Seth Godin

Marketing is a HUGE field, there's so much one could say about it, that it's hard to know where to start. So don't expect anyone to be able (or willing) to give you a cookie-cutter, step-by-step instructional guide, or to write a book here. There are tons of marketing books out there already. To be completely honest, you should probably consider going on Amazon.com, or to a used bookstore, and look for a cheap used copy of a generic "marketing 101" textbook and read through that for starters.

Beyond that, there are a ton of web based resources, and there are some HN regulars who have written quite a bit on the topic. Check out, for example, what swombat has to say:

http://swombat.com/founders_library

grep through that list for the marketing related ones.

Likewise, patio11 has written a lot about marketing.

http://www.kalzumeus.com/greatest-hits/

You might want to look through some of the interviews and courses available on Mixergy.com as well. Even the stuff you have to pay for is well worth it. Personally, I recommend a Mixergy subscription.

Also look into the marketing related courses on sites like Udemy or Coursera, or stuff from MIT's OCW.

https://www.udemy.com/courses/search?q=marketing

You could also do worse than reading the stuff Seth Godin puts out. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

"Like everyone else, I also hope to get covered on TechCrunch, Mashable, VentureBeat, etc. in order for the tech world to take me seriously, but I’ve gathered they will only cover you if you break silence through them."

They will cover you if you're newsworthy. You have an edge if you offer them an exclusive. Launching is rarely newsworthy (unless you're noteworthy as a founder or you're doing something really revolutionary), but growth is-- so start growing and you have a story.

I've been covered on TC 5 times spanning two businesses. My impressions are that A) being worth writing is the important thing and B) It's not all that. 10-15k uniques from TechCrunch isn't going to build your business, it isn't going to get you funded, and it isn't going to get you more than 500-100 actual users. For fundraising (if that's a nearterm goal), it's a good thing. But growth/traction/market are WAY more important.

Real good read on the topic: http://sethgodin.typepad.com

IF you want to ease into it, post a hardcoded signup key here... If it leaks outside of this community, turn it off.

Worth noting: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/06/logos.html

About thirty years ago, three companies dreamed up logos that have become so powerful, I don't even have to show you the images to get them to pop up in your head. A sneaker company paid a few hundred dollars for an abstract, upside down wave, a coffee company picked a half-naked mermaid (is there any other kind) that cost them nothing, and a computer company picked [hired a PR firm that picked] a piece of fruit with a bite out of it.

What the images had in common: nothing. They range from abstract to woodcut to groovy. The art of picking a logo, even one for the Olympics, has almost nothing to do with taste or back story. A great logo doesn't mean anything until the brand makes it worth something.

Likewise, great aesthetics/graphics mean nothing until the brand makes it worth something.

I'm generally with Seth Godin when he says that the two elements that make a great presentation are respect and love:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/03/the-two-elements-of-a-great-presenter.html

What makes Carl Sagan so good is that he has an extraordinary amount of love for the audience. It's pretty clear that this stems from his use of empathogenic drugs like cannabis. (Or at least, it would be extremely rare for someone to be able to project that much love and empathy for others without the use of psychedelics or empathogens, at least in western society.)

edit: I would define charisma more as the ability to make yourself loveable, which is basically the opposite of what Sagan does so well.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/10/whats-a-logo-wo.html

http://www.160over90.com/blog/2009/02/17/the-50-dollar-logo-experiment/

I would not hire someone to do a quick glance of my business, push around some pixels and sling me a response based on our (quick) conversation. The resulting identity wouldn't have the depth needed to last, it wouldn't have the insight needed to resonate with my customers. And, Mr. $50 logo guy, by some chance if you are in fact giving each and every job due diligence you are seriously selling yourself short because the work would be worth substantially more.

Sorry, not trying to rain on parades just trying to educate. (I love HN for what I learn here...)

Just off the top of my head, a few possible hiring processes.

- Recommendations from people you trust

- Pairing interview

- Give a difficult/open ended homework problem

- Whiteboarding interviews are suitable for some candidates, they're not all bad ;)

- Pick from your list (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/12/whos-on-your-list.html)

- Asking the candidate for ideas as to how they'd best be assessed

- Culture fit ; Gut feeling ; or any conversational interview followed by review of performance after 1 month

- Portfolio review (no one actually does it in my experience)

- Hiring off reputation in the community

I'm sure there are plenty more.