Startup Revolution

Web Marketing Secrets
Want to know how we made over $30M online? Read our BOOKS and contribute your favorite Internet marketing reads in our new Curagami Book Store:

http://www.curagami.com/books.html

Send your favorite reads to martin(at)Curagami.com

Two years ago, we published a two-part post on social media marketing safety with Internet marketer, curator, cancer survivor, entrepreneur and Friend of Paper.li, Marty Smith.

Well, guess what? Marty is back. And this time, he will share his journey and thoughts on entrepreneurship, e-commerce, social media and how his battle against cancer has shaped his thinking.

Change The World, Save Yourself
I used to preach the need to THINK BIG, to change the world. Now I discuss the need to THINK BIG and change something more controllable - yourself. Next Friday 8.8.14 I'm speaking at the opening of the Triangle Startup Weekend about living a EULOGY instead of a RESUME life.

I came to the realization my life wasn't courageous the hard way - by having the Big C force courage on me. Entrepreneurs next weekend are signing on to making the world a better place and they will learn their main instrument is...themselves.

As we change, grow and see the world different movements are possible and our "virus" can be shared. Can a company started next weekend in Durham, NC change the world? You bet it can :). Marty

Our Startrup Factory funded startup Curagami, a content marketing tool for merchants and content marketers who "get it", lauched into "Friends Beta" yesterday & we need your help.

We need help teasing out the good stuff and toss the trash. As any startup learns problems multiple. Easy to solve the problem for all the right reasons. Together we can create tools needed by merchants and publishers to KNOW what content matters to who and why.

LESS STRESSFUL is our goal after spending years gambling with millions we want to provide a MAP merchants and content marketers can use to enjoy the journey. Hope you will join our journey and visit our landing page at:
http://www.curagami.com/friends-beta/

Curagami & The Ecommerce Revolution Played Triangle Startup Factory's Pitchday today discussing how how to fix ecommerce marketing with Curagami.

Why OPx Secret To Web Marketing Success
I'm writing on top of a great post by Stone Temple's Eric Enge (Scooped here http://sco.lt/6kep8r ) for http://www.curagami.com right now for a Monday publication.

For #startups finding ways to use or partner with scaled people, brands and companies is beyond critical. No one climbs Everest on their own.

This is why I'm writing about why Other People's ANYTHING (Network, Content, Audience, Money) is biggest secret to winning online for #startups, #brands or companies.

Impossible to BUILD an audience with so much NOISE out there, but you can CO-OPT one.

Look for my @Curagami post on Monday about OPx and read Eric's great post about how to CO-OPT an audience. Marty

Want to know what's working on social media? These 9 free analytics tools can help!

Tools discussed:

1. Followerwonk (New to us, but plan to use).
2. Buffer (Use and like).
3. SumAll (New but plan to test).
4. Quintly (New)
5. Cyfe (New)
6.  Keyhole (New)
7. Klout (Use and like)
8. ViralWoot (New)
9. Addictomatic (New)

IgnitionDeck is the world's most popular WordPress crowdfunding plugin. Includes free WordPress Crowdfunding Theme. Integrates with Paypal, Stripe, Mailchimp.

Marty Note
At our starutp @Curagami we've been fascinated with the idea of "enterprise crowdfunding". This idea fascinates us because:

* Crowdfunding content is highly social.

* Social Shares - Content is supported by entrepreneurs social net.
* Crazy Guy / Girl In Basement - content is buzz worthy.

Ignition Deck's wordpress plugin means its easy to add crowdfunding to your site. Yes, you give up the "featured" aspect of having your campaign promoted by a big gun like Kickstarter or IndieGoGo, but you gain control and the SEO juice comes to YOU and YOUR SITE not them.

Ethan Mollic's Dynamics of Crowdfunding study showed what we expected:

* Most campaigns get funded by entrepreneurs own network.

* Most campaigns JUST MAKE their funding goals.
* Campaigns that have 25% in first days are 80% likely to meet their ASK. * Even small crowdfunding sites have high PageRank.

That last bullet is because crowdfunding sites benefit from the Facebook effect - create the environment and have everyone else provide the content and links. If most campaigns are funded by YOU anyway using a pluggin like IgnitionDeck may make sense.

Where it REALLY makes sense is at the enterprise level. Our Curagami customer Moon-Audio.com can create a "board" asking for new headphone, headphone amp and audio gear ideas from their Ambassadors and other visitors.  

IgnitionDeck looks like a winner. We plan to investigate further and report back on http://www.Curagami.com . Thanks to Mark Foulkrod at Atlantic BT in Raleigh for the share. 

Every Startup Is An Elephant High Jumper
Every startup entrepreneur reading this knows what I'm talking about. Everyday team Curagami (http://www.curagami.com) tries to make the graceful dancing and jumping elephants we see so well in our mind, dreams and brainstorms.

We rub the bottle hoping for I Dream of Jeanie.

We know ODDS and OBSTRUCTION are against us. In the boring world of limited possibilities elephants don't dance. In our world elephants sit at the table and worry about their hair before a night of Disco Inferno.

It is not that our dreams are unrealistic. All dreams are unrealistic. No, the real challenge is in turning the crank ONE MORE TIME. When we rode bicycles from Durham to Santa Monica there were days when that single thought was all we (really me since the rest of the team was 20 years younger lol) could think about.

Turn the crank one more time.

Don't give up. Never give up because you can ONLY discover what it looks like to see NO MORE ROAD by continuing to turn the crank. And on that day, the day when you see nothing but ocean, you will have achieved something NO ONE can take from you ever - the knowledge that YES Elephants can jump of the moon as every startup knows.

Here's hoping YOUR startup elephant is a jumper :).

Marty & Team Curagami,
American Tobacco Campus, Durham, NC

5 Things You May Not Know About Crowdfunding
* 75% of funds typically come from person who launched the campaign's network.
* Roughly half of all campaigns succeed.
* Average ask for successful campaigns is below $10K.
* Campaigns with 25% or more raised in first week or less have an 80% chance of reaching their goal.
* See our exclusive market share and fees estimates http://sco.lt/5fBvov for the top 3 crowdfunding sites. 

Should your company create a crowdfunding campaign? Enterprise crowdfunding is different than entrepreneur or startup crowdfunding. Enterprise crowdfunding was one of the ideas fueling our Triangle Startup Factor funded startup http://www.curagami.com .

We see crowdfunding as a new marketing channel since no vote counts as much as money. We wouldn't recommend Big Brands place crowdfunding campaigns on existing platforms since they would be out of sync with visitor expectations.

We would recommend Big Brands think about how they can create their own crowdfunding channel and give Curagami a call to help.  

Should Startups CrowdFund?
I think the answer to this question is always yes. Startups have little to lose and everything to gain from crowdfunding. Crowdfunding creates an effective way to introduce your startup and it helps identify your 1%eers - those people willing to support your new idea with advocacy, social shares and money.  

Phil's Digital Marketing For Business [#DMFB14] in Raleigh, NC was a big this year. Phil, one of the cofounders of the event, shares information about Curagami's name change and reception to the idea by SMBs at the conference.