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Ask HN: How to learn sales and online marketing

11 points| siscia | 11 years ago | reply

Hi HN,

I am a full stack developer and I feel pretty confident that I can build pretty much any MVP.

Now I want to learn how to sell my ideas, how to market them and how to get people using what I code...

My main problem I is that people simply don't visit the page I build, how to fix that ?

I bet that the best teacher would be experience, but I am also looking for some resource to read...

I am also definitely open to work part time wherever I could learn those skills...

13 comments

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[+] Gustomaximus|11 years ago|reply
Why learn and not hire someone? Sure, you want some basic knowledge but wouldn't your time be best spent focusing on turning out products rather than trying to learn something you may or may not be good at?

Also be careful with marketing. Many people mistake ability for confidence as often the view on marketing is its an opinion and anyone can do it with common sense. There is real science mixed with art. Ive seen exec's hurt a companies advertising simply because they have the power to push their opinion and believe in them-self, beyond their skills.

I mod over at the reddit marketing sub. Here is a wiki we have compiled on useful reading: http://www.reddit.com/r/marketing/wiki/index

[+] siscia|11 years ago|reply
I am young enough that I am confident that I can learn anything, right now I don't have any kind of pressure, so, why not learn new skills ?
[+] funkylexoo|11 years ago|reply
I've done marketing for startups for many years. Growth Hacking (mentioned in previous comments) is a pretty decent framework. Also, if you had to read only one book, I'd recommend 'Lean Analytics'. It'll help you structure your thoughts and prioritise. (Note: I am not related to the authors or publishers) Other than that, take the businesses you like most, and check out their social pages, their blog, etc. Sign up for their newsletter. Figure out what they communicate, how, when, etc. Last but not least, marketing involves a lot of common sense. Good luck with the journey!
[+] jsonne|11 years ago|reply
Start with Ryan Holiday's book Growth Hacker marketing. Honestly it's an evolving art and to understand the various ins and outs, you need to get your hands dirty. Make a random general interest site. Play with SEO best practice. Build a social presence and throw a few bucks at facebook ads. etc.
[+] buildops|11 years ago|reply
But best online resources come from Hubspot, Growth Hackers, Google Analytics, etc.

But just as programming is a profession, so is marketing, so it's important that you get professional marketing in ASAP.

[+] amac|11 years ago|reply
Check out resources online like this and WarriorForum (warriorforum.com) - you can teach yourself online marketing (and sales) in your own time.
[+] z3t4|11 years ago|reply
Including the address to your page would help ;)
[+] JohnLen|11 years ago|reply
Do more research. Read more books,online marketing guide sites. Know your target customers well and find the channel that can reach your target customers.
[+] pdm55|11 years ago|reply
Why was this downvoted? I have read at least three articles here today on HN that expound the key idea of focusing on the target customer.