From Google into the unknown
Before we begin, it’s important that you get to know Ben Silbermann , the man behind Pinterest , well . One day, this Google employee decides that the time has come to leave his position at the company and “fly solo” – risky? A little bit.
This adventure that was about to begin was the one that, some time later, would lead him to the founding of Pinterest, but as often happens, failure is a requirement for success .
Once outside of Google, Ben joined forces with his friend Paul Sciarra email data and together they co-founded Cold Brew Labs, a company that gave birth to his first project: the Tote app. This platform offered users the possibility of creating personalized clothing catalogs based on their activity in online stores , which, for many, including myself, was an idea ahead of its time. The result of this first experience in entrepreneurship was negative for Ben.
Despite the failure, our
A protagonist was clear about one thing: he could not return to Google . He had already told his former colleagues that he was going to succeed with his own company and returning with the failure under his arm would be a great shame for him.
So once again, Ben “pulled on the work overalls” with Paul, and after working on more than 50 designs, the two managed to sketch out what we know today as Pinterest , a version they achieved thanks to the help of a third party, Evan Sharp . Indeed, more than 50 designs were needed to create the famous Social Network, but beware! The story of perseverance of our friends at Pinterest does not end there.
Personalization: the key to success
Lack of resources is a problem that many entrepreneurs face at the beginning of their adventures, and Pinterest was not going to be different! Ben, Paul and Evan could not afford to invest large amounts of money in advertising and promotions for their platform but this would not be an obstacle.
The ingenious Ben, convinced of the potential of his creation, thought of something that ended up changing its destiny. What he did was dedicate the following days to only one task: Serving the users of the platform so that they felt part of it.
How? He personally wrote to the first 5,000 users (yes, you read that right: 5,000), offering them his personal phone number and the possibility of setting up an appointment to meet and resolve doubts, or to hear their suggestions about Pinterest.
He knew that personalization was key to gradually getting closer to customers, but at that time there were no automatic tools for sending predefined messages ; he had to do it manually, one by one. Incredible but true.
Luckily, there are currently platforms like
Doppler that allow mass but personalized mailings to make each Subscriber feel special by offering them differential treatment.
Do you have your own business? Don’t wait any longer! It’s time for you to adapt your messages to each specific client. Do as Ben does and reach them with personalized emails . Check the results for yourself.
On Pinterest, the results of its creator’s effort and dedication were u detailed research into keywords ltimately surprising. The number of users began to grow exponentially since Ben implemented his strategy.
If you are one of the 150 million users currently enjoying the social network of these guys, think about this story when you access your account and use the platform. Pinterest is the happy ending of a difficult project , in which perseverance and quick signs hard work were key.
Many projects, in their eagerness to grow, only focus on promoting their products and forget to take care of those who are already customers or users of the same . But, in reality, it is those who already use them who can comment on faults or shortcomings of the same, who can help to improve it and, if they receive good treatment, will promote the brand for free.
If you have your own business and want to make it grow, keep in mind that your priority should be to take care of your clients , subscribers and/or users. Give special treatment to those who write to you and give you feedback, to those who share your content and interact frequently. Follow this recommendation and get ready to get much more than you sow.