Want to ensure the success of your next product or service?
One way to do this is to buck today's "more is better" philosophy and instead aim for the utmost simplicity.
Start by reducing the number of features. Cut back on the options. And focus on doing one thing, and only one thing, well.
You can never make something too simple. Don't believe me? Ask yourself when was the last time you heard someone complain that a product was too easy to use?
Case in point: the Jitterbug mobile phone, a partnership between Samsung and First Street (for the US market). I came across a print ad for this product recently and was immediately captivated by the headline:
"It doesn't play games, take pictures or give you the weather."
Billed as "a cell phone that makes life simple," the Jitterbug features a big, bright screen, large, clearly-labeled buttons, and 24-hour operator assistance.
Designed with the (massive) boomers market in mind, the Jitterbug may also pick up admirers of all ages who appreciate an extraordinarily easy-to-use mobile phone.
Brilliant.
What does this have to do with Internet marketing? Well, I encourage you to take a cue from the Jitterbug and look with fresh eyes at your own products and services, and how you market them.
Have you made things as easy to understand or accomplish as possible? Are you using technical or marketing jargon that few laypeople would understand? Are you potentially confusing consumers by offering them too many options or features?
Perhaps the most "innovative" thing you can do is pare things down to the essentials. Easier said than done, of course, but worth considering.
Do this right and I'll bet the world will beat a path to your door.
I saw this jitterbug phone in some magazine and thought at first "who would want this phone? it does NOTHING!". Once I realized who it was really for, I had realized what a brilliant idea that was as I recalled all of my 40-50-something family members complain about all of the functions on their cell phones.
Posted by: terra | June 11, 2007 at 09:47 PM