What’s your wow factor? What impresses, captivates or even blows people away when they experience your product for the first time?
It’s a question startups need to ask themselves in a world in which first impressions can mean everything. With all due to respect to the growing legion of minimal viable product (MVP) disciples, one of the most crucial things for startups is giving users something different, compelling or interesting so they stick around or, as important, they’re willing to give you a second chance.
For startups, wow can happen in different ways. It can be a home page that makes it crystal clear what a product does and why anyone should be interested. It can be a no-grit registration process, or a clever video, or a service that delights. In some way, it captures the imagination of users out of the gate.
It doesn’t mean the product is perfect but there’s something that lifts a product above the pack, which is a huge challenge in a world with endless choices and fickle, multi-tasking consumers.
Here’s a few examples of startups that nailed the “wow”.
1. Goodsie, a do-it-yourself e-commerce player with a video featuring music that is so cool (and, for the most part, synched) that it makes you want to watch it again and again.
2. Thoughtbox.es, which has a registration form that is simple, clean and effective. Far too often these forms don’t get enough love and attention but Thoughtbox.es nails it by being efficient yet injecting some fun into the equation.
3. Fantastical, which makes natural language software (Mac only) that lets you quickly create entries in calendars such as iCal, Entourage and Outlook. After reading a blog post about productivity software, I checked out Fantastical, then happily and quickly paid $19.99 to purchase it because it worked so well that it made me say “wow”
4. Even if you never have a need to use ifttt (if this then that), you can’t help but be intrigued and impressed with its simple but effective homepage messaging. It makes you want to want to click on “Learn More”.
These are just a few example of “wow”. If you’ve bumped into startups that have “wowed” you, leave a comment.
A weekly newsletter featuring news about the Canadian startup scene, as well as great startup content. You'll also get an e-book featuring more than 100 of the leading digital marketing services.
