Think different: how to sell software products
Software startups are often created by technical founders. What they build is often great in terms of provided features and - to say nothing - clumsy in the visual aspects. In the era of information overload people stay focused on a single piece of information for seconds. This extremely short period of attention must be enough to attract them to your product. Are you prepared to win them as your new customers?
Image by boaphotostudio Pixabay
Value first
Delivering value first is a strategy most startups take and it is the only reasonable approach to delivering disruptive products. Verification of business ideas, confirmation that there is a problem that the product solves, and showing it to customers is crucial. Especially if the product-market fit isn't confirmed - you save time and your expenses are reduced to the minimum. This way you have a good chance to successfully pivot before the runway ends.
In my eyes, the shift in thinking - what value do we deliver to the customer, what is the problem that we are solving vs. what will our logo look like is a big step forward in the startup ecosystem.
What should come next? As always - it depends and there is no silver bullet that works everywhere, nonetheless in the case of software products that are sold online (commerce, all kinds of SaaS) I believe that UX is the natural next big topic to address. Why?
User Experience
According to research, the attention span of Gen Z is around 8 seconds and 12 seconds in the case of the Millenials1. If you want to attract your users using viral marketing models, all you have is those 8-12 seconds of attention until the potential customer will start scrolling further and your opportunity will be lost forever.
The overall process of designing a brand and creating all the visual assets is beyond the scope of this article, nevertheless, I believe that there are key aspects you need to pay attention to:
- do not follow others - think of the unique and long-lasting values of your company,
- think of your customers - what are their values, and how do you want to praise them,
- Think Different - if you need guidance or examples, Steve Jobs (the famous Think Different video posted below2) may become your inspiration.
How far should you go with the process and how to organize it? My advice would be as follows:
- understand why you are doing it - it is all to attract potential customers, grab their attention and do business with them,
- if you are not Apple yet, do it as well as you can within the budget you have, and do not overthink it,
- if you are not a designer or don't have a designer on your team - hire an agency! It will pay back. You need to block some budget to do it well.
Summary
Good design is important, nevertheless enough is enough, anything extra that you do most probably is a distraction from serving your customers!
How much attention do you pay to UX design and branding? Leave your comments below!