The document summarizes a webinar on helpful marketing presented by Kevin Dewalt. The webinar teaches entrepreneurs how to get customers to find them by focusing content on solving customers' problems. It recommends creating a target persona named "Dave" and then developing free content like a blog post that directly addresses one of Dave's problems, such as whether he should stay in his hometown or move to a startup hub. The content should ask others for advice to spread the word to potential customers. The webinar argues that this helpful marketing approach will help entrepreneurs succeed by proving they help customers rather than just promoting themselves or their products.

1. Helpful Marketing™ Webinar
Don’t try to find customers. Get customers to find you.
UOmaha
Kevin Dewalt, 1/31/2014

2. Your Biggest Entrepreneur Challenge
•
•
•
•
•
Great idea?
Great product?
Money?
Co-founder?
Getting out of Omaha?
Nope.

3. Getting Customers
Finding customers & building closer
relationships with them will determine
your success or failure.
Today we will learn how.

4. Question 1
Why do you think finding customers the hardest
part of entrepreneurship?
(and if you disagree…how will you do it?)

5. News Flash…
Customers don’t care about …
…you.
……your idea.
………your product.
Only about solving their problems.

6. Helpful Marketing
A strategy for winning customers by
proving you help them solve problems.
(or in a game … satisfy needs)

7. Helpful Marketing
A strategy for winning customers by
proving you help them solve problems.
(or in a game … satisfy needs)
…do this and customers will find YOU.

8. How to do Helpful Marketing
1.
2.
3.
4.
Know WHO (and Why) – target persona
Create free advice, content … ANYTHING to
help your target solve problems.
Pursue opportunities to help your target.
When targets find you, capture the
relationship, continue helping – and sell.

9. Today’s Workshop
We’ll cover getting someone to find you.
1. Create your Target Persona
2. Create your first helpful content
3. Get people to come and read it

10. Step 1 – Who?
Create your Target Persona - fictitious
representative of your customer.
Write, teach, talk, build – with your target in
mind

11. My “Dave” Target Persona
Dave is a 35-year-old American who lives in
Wichita, Kansas. He is married, college educated,
and has a daughter. Dave’s life dream is become an
entrepreneur and sell web and mobile products
online. He has a full-time job and is willing to work
very hard to make his dream a reality. He has some
technical skills but unfortunately doesn’t live near a
startup hub - and thus he has a hard time
connecting with entrepreneurs to get advice when
he needs it.

12. Question 2?
Why can’t I just say I help “entrepreneurs”?
Anyone have a target persona? Make one up on
the fly?

13. Step 2 – Help solve a problem
• Pick one of your target’s problems.
• Create content – newsletter, blog, video,
webinar…anything to begin proving you help
them solve it.

14. Step 2 – Help solve a problem
• Pick one of your target’s problems.
• Create content – newsletter, blog, video,
webinar…anything to begin proving you help
them solve it.
But…write TO your target

15. Question 3 - Problem
Does someone have a problem in mind? Any
ideas?

16. DANGER – Don’t make this hard
You DON’T …
… need a hard problem.
…… need to be original – only helpful.
……… want to write like you do in school.

17. Example – Don’t do this
Many entrepreneurs who live in 2nd or 3rd tier startup
communities struggle with the decision of whether to continue
working on their startup in their smaller, local market or move to
major startup hubs like San Francisco, New York, etc.
Startup hubs in major cities have pros and cons, and
entrepreneurs should consider these options carefully when
evaluating whether to move. Obviously entrepreneurs in major
hubs have more access to resources like capital, partners, and
team members….
…ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…….

18. Question 4
Why is this bad?

19. Question 4
Why is this bad?
BORING and reads like everything else on the web.
It isn’t PERSONAL.
There is no STORY.
** It doesn’t convince DAVE that I care about
helping HIM!

20. Better
Hey Dave!
You’re probably wondering whether you should leave home – where you don’t meet a
lot of other entrepreneurs – and move to a startup hub like San Francisco.
Well…before you do, let me tell you some pros and cons – it isn’t all sunshine and
roses in California.
(Ok, maybe in LA is is all sunshine…)
A LOT of entrepreneurs ask me for help on this question – here’s what I tell them…
Sure, there is more money in San Francisco, better coffee shops, and people are a lot
more receptive to new ideas. However, it is INSANELY expensive. Plus you’ll have a
really hard time finding employees AND you’ll give up all of the relationships of the
people that know you in Wichita. Let’s face it…in Wichita you’re probably unique and
people will want to help you…in Silicon Valley you’re just another dude.

21. Question 5
Why is this better?

22. Question 5
Why is this better?
1. The focus is DAVE – his problems
2. It conveys that I help “Dave’s”
3. It is 10x easier to write
It is not original or elegant - just helpful.

23. Step 3 – Get people to read it?
• Write down a list of everyone you know who
might know your target.
• Think of other places your target goes.
Then ask for ADVICE.

24. Email asking for advice
Hey Traci,
How are things! I just wrote a blog post and I was wondering if you know of
anyone who could give me some advice on it. I’m trying to help
entrepreneurs figure out whether they should do their startup in their home
town or move to San Francisco. I imagine some of the startups you work with
in Omaha have this question too.
Could I trouble you to give this a quick read and give me some advice?
1.
2.
…..
First, am I right? Do entrepreneurs in Omaha struggle with this question?
Do you think I captured all of the questions and problems that
entrepreneurs in Omaha have?

25. Wrap up
You have been born in AMAZING times.
• Globalization
• Do your startup from anywhere
• Crush bigger companies – by being helpful
Yes…startups are hard…but in the long run I am
very, very optimistic for you.

26. Learn more
Helpful Marketing Workshop in Omaha – April
19, 2016
– kevindewalt@kevindewalt.com or
tahancock@unomaha.edu
Free resources from Kevin:
– 1-on-1 help: sohelpful.me/kevindewalt
– Helpful Marketing 101 email course
http://kevindewalt.com/take-a-free-course-fromme/