How to think outside the box? One of the biggest questions when it comes to excelling in the digital industry filled with endless creativity and competition.
When the app stores opened up a decade ago, there has been a consistent onslaught of mobile apps for startups, entrepreneurs, and individuals alike.
According to RiskIQ, the total number of mobile apps has reached a staggering 8.93 million in the app stores, it is becoming equally difficult for businesses to create unique tools, capture their audience’s attention, and make money.
This consideration has led people to wonder on what it takes to think differently from a unique standpoint.
How to think outside the box?
Thinking outside the box doesn’t call for the usual rant about creative strategies and execution, but something that defines your product and processes in a new fashion and pay off for your company’s growth unlike ever before.
Streamlined business operations
Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, running a startup or a corporate veteran, there is always a room for improvement in your operations.
Fine-tuning your business operations to run smoothly and efficiently at the same time is something unorthodox in most business books.
Keep in mind that the playground for startups is constantly evolving, there are new tools, processes, and methods in the market you need to acquire for your product adaptability.
This is why you need to streamline and simplify your operations, resolve small issues, stay abreast with the trends, and precisely gauge your product’s performance to call for operational excellence.
A feat that can be accomplished at the hands of a sound product strategy. And if you’re a MENA-based business, you can consult our own certified Product Strategist, Mr. Hady Shaikh, to help you with your business operations and digital options.
Related content: App Development Team: the Power of 7 for Your Business
Empathetic customer service
Goes without saying, but even the top-most products are incomplete without a quality customer support.
With companies increasingly investing in AI-based chatbots, and in-house support personnel to build a sense of trust among their consumers. What do you do to stand out in the thick of competition?
Understand how you need to empathize with the customers. As COVID-19 has wreaked havoc for many industries and businesses worldwide, CMOLDS has worked closely with its clients and delivered creative solutions they need to uplift their brand.
A customer service not after the product completion and delivery, but throughout the product development phases is required to keep the client connected.
Your customers need to know what their project status is and how it will impact their business objectives.
Quality online reputation management
There are plenty of misconceptions surrounding a business’s online reputation management.
Gone are the days when internet was rather passive in nature and business websites worked like static brochures.
Today, user-generated content has become a necessity and customers have social media channels to voice their comfort, approval, displeasures, and sadly, abuse.
Regularly interacting with your customer on social media is the key for your success. Regardless of your product type, business size, marketing criteria, etc., your customers are talking about you every now and then, either in the form of comments, tweets, or even simple likes and shares.
Taking these engagement metrics into account tells you a lot more about your customers’ insights than traditional surveys, interviews, etc.
A fostered culture
Creating a culture of prosperity and competitiveness is the real deal. However, we’re not talking about doubling your office hours, pushing your employees to the point of exhaustion, using aggressive marketing tactics or any other strategy that piles up your revenue numbers.
But a company culture that instills inspiration and motivation for employees to deliver above the expectations.
Now the biggest drivers could be higher salaries, incentives, and a secure workplace environment, but going the extra mile and creating a learning, productive environment could go a long way in bringing success to your door.
Besides the workplace environment, the same should be done for customers too. Focus on transparent communication, cultivate quality customer relationships, induce flexibility, communicate the project’s purpose, and give and receive constructive feedback.
As stated earlier, CMOLDS is transparent at every phase of the client’s app development process and provide feedback accordingly.
This allows us to make use of ample flexibility and cater client’s changing requirements during the project.
Brilliant user personas/stories
As Simon Sinek perfectly explains the Golden Circle rule, “focus on why, followed by how, and conclude with what”.
The why indicates the story of your brand, why are you delivering what you’re delivering? What is the inspiration behind it? What problems do you recognize your target audience is dealing with?
The how tells how do you plan to help your customers, and what are your actual offerings and services.
Therefore, creating accurate, detailed user personas and stories comes into play. In order to define your why, how and what, you first need to understand your market segments, and demographics and connected minutiae of your users.
Information that will eventually help you create something useful, desirable, and valuable for your audience.
Move beyond the app!
While a startup deciding to go digital might want to create a mobile app, thinking outside the box also requires you to move beyond the typical rat race of quality app development services.
Convenience being the top-most priority for consumers today, on the downside, it has also contributed to the uncontrollable amount of digital clutter is many industries.
Consider the following statistics—77% of the total app usage time is consumed by the consumers’ top three apps, leaving out only 23% of the time for other apps.
The major activity in mobile apps is digital audio, followed by social media. Hence, the chances of gathering a significant mind share in the consumers for any business app reduce greatly.
While you may have your loyal customer base, but attracting new users in downloading your app in their already filled smartphones is extremely difficult.
So what does it take to move beyond routine mobile apps and capture an audience for your business.
Final thoughts!
Work on AR/VR and gamification tools, interactive marketing collaterals, ecommerce solutions (trend which is ruling the MENA region since the COVID-19 pandemic began), and associated digital solutions that place you at the top of the minds of your customers.
How to think outside the box for your business is a constant effort in producing valuable, helpful, and marketable products, and staying relevant for your customers.
And startups and entrepreneurs need to acclimate accordingly if they’re to survive in the never-ending battle for regional and global supremacy of digitization.
Imran Abdul Rauf is a Digital Marketing Strategist, employed at CMOLDS, and specializes in content marketing, email marketing campaigns, lead generation, and other aspects of digital marketing. A content enthusiast by the day, and hardcore gamer by night, Imran is also a regular guest contributor at some of the top tech and digital marketing platforms.
