UpFront - December/January 2008

Fashionably Late

Sean Conta and Matt Douglas may have arrived late to the party-planning market, but they're no wallflowers. Through strategic networking and personalized service, the Punchbowl Software owners brought their startup out of the shadows.

by Jonathan Bender

Sean Conta and Matt Douglas are never the first guests to arrive to a party. So it's only natural that their Natick, Mass.-based company, Punchbowl Software, which offers Web applications for event and party planning, would be fashionably late to the marketplace.

Launching their company in January 2007--nine years after online party-planning giant Evite--Conta and Douglas faced the same challenges as any late party guests: How do you let people know you've arrived? They spent hours researching technology Web sites and publications to identify outlets that could help them reach the mainstream media and target early adopters.

"We focused on building relationships, and then we showed our new product in person," says Douglas, who flew to New York and San Francisco to meet with press contacts after sending out individual invitations about the company's new Web site.

Positive coverage in Wired and The Wall Street Journal followed. Each press mention led to spikes in Web traffic and additional media coverage. After the initial publicity bump, Conta and Douglas took advantage of the technology they created to build momentum and reach new Web users.

"If party hosts send out a MyPunchbowl ‘Save the Date' notice or invite, then all of their guests are exposed to the site," Douglas says. "This is a great thing for us because it means we can reach a lot of people quickly and keep our marketing costs low."

So far, the site's viral marketing campaign has consistently generated potential new users—a rate that has grown by 50 percent each month. Conta and Douglas didn't take it for granted that people would want to use the site, however. They offered a non-intrusive sign-up option allowing users to test-drive the system before giving out their e-mail addresses. They also used suggestions from early users to build additions to the site's options, including a place for post-party pictures and themed party ideas.

"As a small, nimble company, we can innovate more rapidly than established players," Douglas says. "We can respond to customer complaints and suggestions more quickly than a large company."

They also presented themselves as an ally to party hosts, putting their faces on the business and responding personally to e-mails from users. Douglas has even posted his cell phone number on the site.

"Users can call me anytime with feedback," he says. "I'm here to listen."

And that's what will ultimately make Punchbowl Software the life of the party-planning industry.

NFIB.com
Want to know more about how to draw attention to your business when a dominant player exists in your market? Visit "Strategic Planning" in the "Growth and Planning" section of www.NFIB.com/toolsandtips.

Belated Is Best
Worried about showing up second (or third or fourth) among competitors in your market? Matt Douglas of Punchbowl Software explains how you can use your lesser-known position to draw attention to your business.

Connect with customers.
Customers determine the success of your business, so get in touch. Reintroduce yourself. Let them know why you started the business, what it means to you and where you see it headed. If they like your business, they'll spread the word.

Make them notice you.
When entering a crowded market, do something to grab people's attention. Whether it's personalized service, like posting your cell phone number, personal e-mail address or another customer-friendly innovation, give consumers a reason to take a chance.

Take advantage of timing.
Timing is critical, Douglas says. That's why MyPunchbowl.com launched a site redesign immediately before the Halloween party season. Anticipate needs your customers may have or demands in your market. Show the media why they should pick up your story and run with it.