How to Grow an Idea into a Fruitful Product or Service

Let’s take it back …

Way back …

Before the internet was a part of creating your business.

What steps did you need to take?

• You’d create prototypes.
• You’d give away samples.
• You’d offer free trials or discounts.

All of that, and more, was part of gradually testing out your idea, gauging interest, and adjusting your plan as needed.

Is there already a market for your product or service? Does your idea need to evolve to match what people want?

You certainly didn’t have expectations of attracting tons of people. Getting locals to discover your product or service already took serious marketing.

And if you were in a small community, reaching customers in the closest big city could even seem like a pipe dream.

Then the internet happened, and the possibilities for businesses now seem endless

Entrepreneurs can reach people all over the world, which leads to full-speed launches before they take the time to find out if the idea they’re excited about means anything to an audience of buyers.

It happens every day.

Lots of excitement.

Lots of disappointment.

Because the internet’s potential creates a false sense of easy success.

Having the technology to set up a digital storefront and broadcast announcements does not guarantee you will reach anyone.

And when a creative idea does get a lot of attention, if it doesn’t hold the interest of viable prospects, all of that buzz quickly fades.

People move on. What’s for lunch?

So we need to combine the best of both time periods: the limitations of the pre-internet era that constrained a new business to move at a slow, steady pace with grit and the potential of the internet-era to make meaningful connections with all of the people who will benefit from the business’s offer.

What does that look like?

Two words:

Content marketing.

That combination is simply making content marketing an integral part of your business strategy — from the conception of your idea through its creation to running your online platform.

Here’s how to move forward faster than you could back in the day and also construct informed choices that build your product or service in a smart way.

Content marketing to experiment

While there are no guarantees in digital business, you do have to release your ideas before you can find out if people care about what you offer.

Blog posts, podcast episodes, and videos all help you experiment. They transfer your thoughts to formats others can consume.

And you don’t need to have a product or service to sell when you start content marketing.

As you turn your messages into content, the people you attract can provide feedback to guide you in the right direction.

In order to pinpoint the business concept that will solve your audience’s problems, show up with your passion, knowledge, and dedication to serve a community.

Content marketing to connect

Connection begins with your first subscriber.

Okay, more likely with your third subscriber, if your first subscriber is your nosy neighbor and your second subscriber is your hamster.

If you’re not yet ready to sell and your audience is not yet ready to buy, that’s fine. In fact, that could be one of the most healthy stages of your business because you’re not rushing anything.

You’re not getting carried away by that dangerous excitement that crashes and dissolves into disappointment.

Instead, you’re doing the work to grow the know, like, and trust factors that will eventually make people feel great about buying from you.

Take your time to find your people and then create a product or service they’ll love.

Wherever you are in your content marketing journey, we’ve got you covered

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