Engine Used Phone Sales While Gamma Targeted Customers Through Creators

Startup founders described two distinct customer-acquisition approaches at a panel last week: Engine relied on offline sales, while Gamma used creators to reach specific audiences for its presentation software.

Elia Wallen, Engine’s founder and CEO, said the travel company reached $150 million in bookings before taking outside funding. Engine manages lodging and travel bookings for midsize businesses. Wallen said the company had no visible social media strategy during that period and used events and phone calls to reach potential clients.

At one event, Engine hired a magician named David to perform for prospective customers and encourage them to visit the company’s booth. Wallen said the company kept making calls as well. “The phone still works,” he said.

Grant Lee, Gamma’s founder and CEO, described a different approach for the company’s AI-powered presentation software. Gamma used creators to connect with distinct customer groups through its Gambassador program. Lee cited consultants and marketing teams that make presentations for chief marketing officers as examples of audiences with different needs.

Lee said founders should spend time with creators so they understand how to explain a product’s value. Without that understanding, he said, spending on creator marketing may not translate into results. Gamma’s approach used social media; Wallen’s examples centered on in-person events and calls.

Crystal Huang, a general partner at Google Ventures, focused on what happens after a customer starts using a product. She said founders can examine whether use is recurring or increasing and whether customers refer others. Retention information and highly engaged customers can offer further signals, Huang said. Some customers may promote a company’s brand or want to work there. Huang said founders need ways to create “evangelists who are really passionate about the product.”