1. What recent StuffDOT actions have added to its user-friendliness?

2. (a) Who are StuffDOT’s major competitors and (b) what point(s) of difference should StuffDOT use to distinguish itself from them?

3. How should StuffDOT be marketed so that it becomes an integral part of everyday life?

4. How can the team create “buzz” for StuffDOT and grow its user base most effectively (a) using social media platforms (like Facebook and Twitter) and (b) using its own website?

Social network entrepreneur Jennifer Katz got the idea for StuffDOT in a conversation with her marketing director. The marketing director explained how a bracelet she had posted on a social sharing site had gone viral. The problem was that she now faced a six-week backlog in purchasing it. Katz saw that if her marketing director could have made money on each of those purchases, she could have made enough to buy that bracelet and maybe a necklace too.Right then, the idea for StuffDOT was born—finding a way to incent and reward users for their online social sharing actions.

Katz and her team came up with the brand name StuffDOT because it was catchy and they thought they could use to build customer awareness. They developed the orange dot StuffDOT logo because it was familiar and eye-catching. StuffDOT’s three main target market segments are college students, loyal online shoppers, and mothers—who often act as the family’s “purchasing agents.”

As with any social network startup, StuffDOT’s challenge is to gain awareness and members for its online service. It has done this through partnerships, social sharing, internships, and its campus ambassador program. It currently has over a dozen college student interns at campuses around the country.

The StuffDOT team is available on a limited basis to share their experience and marketing strategy with your students. For more information, call StuffDOT at (612) 372-7000 and ask for Kelsey, or email info@stuffdot.com, subject line Textbook.