Go V's No Go

As a marketing firm we are constantly involved in development and build of projects and products. While the client at times has a clear idea of what is the main aim of the product, it is often left to us as strategic advisors to provide the input and clear the decision of when to launch a product or project. This raises an obvious question:

"When do we feel like we have done enough to get a project into launch?"

Focusing in fulfilling a need is a key to product or message success. Take iPod, for example, that stood in the face of over 300 Walkman versions and launched the message of "1000 songs all in your pocket", which worked! YouTube encompasses a world of possibilities today.

You can upload, download, share, join, create channels, launch communities, etc. etc. etc. But we all know that YouTube, much like Flickr, Word, Digg and Twitter, did not start where they are today. They all started from much more simple programmes and platforms and have in fact developed through the natural push of "Client pain points" and the need to address them.

The truth is that outside of the world of early adopters, the ones who are truly willing to spend some money on internet products, services and offerings are the people who will receive them with the least necessity for learning. In other words, the easier, simpler, more intuitive the product will be, the more easily it will be adopted, as long as it fulfills a need or answers an issue.

Here are a few pointers on the topic:

1. The initial concern should be about providing the bare necessities in order to receive real feedback from your core users. To answer this issue, a marketing message or product should have one core purpose in focus rather than trying to solve many solutions all at once.

2. A solution that is not at the core of the product or marketing message should be left out! The core of the product deals directly with the target market issue which you are trying to resolve. This is what will drive benefits, loyalty and revenues. Other stuff can be developed later, but cannot distract attention from the core.

3. Prototypes are not always necessary. An alternative could be to virally inform the market of a release and see how many people show up on a temporary landing page you create. These people are going to be your likely early adopters! Contact them. Involve them. Engage with them. Hunt them down through Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, forums and on the street, if necessary. They are your brand champs!

4. Don't invest too much time into amazing designs without considering usability, purpose and SEO. Fantastic designs can actually deter and distract fro mthe core message and aim of the product or site. Consider Flickr and Facebook, for example, which started with functional, simplistic, and not at all attractive designs, and build later designs on top of proven functionality.

5. The same principle works with development. Just because a developer is excited about using a new platform or skill does not mean it is the right one. Consider purpose first and work up from there.

6. Consider commercial viability. If your service or product answers a core issue, people will pay for it. The truth is that even major Social sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Digg are still struggling to find ways towards commercial gains...

7. Don't be tempted to add functionality without gaining a clear understanding of a user need for it. Just because you can do it does not mean you should.

8. Understand what the vision is and provide the platforms for future development. This is a thin line to walk between sidetracking from the immediate purpose and maintaining scalability. Do it right, and you are golden!

9. Hire experts. Sure, no one knows your business and offers better than you. But no one knows the online marketing world better than experts. Don't get proud. Don't make uneducated decisions. The final say is yours, but make sure you have the support and structure to make the most educated decision possible.

10. Run User Acceptance Testing periods (UAT's) internally and with potential users. Know that both you and the marketing firm are sometimes so close to the project that you may fail to see the obvious elements which others may find immediately.