Often, the most challenging aspect of developing a new product is not the technology but whether people will actually use it. The MVP process eliminates this risk by allowing developers to gather validated learning from real users before investing time and money in a finished product.
Learn the tips for effectively launching your Minimum Viable Product to ensure that it succeeds.
1. Create a landing page
A minimum viable product is one of the key components of the Lean Startup methodology. It accelerates learning and enables a company to develop more advanced products further down the line. It also allows entrepreneurs to more effectively meet the needs of their target group.
A landing page can be a great tool for creating a Minimum Viable Product. It is a website that encourages users to submit their email address in exchange for more information about a product. It can then be used to gather validated customer feedback.
For example, Buffer created a simple landing page to explain their social media scheduling app. They then encouraged interested parties to sign up and offered plans and pricing options for those who did. Buffer then used the email addresses to start a conversation with interested customers and use feedback to continue improving their product.
Another example is Wine Valet, which used a YouTube video to get people interested in their new wine delivery service. They were able to increase the number of sign-ups overnight by promoting the service.
2. Create an email campaign
What do Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, and Groupon have in common? They all launched a minimum viable product and used it to learn from customer feedback. This process is one of the best ways to test a business idea and refine it into a world-class solution.
To launch your MVP, drive paid or organic traffic to a landing page that’s built around subjects your audience cares about. Using this approach allows you to build a list fast, which can help you attract early adopters and achieve product-market fit from day one.
It’s important to think of an MVP as a song demo before an album release. The demo features the structure, lyrics, and melodies of the final song, but it isn’t as polished and refined. In the same way, your MVP shouldn’t be perfect, but it should deliver the essential value needed to attract customers and win them over. This is known as the “build-measure-learn” feedback loop, which helps your company avoid costly mistakes and ensures that all of your efforts go toward building a product that people will love.
3. Set up a Twitter account
Using Twitter is a great way to reach your audience and build your brand. The key is to tweet links and articles that are valuable and relevant to your target audience. You can also use Twitter to promote your company events and connect with potential clients.
It’s also important to have a strong bio on your Twitter account. This will help potential clients understand what your company does and why it is different from its competitors.
Lastly, make sure to set up an ad campaign on Twitter. This will help you get more followers and drive traffic to your website. When creating an ad campaign, make sure to set your objective and budget.
4. Set up a Facebook page
There are many ways to build an audience for your startup, but the fastest and easiest is through a landing page. These static pages help spread the word, collect early followers and feedback, and make it easier to apply for investments when you have a user base to work with.
One of the best Minimum Viable Product examples is UberCab, which started as a simple text-call taxi service and has now become an international giant with over 4 million users. Another famous example is Airbnb, which began as a concierge MVP and now offers more than 3 million listings. And yet another example is Foursquare, which began as a simple app for checking in at certain locations.
In the case of mobile apps, a minimum viable product can be as simple as a prototype or a set of sketches. These are a visual representationss of the functionality that will eventually be implemented in the mobile application.