Tutorial 2.0: To acquire and expand a user base

Equally important as branding your products and services to your users is educating them how to use them. If we are talking about web and mobile consumer oriented services the user base acquisition is directly subordinated to how easy it is for these users to understand and use your services, especially if you are counting on viral growth. And if you intend to expand the user base to other countries, translating all of your material is not an option.

Of course the user experience plays a vital role here, in other words, how intuitive and friendly the user interface is, so that users can rapidly adopt your service. But what happens when you have to introduce new features, for example? Or if it’s a brand new app? What happens if there is more to explain? Well, that’s when you need to consider a tutorial.

FAQs offer a limited (and tedious) way to explain features and troubleshoot. Moreover many times the answers are not accurate. I am not saying that you should avoid FAQs, but think about offering visual and audio aids as well: images, audio bits, flash animations that can be interactive, even online reps to answer questions in real time.

I personally prefer using video clips. Here’s a link to a company that created a very innovative, unique and simple way to explain apps, services and products (one of these things that makes me ask myself why I haven’t thought about it…): http://www.commoncraft.com/. They are called Common Craft and here’s one of their tutorial clips:




If you have other clips (and topics) that you would like to suggest, please e-mail me at kgoldrajch@gmail.com or feel free to post a comment.

Top 8 Reasons to Integrate the Mobile Medium in a Global Marketing Campaign

When creating a campaign in various regions or targeting a diversified audience, you must use a medium that optimizes your efforts, which can very much be the mobile phone. Yes, the mobile phone. Here are a few reasons why the mobile phone can answer your needs:

1) The mobile phone is an ubiquitous communication channel. You can reach your target audience 24/7, anywhere.

2) The mobile phone is a complete communication medium and the user is offered a variety of content. Besides using voice services, the user can stream or download videos, connect to the internet, send and receive various types of messages (SMS,MMS, and e-mails), play preset or download new games, use various applications including LBS (location based services), among others. Therefore, a global Marketing campaign can use any of these to advertise or offer ad based content.

3) Your audience does not need to be in front of a TV set, connected to the internet, listening to the radio or reading a publication in order to receive your message.

4) Most likely, your target audience carry their cellphones with them, in their pockets or bags.

5) You can demographically target your messages according to region, age, gender, etc.

6) Also, you can personalize your messages according to the different demographics.

7) The mobile phone offers interactivity and you can prompt your audience to go to visit a WAP site if you send a WAP push, for example.

8) Your audience had opted to receive advertisement or ad based content and applications.

Obviously there are much more than only 8 reasons for you to think of using the mobile phone as a global Marketing tool. Once you start researching you will agree with me and come up with your own reasons as well.