Reaching the mainstream market used to mean creating a single product with broad appeal, then advertising it broadly so that everyone could hear you and buy what you offered.  That approach rarely works these days, because we live in a world filled with choices – and we increasingly have everything we actually need.  However, there must be a way to reach what used to be considered the “mainstream marketplace”…

In 1991, best-selling author Geoffrey Moore published the seminal book “Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers”, which focuses on the specifics of marketing products during the early startup period leading to mainstream adoption.

Moore explores and expands upon the “Diffusion of Innovations” model, shown below:

Diffusion of Innovations is a theory of how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures. This theory was originally put forth by Everett Rogers in 1962. He defines diffusion as “the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system.”

Isn’t that interesting?   A “social system”…

Let’s break it down further:

• The process by which an innovation is communicated
• Through certain channels
• Over time
• Among members of a social system

Are you thinking what I’m thinking?  What if there was a way to create and encourage a process by which an innovation is communicated so that instead of it taking years to permeate through traditional channels and social systems, it could take place much more rapidly – in a matter of just a few weeks or months?

Now that channel exists.  It’s called Social Networking!

Social networking provides the channels for the word to spread beyond early adopters and reach mainstream buyers much faster – and importantly, with enough social proof and actual proof to enable mainstream adoption to take place much sooner than before.

This is interesting, so let’s explore it a little further.

The following is Geoffrey Moore’s revised Technology Adoption Lifecycle chart:

As you can see here, the infamous chasm is where most products fail to gain adoption by the Early Majority, stall out, then crash and burn, fading into non-existence.  It has proven quite dangerous to try and leap across this chasm too quickly.  Different industries adopt new products, companies and technologies at different rates, so it’s often impossible to just leap this chasm outright (yes, even using the new rules of launch).

However, one answer to this common pitfall of new product introductions is to focus on launching to buyer segments. These segments are groups of like-minded people who reference each other regularly and who share similar interests, vernacular and buying preferences.  Moore calls this the “bowling-pin strategy” in his book “Into the Tornado”.

Without delving into more detail on the theory of early market introductions, let’s consider how this relates back to the product launches and establishing an early beachhead in a market.

The launch of anything new, interesting and useful will naturally attract the Innovators and Early Adopters. The trick is in convincing enough mainstream buyers, comprising the Early Majority, to give the product a try in order to jumpstart the bandwagon effect and create the herd movements required for mainstream adoption to take place.

Unlike marketing and selling in the traditional offline world, we are not restricted to the long time constants associated with word of mouth marketing and the corresponding slow adoption patterns that take place when using the old rules of launch.

The rate at which a social network spreads a message, combined with its ability to reference both proof and social proof in a compelling, convincing way (read: non-sales)  is one of the keys to reaching mainstream buyers.  How can we do this?

With stories – true stories. Hence my preoccupation with the use of stories in our marketing and selling.

For example, let’s say you’re introducing a new product that would benefit both large and smaller IT shops alike.  Using the new rules of launch, when mainstream customers see other name brand companies (like them) who are trying the new product, having success and commenting about it on a blog, this serves as compelling evidence (proof) and the necessary social proof (safety in numbers) that signals it’s time for them to have a closer look.

To keep things simple initially, I recommend focusing your launch on like-minded buyers (with similar buyer personas); however, if you have the resources and can muster a multi-pronged launch, it is certainly possible to launch to multiple market segments simultaneously.

For example, let’s say you’re launching the latest version of a solar-powered flashlight (I have one, they’re very cool).  This device appeals to various buyer segments and each segment cares about different things, reads different blogs and buys for different reasons.  Let’s take three groups of buyers and understand each one a bit better:

1. Homeowner Emergency Buyer – this buyer is primarily interested in a flashlight that can be trusted in an emergency situation, such as after a hurricane or other natural disaster, or anytime the power goes out.  The fact that solar-powered flashlights don’t require a battery is a very compelling benefit.
2. Camping and Outdoor Buyer – this buyer doesn’t want to carry batteries or anything heavy or bulky with them while backpacking, camping and enjoying the great outdoors. And should they get stranded for some reason, they want to know they’ll have a reliable, renewable light source at hand that can be trusted to provide emergency light.
3. Environmental and Conservation Buyer – this buyer prefers using renewable, environmentally-friendly energy, dislikes the disposable nature of traditional batteries and doesn’t mind paying extra for the peace of mind that living right brings with it.

