Growth Case Study: Making uncommon knowledge common

So there is this guy Rich Barton, whom I've been fascinated with recently. Most people have never heard of him, even though he is the founder of Expedia, Glassdoor and Zillow. In three tries he founded three companies worth well over $1 billion.

How did this one guy land three moonshots? (Which is already super rare in B2B SaaS, but virtually unheard of in consumer tech.) That's what this case study from Kevin Kwok is about. One piece of the puzzle: Data Content Loops.

Data Content Loops

Data content loops are a way to bootstrap demand when a company is just starting out. You create unique content by indexing and providing uncommon but desirable industry knowledge.

Examples:

• Expedia: Prices for flights and hotels that before you’d have to get from travel agents.
• Zillow: Zestimate of what your house is likely worth that before you’d have to get from brokers.
• Glassdoor: Reviews from employees about what a company is like that before you’d have to get from a recruiter or the company itself.

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Basically, Barton was making information common knowledge that previously was only available to middlemen.

This then kicks SEO, branding and network effects into gear all at the same time (if the content is truly unique and desired) and provides a sustainable stream of new users over time. Plus it makes you the hero and champion for unearthing otherwise hidden data.

Why is this relevant?

Bootstrapping initial demand is hard. And as we have largely moved from a supply-constrained world (through ubiquitous access to technology, data, and information), to a largely demand driven market place (attention is the new currency), empowering consumers through strategies like data content loops is likely continuing to be a very effective way for demand generation.

On to you!

What uncommon or inaccessible (but useful!) knowledge from your industry can you make freely available to your customers?

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