What problem are you trying to solve? It’s the key question in starting to build your business. You know this space or segment better than anyone. You know the issues, you know the pain points. You know the problems in need of solutions. You know the range of solutions that are already available—which ones are working and which ones are not. Where does your solution fit in?
So you think that you’ve identified the problem. Now you have to look at it through the eyes of your potential customers. Just because you see the problem doesn’t mean that they do. Even if it’s absolutely obvious to you, that doesn’t mean that it will be obvious to others. Don’t make assumptions—do the work of testing your idea.
To crib from Eric Ries, find out whether or not your potential customers actually know that they have this problem—the one you are trying to solve. A good way to know for sure if they are aware of the problem is if they are actively seeking solutions themselves. Maybe they have a makeshift workaround—a jury-rigged solution is a surefire sign. Even if you get that far, would they pay for such a solution? And would they trust you to be the one to solve it?
The only way to really know is to test the concept. What’s more is that you will understand the language that your customers use to articulate the problem. This is the very beginning of your content strategy. Even if you have built the ideal solution, you are wading into a realm where 1) your customer doesn’t trust you yet, and 2) they are not expecting a solution.
Just because you present a solution does not mean that people are going to get it right away—even if the problem is obvious, and your solution is too. You need to be able to articulate the problem very clearly—in the customers’ own language. You have to appeal to them by delighting them.
Once you’ve created this “delight,” you have to present it properly:
- Are there other products that do similar things? Are you differentiating your offering in clear enough terms?
- Are you building trust with this audience? Are you building your authority as a credible expert?
- Why should people trust you? Do you have a genuine mission that’s in line with the values of your audience?
You are not going to be able to tell your story about this unless you are very clear about the differentiated product solution. How are you going to make it incredibly obvious to them?
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This piece is a part of a series called Content Strategy for Entrepreneurs. If you need specific help in building a content strategy for your business, please see http://michaelboezi.com/entrepreneurs.
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Photo credit: “Outlier” by Robert S. Donovan is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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