the first time shopping, you may obtain the corresponding integral or the cash card.

Share counseling: This is the most common way to do business, such as sharing counseling on social networks, initiating activities, delivering information, and spreading it to their friends by seed users, and then passing it to the next circle.

Turn on virus marketing

The so-called viral network marketing, is the information like a virus spread and spread, using the way of rapid replication to tens of thousands of audiences. So what we have to do is spill these sources of infection, which is a good way to open viral marketing?

The key to the source of information: Even in the explosion, people still need to crave killer information. You can be a media such as TechCrunch or a pinerest.

Links to other users ' channels: The best example is LinkedIn, a social network that shares professional information about users, and you have to connect more people to realize their value.

Let users produce their own information: just as Foursquare or street-side geo-check-in software, or Instagram such a picture-sharing tool, the user's participation will motivate them to pass down.

Sharing discounts and other information, no matter where, discounts are always a good thing.