The SaaS Marketing Show

How Conversion.AI got their first 1000 users in just 30 days with Austin Distel - Episode 32

Sun Feb 28 2021

Conversion AImarketingsocial proof marketingcopywritingpodcastingSaaS marketing

Description

This episode is a comprehensive summary of the interview with Austin Distel, CMO of Conversion AI. It covers the growth of Conversion AI, onboarding and marketing strategies, creating engagement and raving fans, interactive podcasting and social proof marketing, marketing strategies for SaaS marketers, and Conversion AI's own marketing tactics.

Insights

Conversion AI's rapid growth

Conversion AI achieved significant growth in a short period of time by leveraging their existing audience and influence, focusing on the quality of their product, and using social proof marketing strategies.

The power of social proof marketing

Social proof marketing is more effective than traditional methods as it involves showcasing customer reactions and experiences. SaaS companies should collect social proof from their customers to use in their ads.

Creating engagement and raving fans

Engagement on social media creates conversations and stirs up more engagement. Audacious goals challenge users and generate interest. By using Conversion AI, users can become authors or high-converting copywriters, elevating their identity.

Interactive podcasting with Restream

Restream provides an interactive podcasting experience and allows for streaming across multiple platforms. Onboarding calls and webinars engage users by building with the audience. The focus is on improving podcasting and building a community of users.

Marketing strategies for SaaS marketers

SaaS companies should focus on collecting social proof, capturing customer stories, and creating anticipation before launching. Conversion AI markets to marketers, creating an exciting loop of audience engagement.

Chapters

Introduction
Growth of Conversion AI
Onboarding and Marketing Strategies
Creating Engagement and Raving Fans
Interactive Podcasting and Social Proof Marketing
Marketing Strategies for SaaS Marketers
Conversion AI's Marketing Tactics

Summary

Transcript

Introduction

00:07 - 07:22

This episode is a live interview with Austin Distel, CMO of Conversion AI.
Conversion AI went from zero to over 2,000 users in their first 48 days.
The interview was livestreamed on multiple platforms.
Dylan Hay recommends following him on LinkedIn for future live interviews.
Austin Distel's background includes running a marketing agency and working on Proof software.
Proof uses social proof marketing to boost conversion rates on websites.
Conversion AI is an artificial intelligence tool that writes marketing copy.
In the first 30 days, Conversion AI gained over 1,000 customers using social proof marketing strategies learned from Proof.
The strategies shared in this episode can be applied to any business.

Growth of Conversion AI

07:01 - 14:13

Conversion AI has helped the agency owner and their team generate copy ideas faster.
The initial ideation stage of copyrighting can be challenging, but Conversion AI has made it much easier.
The agency owner's team members who are not skilled in copywriting have been able to create copy much faster with Conversion AI.
Conversion AI has achieved significant growth from zero to over 2000 users in a short period of time.
The success of Conversion AI is attributed to the quality of the product and the leverage they have through their existing audience and influence.
The pre-launch phase of Conversion AI focused on getting beta users to experience the wow factor and share their positive stories.
Recording customer onboarding sessions and using them as testimonial videos has been an effective marketing tactic for Conversion AI.

Onboarding and Marketing Strategies

13:45 - 20:58

Recording customer testimonials can be used as marketing assets.
Early onboarding flow was inspired by Superhuman's approach.
Charging early access users helps filter out tire kickers.
Positioning as 'early access' instead of 'beta' creates exclusivity and urgency.
Using posts to encourage engagement and showcase the product's capabilities.
Identifying key moments in the product that will attract customers.
Building marketing strategies around those key moments.

Creating Engagement and Raving Fans

20:33 - 28:27

Social media posts with good engagement were shared without linking to the product to keep attention on Facebook.
Engagement stirs up more engagement, creating conversations publicly about the value.
The wow moment is not necessarily about AI, but about relevant copy printed in seconds.
Audacious goals create raving fans; challenge users to accomplish something notable.
The goal of writing a book in seven days was an audacious goal that generated interest and engagement.
The challenge of writing a book is happening again in the Jarvis Underground Facebook group.
Marketing is about selling the dream of who users can become by using the product.
By using the software, users can become authors or high-converting copywriters, elevating their identity.
Software eliminates mundane tasks and allows users to focus on higher-level work.
Restream creates an opportunity for users to be podcasters and provides an interactive show-like experience.

Interactive Podcasting and Social Proof Marketing

27:57 - 35:06

Using Restream creates an interactive podcasting experience, similar to a CNN show with live comments and paneling.
Restream allows for streaming across multiple platforms, providing additional content pieces for podcasters.
The focus is on improving podcasting and building a community of users.
Onboarding calls and webinars are used to engage with current users and customers.
The sessions involve building with the audience rather than just showing features.
The company aims to create a business that they genuinely enjoy and focuses on the audience first before the product.
Social proof marketing is more effective than traditional marketing methods, as it involves showcasing customer reactions and experiences.
SaaS companies often overlook collecting social proof from their customers in their ads.

Marketing Strategies for SaaS Marketers

34:37 - 41:43

Many SaaS companies don't think about collecting social proof from their customers.
The podcast host shared a positive experience with Conversion AI and encouraged his team to try it out.
Conversion AI markets to marketers, creating an exciting loop of audience engagement.
Being relatable and solving your own problems can make you a better marketer.
Conversion AI focuses on capturing customer stories and making them the headline.
The help center built by Conversion AI provides valuable content beyond just product support.
Creating anticipation and building hype before launching can lead to rapid user growth.
The podcast host recommends following Conversion AI's marketing strategies for SaaS marketers.

Conversion AI's Marketing Tactics

41:16 - 46:58

Encourages SaaS marketers to follow and learn from the way the company does marketing
Shares his task list for the first 30 days, including being active in the Facebook community and capturing customer stories through video and screenshots
Focuses on getting reviews on Trust Pilot, Captera, and G2 Crowd to use as social proof on their website
Plans to create a series of customer stories videos with different angles and use them in retargeting ads
Relies on AI tool Jarvis and customers to come up with content instead of creating it themselves
Expresses gratitude for the interview and believes that people will benefit from learning about their tactics
Mentions upcoming episodes of their podcast featuring guests who are comfortable streaming live
Talks about his book 'Subscription Secrets' which focuses on entering the subscription economy and finding loyal fans