What is it that makes a truly successful product? Ask some companies, and they’ll tell you that it’s the engineering that went into it or the specifications. Inquire of others, and they’ll swiftly inform you its how it makes customers feel. It’s the emotion it evokes that counts the most.
For those of you out there thinking about launching a product, all this chit-chat can be confusing. You know you want to sell something great, but the form that it should take is something of a mystery. What should your philosophy be?
In this post, we’re going to take a look at some of the hallmarks of products that rock the world and how you can emulate them.
They Solve Problems People Didn’t Know They Had
Successful products tend to wipe the floor with their competitors by solving problems that people never knew they had. In many ways, they’re better than products that solve an existing problem because of the surprise factor. People like it when something comes along that lets them bypass an issue they couldn’t even articulate. It feels good!
They Are Easy To Understand
There are some great products out there that can help improve people’s lives. But, unfortunately, many of them are almost impossible to understand. Companies have done a lousy job of explaining why they’re so valuable and why people need them.
Then there are other brands that do a great job of explaining what their products are for and how customers should use them. You want to be one of these.
They Prove Their Worth
While product design is important, how people react to it matters most. It’s not the energy that the company poured into the product that counts – but whether customers gain value from it.
Successful products, therefore, make a point of advertising their “social proof.” They do whatever they need to do to demonstrate to their audiences that there’s no better option out there on the market: testimonials, reviews, and influencer marketing all help here.
They Have Mass Appeal
There are some incredible niche products out there, but they often fail to become “great products” because they don’t appeal to a broad enough audience.
The trick to creating an incredible product is to find a way to help it generate mass appeal. Granted, this is easier said than done in some fields, but worth a shot if you want something that is going to earn you a lot of money.
They Are Unique In Some Way
Competition means that differences between products ebb over time. When a company first releases its wares to the market, it thrills customers by giving them something new. Then, over time, the competition learns what people want, and all of a sudden begins creating its own versions. Suddenly there’s nothing original about the first product at all, and it ceases to dominate the market.
Your products, therefore, need to be unique in some way that your rivals can’t just copy. You can either do it through protecting your IP or keeping trade secrets.