5 Tips for Launching a Successful Product
Longmont, Colorado (PRWEB) May 13, 2014 -- According to the Small Business Association, small businesses have provided 55 percent of all jobs and 66 percent of all net new jobs since the 1970s. In today’s economy, small businesses are struggling; although many people have great product ideas, few of them follow the fundamental steps necessary to successfully bring those products to market. A success story, Peter Champe’s idea for a new kind of nasal aspirator started with a personal need---his infant son was chronically congested and he discovered that the standard bulb and battery-powered aspirators didn’t work. From this problem grew the Baby Comfy Nose, a nasal aspirator that uses the parent’s own suction, now sold at 7800 Walgreens retail stores nationwide, and he is sharing his five tips for launching a successful product.
“In the process of creating and marketing my first invention Baby Comfy Nose and then founding the larger company Baby Comfy Care, I have some advice that could be useful for others developing their own products,” explains Peter Champe, engineer and owner of Baby Comfy Care. “I’ve condensed these ideas down to 5 principles to make them easier to apply.”
1. Emotional Needs. If your product doesn’t lead directly to relief, delight, satisfaction or inspiration, it’s not likely to succeed. In the baby product category, relief is the key. It’s hard being a parent and you want to do the best possible thing for your child. A product that soothes and comforts a child in turn makes parents feel better. Every product category has its unique emotional trigger point. Find that point and create a product to meet it.
2. Know Your Customer. The reason why most products fail is because they were created without input and collaboration with customers. This does not necessarily mean expensive focus groups or market research. Some products are straight-forward and the demographic is clear: nasal aspirator – parents whose children are congested. End of story. But the right niche for his wife’s product Eclipse Sun Sleeves was not immediately clear. It required a lot of listening to realize that her main target group was golfers. From there, she could fine-tune her product and messaging.
3. A Great Product is More Important than Great Marketing. If you have a bad product and great marketing, the word just spreads faster. A great product makes sales and marketing easier and ultimately your product itself becomes your marketing. What does that mean? In the age of bloggers, on-line reviews, Twitter and Facebook, organic marketing is the best marketing and comes directly from consumers who love your product.
4. MVP – Minimum Viable Product. The minimum viable product is about getting the product quickly into the hands of consumers rather than getting it “perfect”. Baby Comfy Nose went through several rounds of improvements before it was ready for a nationwide retail chain such as Walgreens. The source for many of these improvements was Amazon reviews from customers who did not hesitate to let them know how to improve the product.
5. Create a New Category. You’re not just looking to create a new product, you’re looking to create a new category with your new product. Competing in a category with established brands, companies or products is like pushing a boulder uphill. Instead, create your own category. They have truly taken this principle to heart with their next product Baby Comfy Nail. Up to this point, baby nail clippers have been smaller versions of adult nail clippers, which does not address the emotional need of protecting your child’s skin from getting cut. Baby Comfy Nail has only one blade and a bottom flat plate that holds the skin safely out of the way. New category: a true baby nail clipper.
About Baby Comfy Care
Baby Comfy Care is a Longmont, Colorado-based company that specializes in unique baby care products. Founded by a dad and engineer, their premier product line includes the Baby Comfy Nose nasal aspirator, which is uniquely designed for effectiveness, comfort, and hygiene. The products were designed as real-world solutions to problems that their family encountered with their children. For more information on the company, visit their site at: http://www.babycomfycare.com.
Source: The US Small Business Administration. Small Business Trends. http://www.sba.gov/content/small-business-trends
Cher Murphy, Cher Murphy PR, http://www.chermurphypr.com, 571.263.2128, [email protected]
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