This is the time of year when the International Consumer Electronics Show gets a lot of media attention, and rightly so. It's the chance for the world to see what these tech companies have been diligently developing in hopes of being the next big thing. But many of these things don't make much of a splash in real life. Why is that so, and how can we learn from the next big thing in gizmos when it comes to our marketing strategies?
Underestimating The Market
Many times something that is really exciting to the technophile is confusing to the consumer. If there's a way to build an interest and realization of how that gizmo is going to meet a need, that should come first. The technophiles have been getting all the hype for a while so they are prepared - bursting into the collective consciousness all of a sudden triggers automatic rejections of the new ideas.
It's easy to think that everybody is excited about the campaigns that have been taking up your time, but people don't see things this way. We all are limited to our own perspective until it gets gently expanded.
I see this as a lesson in developing an audience first, by utilizing social media, blog posts, and email to get people thinking about how this new thing will benefit them.
Another way the next big thing can flop is by underestimating the cost for consumers, in time, effort, or money. If that gizmo is too expensive or too hard to use, it will flop. This is especially true when there's an easier, cheaper alternative.
If you don't know the way your customer thinks, you won't have a clue about what that customer wants and is willing to invest in. If your site is difficult to navigate or slow to respond, it will flop, too.
I see this as a lesson in site development and mobile marketing because people don't usually push past difficulty unless they see a reward.
Your online marketing strategy can benefit from observing what flops in other areas, even if you aren't interested in consumer electronics. I think it's because the same people who are the eventual targets of the gizmo market are the people you want to reach with your message.
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