One approach to take with this solar-powered flashlight is to create a separate launch mini-community focused on the needs and interests of each buyer segment.  Another approach is to create “solution” categories on a single website. This makes it easy for visitors to quickly learn more about how the product fits into helping them get each job done that is of interest to them.

This is in direct contrast to how most products are launched, which treats all customers as if they’re the same and centers on what the product does (features and benefits) and how it does it. This forces prospects into translating from what I call product language into buyer language.  Incidentally, I wrote this post on Buyer Language earlier that’s well worth a read.

I hope this post provides you with a fresh perspective on how to reach the mainstream buyers and markets faster, by:

• Having a clear buyer segmentation strategy that addresses groups of like-minded buyers
• Using buyer language that resonates with a specific group of buyers
• Using relevant stories that break through the market noise and clutter so your buyer language gets heard
• Making links to relevant stories visible via social media updates (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)

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As usual, every time I read Seth Godin’s blog, my brainwaves begin oscillating at some peculiar, sometimes resonant frequencies – the mark of a good thought leader – the ability to cause resonance within that cavity betwixt the ears.

Seth’s premise in his post Sell the Problem is that most marketers try to sell the benefits and features of a solution to a problem that companies don’t necessarily recognize they even have.  That when your prospects don’t wake up in the morning dreaming about how to solve that problem, or go to bed worrying about how much it’s costing to ignore the problem, they aren’t going to pay any attention to your solution either.

While I agree with his premise, I have a slightly different take on the real culprit.  Whether we recognize something is a problem or not, most companies have more problems than they can possibly solve.

So what happens?  Things get prioritized – and only the most important problems rise to the top of the list and get funded.  Everything else, however valid a problem, must simply wait.

Trying to sell people on the problem isn’t the answer (in my opinion).  Instead, finding ways to connect your solution to the highest-priority problems which are already funded and which the prospect is desperate to solve is where the best opportunity usually exists (there’s always an exception – like selling to non-consumers, who don’t believe there is a solution available).

Highlighting the problem is fine, so long as solving it is already a funded priority, especially when budgets are so very tight – as in today’s challenging economy.  Trying to establish that priority is usually not a profitable way to run a campaign or business.  It’s far better to find those who actually have the problem, recognize it and are motivated enough to pay for it to be solved – now – or at least soon.

So to sell more, we must identify the problems that companies (B2B) or people (B2C) are most desperate to solve.  Then we can push their inherent pain buttons and offer them a solution to problems they already recognize they have.  That’s a lot easier than selling them the problem.

Of course, it requires actually knowing what the customer’s most desperate problems are, what’s causing those problems to exist, the impacts of those problems continuing to exist untreated – and then it is possible for marketing and sales to push the pain and urgency buttons effectively so our solutions truly resonate within the mind of customers.

So my belief is it’s better to spend more time up front making sure we understand the problems that already cause customers pain and urgency, and which causes a desperation sufficient to prioritize funding high enough to buy a solution.

That’s far easier than trying to educate prospects on why they need your solution (or trying to sell the problem to them).

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• Reaching Mainstream Buyers and Markets Faster (1)
• Desperate Buyers Only (2)

Ever wish there was actually some secret formula or “system” to use for picking money-making opportunities to invest your time and money into, that are virtually guaranteed to yield a return on investment?

Actually there is, when you target the right type of buyer who’s “desperate” for a solution.

Today more than ever, it’s easier to sell to someone who is desperate for a solution to a problem they have in their business or personal life.  And a few years ago, I ran across a tremendous resource called Desperate Buyers Only, one of the few tools that I recommend for marketers looking to find new product opportunities that will make them money. It’s the same way I approach choosing and validating opportunities.

This report provides a unique perspective on how to find opportunities where buyers are “hungry” for a solution and will gladly pay you for the solution.

This information was updated in 2009, taking into account the changes that the down economy have created.

Learn more about how to identify desperate buyers in your market or pick a new market opportunity that will make money.

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