From 0 to 1 users, how to do a good job in seed-stage user growth operations?

The product operation cycle is generally divided into three stages : seed stage, explosive stage and platform stage, and the seed stage is the most important stage in APP operation; the seed stage is a process of user growth from 0 to 1 at the beginning of APP online operation, which is a relatively difficult operation stage.

How to understand seed stage users

1. Many people mistakenly believe

• Seed users = the first batch of users, initial users;
• The seed stage pursues the number of users rather than the quality of users;
• Every user who uses the seed phase is the operator’s responsibility;

2. What is a seed user?

• They are the first batch of users you acquire when your app is launched, and they are the ones who can stay and bring in more users.
• They are your loyal fans (heavy users), who are willing to try out your product regardless of whether it is functional or not, and are happy to provide feedback and optimization suggestions for the APP product features;
• The growth of seed-stage users requires mutual help from products, operations, design, and development to bring seed users together. It requires teamwork, not just a unilateral operation.

If your product fails to provide value to users and fails to meet their needs, then what reason would users have to use your product?

What should products and operations do during the seed stage?

(1) For products:

1. Understand the MVP principle. You don’t need to worry about bugs after the APP is launched. As long as the main process of the APP runs smoothly and there are no bugs, it will be fine. MVP plays a vital role in the seed stage operation and has a great impact on operations.
2. APP functions do not need to be complex, but they must have core functions to gain user recognition and retain users;

When it comes to this aspect, I believe many people will think of the examples often cited by many experts: WeChat and Momo.

(2) For operations: The most important thing is to identify the target user group

For operators, you cannot use the "cast a wide net" approach during the seed stage:

1. It is necessary to screen the target users and study the characteristics of the target users;
2. Operate strategically to start seed users and keep them; we must clearly know who our users are? Where are they? How do we acquire them?

As mentioned in the book User Power, the characteristics of the seed user group can be summarized as follows:

1. Strong demand, the user group must be clear, and the smaller the group definition, the better;
2. The user base loves to spread the word, and the younger the better;

How to get seed users

(1) Invite users with sincerity

User growth operations in the seed stage focus not on quantity but on quality. When the APP product is first launched, the product basically has a core positioning and the operators have also clarified their user groups. Then we can send invitations to our target audience to use our products through soft articles or one-on-one private message invitations.

Of course, the invitation process also requires skills. Users must understand what value the APP provides for them, how it is differentiated from other products, and make users feel lucky to be invited to use it.

Throughout the entire process, good user services must be provided to improve user retention .

(2) Find user gathering places, cultivate a group of active vests, and solve user confusion

In every industry and field, there is a user gathering place, such as Tieba, forums, Q&A, QQ groups, WeChat groups , etc. After finding the target user gathering place, use multiple accounts to be active:

1. Ask and answer your own questions;
2. Answer questions or posts from users;
3. Publish valuable content (soft articles, sharing);

(3) Use your connections to find well-known people/products in the industry to use. This is the so-called "celebrity effect"

Many products acquire seed users by using celebrities for promotion, while some products cooperate with well-known products for promotion. For example, Zhihu and Sina Weibo are examples that everyone knows. In the early stages, these two products relied on attracting celebrities to join the products. But not all products can do this, it requires strong connections and energy.

(4) Commission articles, conduct interviews, and use some media platforms for exposure

I have collected a large number of industry websites targeting entrepreneurship before. Most of the websites have the functions of reporting, interviewing, and uploading products; for example: Chuangyebang , 36Kr , Huxiu.com, ITjuzi, GeekPark, etc.; these platforms have very high brand awareness on the Internet, and we can cooperate with these platforms to achieve product exposure.

(5) Offline promotion and publicity

When the product was first launched, the brand had not yet been established, so it was quite difficult to do marketing! A typical example is the O2O fresh food industry, such as food delivery apps and delivery platforms. At the beginning, there were no users. How could users enter your platform?

Therefore, marketing personnel need to spend a lot of time communicating with merchants and discussing cooperation one by one! A friend of mine was doing marketing for a newly launched APP delivery platform the year before last. He ran around the streets all day, discussing cooperation with merchants and providing daily user communication services, with the aim of making merchants become seed users. At the beginning, I heard from my friends that he was very tired, running around several places and several stores in a day. But later, when he became more successful and his brand began to take shape, it became easier for him to negotiate cooperation!

This method of ground promotion is relatively hard! But if done well, the effect is very good.

Seed stage user growth operation is a process from 0 to 1! Although this process is relatively difficult, as long as you do a good job in product business flow, product positioning, and identify target users, I believe there are many ways to help your APP product acquire seed users! Operation is a process of continuous experimentation. It’s never too late to try more and discover earlier! Of course, doing a good job of user group positioning is to help products and operations avoid detours!

Mobile application product promotion service: APP promotion service Qinggua Media advertising

The author of this article @活动盒 is compiled and published by (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting! Site Map