Startups and the changes
The change of client behaviour leads to a certain niche re-adaptation for the supplier. An array of popular services, one day, is either gobbled by bigger companies or turns artificially under-priced in competition. Contesting in an established, already profitable market against the big guys is a dire mire.
The change of supply
Content creation and content delivery optimization, basically mean the change in traditional writing services. Many things change for the online startups. Many aspects should be tuned up to the changing social media.
- make your writing useful and succinct
- cover challenging topics
- technical topics
- infuse an artistic value
- make it engaging
- design wisely
- make it sharable
Brainstorming
Reasons why some independent business go out with time:
- lack of invention
- lack of optimization
- lack of goals
- poor research
- poor communication
We didn't even mention the financial matters, as long as money is never enough. It's the striving motivation to do something else, to invent and re-invent the following:
- niche
- product
- community
- technology, etc
The changing interaction
Certain old ways of communicating and interacting with users/clients come to an end (frameworks, like forums or guest blogging). A good example of Lego in 2017, who closed their online forums for users and instead launched their Lego Life app.
Instead, they have chosen a more convenient, efficient and modern way of customer interaction. Taking into account, that most of the Lego fans are kids, it was a wise switch from a text-based forum directly to an app communication. Now, sharing photos and videos of your Lego builds and models with other kids becomes more convenient and engaging with the app.
The other niche businesses have similar approaches of interaction upgrade. It isn't necessary to re-invent the social media interaction formula, but sometimes just to switch it.
The changes to re-adapt to
If 10 years ago, being active on social media guaranteed you some sources of traffic and even an accidental fame, these days nobody believes in such a thing. Today, you have to be more realistic:
- get smaller, realistic goals
- get solid motivation in earning
- self-promo outside the social media
- consider the social media depreciation with time
- prepare for the AI assessment of your content
Where the social media isn't vital?
If you are heavy. It may not be that crucial for the big niche brands to have their social media interaction active. Tender-driven business, b2b companies, and other 'upper-layer' industries may not need it too. Scientific laboratories, oil fracking giants, steel manufacturing, etc. Those mostly comprise 2% of the business layer and have no direct interest in an average customer.
If your business is already visual:
- video blogging
- painting/design
you already interact in many forms of media: interviews, TV shows, etc, what else you have to worry about? If it's a community driven project, then it goes all up to the charisma of the doer.
Viral vs hardware
The viral-based media, such as visual blogging, isn't cheap as it may sound. Constant video/photo hardware and editing software upgrades, etc require wise investment. Running your social media add campaigns, on-site marketing, online-hub meetings and the overall SEO improvement of your project - all require $$$.
Sometimes, expenditures and profits of such visual blogging could even outweigh an average hardware manufacturing business. Being careful here is important, because you invest $$$$ and must return at least $$ in the starts. Otherwise, it will all crash you.
Research
Does the market need your product? Is you personality winning? Don't underplay your integrity/product, but research more. Perhaps, there is really no interest in some other Mobile-Tech reviews? Perhaps, there is, but can you offer a different approach? What would be the future of your startup? Will people still be interested in it in 5 years from now? In 20?
Top 10 questions before you move into startups
There are numerous questions you'd need to answer before you even begin such a journey of being independent:
- are you future-proof on motivation?
- are you creative or logical-thinking guy?
- can you combine both?
- is your niche good/ready enough for a startup?
- what market share you're aiming at?
- how big your potential audience is?
- how are you willing to expand your potential audience?
- how will you invest your first savings?
- how will you improve over time?
- what if you fail, what is your plan B, C or D?
And many other navigating questions that most people ignore (including ourselves in the beginning of our career).
Think twice before investing
Most of us believe in a rush-driven self-confidence. The youth and hormones play a big role here. With time, we count pennies and ask ourselves:
Why didn't we think twice before taking a step?
Think of it as of an investment, not a gambling. Develop such an investor psychology. Many online startups and businesses fail due to lack of motivation, and some of them - due to improper time/money management.
An investor of your venture would need to know at least:
- why your product should be sponsored?
- how good your prototype/sample is?
- what gender/age it's oriented for?
- how do you understand the competition?
- how expensive it would be to acquire the customer?
Conclusions
We see the content -creation, -distribution, -marketing change, but the vying motivation bundles them all. Improvements in social interaction, quality service, technical upgrades, etc - all combine a good will to the cycle of:
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