Your Products and customers
You know without these you have no business.
You need to think of how your products will fill the needs of your customers, what is it they want, what do they long for? How can you create value for them? Often these are called the pain points, and another way to think about it how can I fill my customer’s needs? Having this from the start is extremely helpful. If you don’t know, which you probably don’t really know even if you think you do, then ask them! Keep asking as you develop your business.
I never had a thought of this when I started, and that hurt me. Later I had to go back and rework my products to make them more appealing.
And your customers.. you have an idea who they will be, but where are they? Where do they hang out and how can you sell to them? This is your marketing strategy.
They may find you, which is the method I relied heavily for a long time, but this total lack of marketing is not helpful.
Social media can be a great help, as is creating interesting and useful content on your own site. Marketing can feel like a great, black void, but don’t let that bother you, take it one step at a time. Remember that the goal is to take steps toward your goals and to keep learning what works and what doesn’t.
A unique selling point
As you work on your business plan, think of who it is you wish to sell to and where they are and how to reach them.
Chances are that there are many others doing something very similar to what you are doing, and this is where your unique selling point is going to come in.
- What do you offer that the competition does not?
- What are you great at?
- And how are you better than the others in your market?
Ask these questions to yourself over and over as you create your products because the answer will come, and this you need to tell your customers and clients. It will be built into your brand over time as you make it the focus of your business.
It is alright not to know all of this in the beginning, and again, don’t let these be what keeps you from launching. Eventually, you will want to use your uniqueness to refine your offerings as you hunt down those ideal clients and customers.