1% Startup Marketing Challenge

Week 15

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Hey folks! 👋

Marketers and non-marketers-alike often forget how much of the practice of "doing marketing" is about understanding how to build memories.

At least half of the job of a marketer (or founder marketing their business) is to implant their brand into the minds of customers and make it stick.

This is especially important for B2B purchases, where research has shown that only 5% of your potential customer base is "in market" to purchase from you at any time. Let that sink in - they might "fit your ICP", but just not be ready or able to buy right now, or for several months (sometimes even years!). That's a long time to stay in your buyer's mind.

So how do you make sure your prospective customers remember you exist when they need you? One way is to leverage Category Entry Points. This week, you're finding yours...! 🎉

Remember: If you missed any of these weekly challenges or want a refresher, you can see them all here.​

Challenge #14: Find your Category Entry Points (CEPs)

This is every marketer & founder's dream...

A potential customer has the exact problem your product solves → they immediately think of your brand → go to your website → convert → 🤑.

But it’s rarely that simple - especially for new brands with very little awareness.

That's because it takes time to build up what are called ~Category Entry Points~, but boy are they powerful when you do.

Your 1% startup marketing challenge: Figure out your Category Entry Points (and help your customers find you when they need you).

But what are CEPs anyway?

They're the mental triggers that make people think of your product category.

The concept comes from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, and it's basically why you think of Uber when you need a quick ride across town, or how "setting up a Zoom" became the default for video calls.

Your 15-minute marketing mission

→ List 5 situations when your ideal customer would need your product

→ Pick the 2 most common/valuable ones

→ Plan one piece of content or campaign around each situation

If you don't intentionally create these associations, your customers will just... forget you exist when they actually need you.

Instead of saying "Our project management tool has great Gantt charts!" (yawn), you create content around the moments people actually realise they need project management, e.g.:

Now you're not just another PM tool. You're the solution that pops into their head during that specific nightmare moment. Your competitors are probably still banging on about features whilst you're talking about the exact moment someone realises they need those features.

The best CEPs are situations your competitors aren't owning yet. Everyone talks about "streamlining workflows." Less people are talking about "that sinking feeling when your project is definitely going to be late and you don't know how to tell your boss."

Obsessed with this concept? Read our longer deep-dive about CEPs and how to find your own (with examples plus a ChatGPT prompt to help you get started).

Any feedback? 💌

We'd love to hear it. Did you try this challenge? How did it go? Hit reply on this email to let us know.

This newsletter is from the team at Stella Startups 👋

ICYMI, we’re Stella Startups – a marketing partner for Aussie and Kiwi startups from early stage to scale up.

We bring you marketing strategy, brand expertise and hands-on execution, all with a commitment to innovation so you can make an impact bigger than your budget. Head to our website to find out more and if you’d like help, book some time to chat (we don’t bite).

See you next time,
Gemma & Bridget