Have you ever had an idea that you thought could change the world?
Then maybe you asked a few of your friends if they’d use your idea. And sure to support you everyone said “Definitely!“
But soon you realized that there is no market for your SaaS that you built with blood sweat and tears. Yeah, this happens to every one of us.
In this newsletter, I’ll try to establish a framework to get your ideas validated before even writing a single line of code. So without wasting time let’s get started.
One-to-One conversations:
Once you have an idea, the next step should not be building. This should be the very last step. Your next step should be to chat with some Potential Customers
If you already know a few people who are a perfect fit for your product, cool! Get in touch with them. Send DMs, get on a Zoom call or if possible ask them out for coffee (you might as well try your luck😜).
This will help you validate your idea and you’ll have a basic understanding if they are actually willing to use your app. This might simply be the most pivotal point in your product journey.
People will often be kind to you and just support you. If your product doesn’t strike an “Interesting, I’d use this!“ or a “Yeah, this is something I’d use“ response, then maybe there is no need in the market.
I’d suggest getting at least 10 positive yesses, before going to the next stage.
Leverage Social Media:
Once you know you have a decent idea you can start using social media to distribute your product. All you want to do here is create a little buzz around your product.
Remember people can tell when you are trying to sell them something. Always make sure that you are not selling something. For example:
Instead of
Hey guys! Check out my new product. You can register now to get 50% off!
You can try:
Hey guys! Just finished the Landing Page and built a waiting list. I’ll be sharing updates related to the product here. Let me know what you think about this!
Here you are not explicitly asking them to Buy from you. All you are doing is sharing your progress and asking for feedback! And that will get you eyeballs and potentially add a few people to your waiting list.
This brings us to the most powerful marketing tool: Email List! 📧
Build an Email list:
Imagine having your customer’s permission to visit them whenever you like. What can you do with this? How can you make your relationship better? Of course without misusing it.
Your email is your address on the internet. When your potential customers give you their email it’s like opening a direct contact with them. You can mail them and get their feedback whenever you like!
Always have an email list on your landing page. Tell them what’s going to be in it for them. Maybe offer an LTD(Lifetime deal), or a huge exclusive discount. This can again be a second layer of validation.
Now that you have their email ids, you can send them an email describing your next steps. Maybe describe the next feature that you are building, share wireframes, or even ask them to get on a quick call. Remember you are building the product for them so keep them in the center.
If you get a few positive responses, only then start building it out. Because the last thing that you’d want is to build a product that your early adopters won’t use 🙃
Conclusion:
If you stick to this framework you are most likely to get your first customer, sooner than you realize. As developers, we can sure make a great product, but when it comes to marketing, we may not be as good.
Full disclosure I am on stage 1 and will soon reach stage 3. I have seen this framework work for my last project, and I continue to follow it to market and build a community for my products.