Early Adopters - a Marketer's Secret Weapon

By Jerry Rackley

Anyone who has launched a new product can appreciate the value of an early adopter. Geoffrey Moore, in his book “Crossing the Chasm” helped us understand the challenges new products have in going mainstream. Early adopters are often the difference between a product having the momentum to succeed or falling into the chasm. This wonderful scene from the movie “The Hudsucker Proxy” illustrates the value of an early adopter when it comes to new product marketing:

Having an early adopter can give a new product a huge boost in the market – if, or should I say IF marketing knows how to take advantage of it. The reality is that it’s not enough to have an early adopter; there are other conditions that affect how well an early adopter helps a product succeed. These other conditions are present in an early adopter who:

• Has visibility in your target market.
• Is willing to serve as your “Poster Child” for promotional purposes.
• Is receiving the advertised benefits of your product and ideally has quantified them.

If you’re fortunate enough to find one or two early adopters who fit this profile, then half of your marketing work is complete. The remaining half is exploiting this resource. One of the best ways to do this is via a case study.

In the realm of marketing collateral, case studies are perceived as the most credible marketing resource because they tell the story from the perspective of the early adopter. Case studies are effective in many forms such as print, as web content or in video form. Regardless of the format, they help prospective customers understand your value proposition very effectively, combining a use case and testimonial.

Here are some tips for producing effective case studies:

• Keep them short. The longer any marketing piece is, the less likely it will get consumed. Brevity is a challenge for complex situations and solutions, but gifted marketers understand how to create clarity with as few words as possible.
• Reflect your positioning. Case studies should illustrate the value proposition expressed in your product’s positioning. You often can find customers that are happy with your solution, but are using it in a way that isn’t a true reflection of its value. Resist the urge to showcase these applications. Stick to the ones that really trumpet your value.
• Quote the early adopter. A case study should tell the story through the voice of the early adopter. Begin the case study development process with an in-depth interview, recording the actual words of the early adopter. Quite often, a number of great sound bites come out of interviews that should go into your case study verbatim. When you do this, the credibility of the case study increases.

Case studies are potent weapons in marketing’s arsenal. Demand Metric has a number of resources to help you develop your case studies:

1. A free How-To Guide on increasing sales with case studies.
2. A Case Study Template to help you draft one.
3. Services to help you write case studies. Email info@demandmetric.com for a free consultation on our case study development services.