Do IT marketing: why you need to visit hackathons

June 24-26, Minsk hosted FinTech Hackathon, an IT marathon of software development specialists for the financial and banking sectors. For me it was the first such event. I went to him as a marketer, but I got out ... a start-up who dared to send his own idea for pitch and verification.



Was the game worth the candle? Yes, and here they are - the arguments.
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Pumping theory

I started with startups from the LPGenerator blog. Subscribed there by the author, studied in detail the topics for the articles. I tried to translate the abstruse tsifir and overseas terms into material that is understandable to the reader - a novice businessman. Education helped economist and psychologist, work experience in business and 2.5 years of copywriting.

The only thing that bothered - I write about what I had never seen firsthand. Startup hubs, pitches, investor gaze and hard work on the project - how is it in practice? What smells like, how to make sure that what you write works?

She planned to help startups with marketing, but at some point (insight?), She suddenly made the decision to get into the skin of the startup starter. Stay them for three days, even without a team. On one enthusiasm, with a pack of written sheets and a tablet to create presentations "on the knee."



I did it. The idea in a notebook on the way to Minsk, listening to the pitches (and is there already something like that?), A speech and the beginning of work. No one came to the team? It's okay, the standard situation for beginners. It remains to check whether my idea is so unreal.

Communication with potential customers

Yes, I forgot to say - closely working with representatives of the IT-sphere online. We promote business applications, cloud solutions, innovations for everyday life. For example, electronic menus for cafes and restaurants are my favorite topic. I will not be distracted by it. Let me just say that before the Minsk hakaton could not be close to so many IT-Schnick.



The people are closed, "chamber", they have their own get-together and the specifics of communication. Any idea is immediately shifted to the implementation algorithms, exhaust figures - first of all, by labor costs. Modern programmers think economically.

I am glad, honestly! It's nice to understand that people value themselves and are not ready to work for cloudy perspectives. Itself so. This stimulates the development of truly useful and implemented solutions. How many of them "die", even after being transformed into full-fledged startups? 99 percent.

IT-man will certainly be interested in something serious and worthwhile. He will thoroughly inquire about the scheme of action, explain a thousand times why it will not work, try to frighten him with “chamber” terms, but ultimately he will feel respect for you.

Because you are sitting and laying like him. You calculate the options, you go astray, you return to the original one. You, a marketer, know-it-all on how to promote. You put on his sandals, step on the path of the cross and pull up to the final pitch.

Experts, mentors, evangelists

Everything is here, on some square meters with you. Form a clear request, come and start.

What is there in our portfolio? Interviewing, surveys, market research? Portrait of a potential customer, product brief? Plus express evaluation of competing solutions. All this will be tested for viability in two days.

Experts speak at master classes. The first group - representatives of companies potentially interested in development from hackatons. The second is those who created and promoted something of their own. a lot of cases, success stories in the style of “I could and you can”, classics of motivation, but ... Those who are looking for will find everywhere.



I found potential partners for my clients. I discovered what API is, what we need and how to use them to create the really necessary business model of a financial application.

Mentor is the most picky client from Central Asia. He immediately tries on your decision on himself, shows alternatives, pulls down a castle on the sand and brings a cart of bricks for real construction. On, erect. Do not sit in the smoking room with the banter PR people, but sweat at the working place.



An evangelist ... Well, this is the most difficult audience for me. Surprisingly, because of the simplicity. Their “white horse” is a suggestive motivation and hardcore attack on all levels of consciousness. Emotions, terminology, skillful processing of the message "the whole world lies in evil, and you are pumping over." The technique familiar to young people of the dashing 90s is just other goals ...

It is difficult with evangelists, because on the move you are cutting through. Emotions do not eat, motivation for ten. I need a clear "meat" infa on "how it will work."

And finally ...

Idea verification. What they write in smart books and do not like to think startupers.

“Lord, I received a revelation! Sign over! You are heretics, I am alone, with the Lord — either Martin Luther or King (Kong?). ”

Flashed and I have such a heady feeling of the apostle, that way immediately after the starting pitch. Especially when they began to approach, ask interested questions. Scheme nakropala for an hour. The presentation began to sculpt, skipping mentoring hours. And by the night stuck Winnie the Pooh, bloated from his own enlightenment.

Thought losing weight in the morning. It came out a bloody sweat - especially when the young “IT specialist” utterly broke my market arguments.

Morning is wiser than evening - the truth. Mindful of this, she did not shamefully merge and fell asleep on a coworking couch.



In the morning a new scheme, again verification, but with mentors.

One circle of hell, second, third. The birth of an intelligible presentation. Understanding that in three minutes I will not tell all this. That I will not ask for “give, come, give me investment”, because it is damp and requires the main thing.

Looking for a target audience

How many people need it? Who and what will be used? The bank is happy about everything that will attract customers. Even an application that teaches you not to "clap your ears" in financial matters.

The final pitch gives birth to the truth. You go out and honestly talk about what you have gained. No beautiful pictures, spectacular presentations, hardcore statistics. That was the idea, its meaning, goals, objectives. Here is a diagram, vulnerabilities and open questions for the market. Zero shame for not collecting the team. The Sun King could say "The state is me," and you can.

And when an encouraging voice sounded in the hall, “This idea has a chance to be realized, because next year ...”, I mentally winked with the whole third eye. Preliminary verification passed.

Now I can write about it, talk and even evangelize a little.

Check. Keep a clear line from one open question to another. Be honest with the audience, do not hesitate to quit and immediately recognize their imperfections.

And most importantly, do not merge.