How Sebastian Volkis Gained 11K Users for ChatIQ AI in Months
Who is Sebastian Volkis?π
Sebastian Volkis, the founder of ChatIQ, is a nontechnical entrepreneur from London who transitioned from a career in e-commerce and digital marketing to software development. Despite his initial lack of coding skills, he taught himself to build and scale ChatIQ, leveraging tools like Bubble.io, and has achieved significant user growth by applying his marketing expertise.
What problem does ChatIQ solve?π
ChatIQ helps businesses quickly answer customer queries, reducing frustration and improving loyalty by providing instant, accurate responses and efficient support ticket management.
How did Sebastian come up with the idea for ChatIQ?π
Sebastian discovered the idea for ChatIQ during his time in e-commerce and marketing, where he noticed a pattern of businesses heavily focusing on acquiring new customers but neglecting customer retention. He observed that many companies spent vast amounts on advertising yet failed to efficiently address customer service and support, leading to high customer churn.
When ChatGPT3 was released, Sebastian envisioned a solution involving an AI chatbot that could instantly handle customer inquiries based on detailed knowledge from a business's website data. This would allow businesses to respond swiftly to customers, thereby enhancing customer loyalty.
To validate his idea, Sebastian spent six months engaging with business owners to understand their challenges, subsequently building a simple MVP using no-code tools. He collected feedback through numerous LinkedIn outreach calls, which led him to refine his product by adding customization options and embedding features. Despite the initial technical hurdles as a nontechnical founder, Sebastian persisted, learning new skills and iterating on his product based on user feedback, illustrating the value of resilience and adaptability in entrepreneurship.
How did Sebastian build the initial version of ChatIQ?π
Sebastian Volkis built ChatIQ, a customer service automation tool, initially as a non-technical founder. He started with a minimum viable product (MVP) using Bubble.io, a no-code platform, around January/February 2023. This phase involved a basic prototype to demonstrate the concept and receive feedback from agency and business owners.
Over the next two months, Sebastian iterated on the product, adding customizability and features like chatbot embedding and brand personalization. Although the initial build lacked full technical refinement, he used ChatGPT to assist with coding, gradually incorporating custom code into the app. The learning curve was steep, requiring significant dedication and long hoursβup to 14-hour daysβ to overcome technical challenges and ensure the software functioned effectively.
How did Sebastian launch ChatIQ and get initial traction?π
TikTok Surgeπ
Sebastian Volkis got the word out about ChatIQ through short-form content on TikTok. He utilized his experience from e-commerce in creating effective TikTok videos that highlighted the product's pain points, such as overcoming the limitations of ChatGPT. The fifth video he posted started to gain traction, achieving around 140,000 views, which translated into 752 users registering for the service within 48 hours.
Why it worked: TikTok's viral nature allowed Sebastian's videos to reach a wide audience quickly, which not only generated interest but also resulted in immediate sign-ups due to the effective demonstration of the product's unique selling points.
Cold Outreachπ
In the early days of ChatIQ, cold outreach through LinkedIn DMs and emails played a crucial role. Sebastian contacted hundreds of agency and business owners, offering them a demo of his MVP. This method provided vital feedback and improved the product, gradually gaining the first 20-30 users.
Why it worked: Cold outreach helped Sebastian directly reach potential clients who could benefit the most from ChatIQ. Even though the initial conversion rate was slow, it offered significant insights and some initial traction.
YouTube Channelπ
Sebastian leveraged his YouTube channel, which he had built while unemployed, to introduce ChatIQ to an existing audience. Although this method only brought in a few users at first, it set the stage for a more substantial viral growth when combined with TikTok.
Why it worked: Building a following on YouTube established a foundational audience that was receptive to the software, allowing for a broader reach when subsequently complemented by viral TikTok content.
Metrics:
- Within the first 48 hours of going viral on TikTok, the product attracted 752 users.
- This approach contributed to reaching over 11,300 users in a matter of weeks.
What was the growth strategy for ChatIQ and how did they scale?π
TikTokπ
ChatIQ experienced significant growth by leveraging TikTok's potential for viral content. Sebastian Volkis, the founder, posted a simple, engaging video on TikTok demonstrating the productβs features. This video focused on pain points users had with similar tools and quickly gained traction, eventually reaching 140,000 views. Within 48 hours of the video's release, the platform gained 752 new users.
Why it worked: TikTok's algorithm promotes engaging content to a broader audience. By highlighting common user frustrations and the product's solutions, ChatIQ tapped into widespread interest and achieved outstanding organic reach. The simplicity and clear call to action in the video helped convert viewers into users.
Cold Outreach on LinkedInπ
In its initial stages, ChatIQ used cold outreach via LinkedIn to gain early traction. Sebastian reached out to hundreds of agency owners and business professionals, offering demos of the MVP. This approach helped gather initial feedback and sparked early interest, even though actual sign-ups were low initially.
Why it worked: Cold outreach helped in testing the product's appeal and gaining feedback. It built a network of interested parties who provided valuable insights for further development. This method was more of a testing ground than a high-conversion channel but essential for early product refinement.
YouTubeπ
Sebastian built a YouTube channel, created around 100 videos in a short span, and grew it to 1,000 subscribers fast. The channel served as an additional platform to market ChatIQ. It allowed him to reach an audience interested in business and tech.
Why it worked: YouTube serves as a great platform for in-depth demonstrations and educational content. Building an audience here helped create a community interested in the space, providing a longer-term traffic source beyond the immediate virality of platforms like TikTok.
Pinterest and Snapchatπ
To further broaden ChatIQ's reach, multiple Pinterest and Snapchat accounts were created. Content from TikTok was repurposed for these platforms, increasing the chances of engaging a diverse audience through different channels and extending the content's life and reach.
Why it worked: Each platform has different demographics and content preferences. By repurposing content across these platforms, ChatIQ maximized its marketing efforts without significant additional content creation work. This strategy captures varying audience segments, potentially leading to increased user acquisition across the board.
What's the pricing strategy for ChatIQ?π
ChatIQ employs a tiered pricing strategy with a starter plan at $7/week, a premium plan at $95/month, and a free trial to attract initial users.
What were the biggest lessons learned from building ChatIQ?π
- Perseverance Pays Off: Sebastian bootstrapped ChatIQ without initial coding skills, showing that persistence and a willingness to learn can overcome technical barriers. By continually improving his skills and product, he found success.
- Feedback is Crucial: Engaging directly with early users and listening to their feedback helped shape ChatIQ into a product people needed, emphasizing the importance of user insights in product development.
- Leverage Marketing Wisely: Sebastian used TikTok for organic growth, demonstrating that understanding your audience and platform dynamics is key to viral marketing without a significant budget.
- Adapt and Innovate: Transitioning from no-code tools to writing custom code as needs evolved shows the necessity of adapting and innovating to remain competitive and improve service delivery.
- Focus on the Right Market: Narrowing the niche to customer service automation helped reduce churn and attract the right audience, highlighting the importance of targeting the appropriate market segment.
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More about ChatIQ:π
Who is the owner of ChatIQ?π
Sebastian Volkis is the founder of ChatIQ.
When did Sebastian Volkis start ChatIQ?π
2023
What is Sebastian Volkis's net worth?π
Sebastian Volkis's business makes an average of $/month.
How much money has Sebastian Volkis made from ChatIQ?π
Sebastian Volkis started the business in 2023, and currently makes an average of .
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