Indian start-ups are high on SMAC and are brimming with ideas and many are working hard on their ideas in a garage somewhere in Bangalore or yonder; working day and night to bring out the next big winner in the cloud, but can they hit pay dirt like Hewlett & Packard?
Many of these start-ups will be driving SAAS solutions on the cloud and Nasscom has added momentum by leading the charge with a target of 10,000 start-ups a very modest number, India can do with a million start-ups' to service the world and create economic value for India.
The first aspect the start-up needs to get right is the domain name,is it "startup.in" or is it startup.com, starup.biz, starup.net, it is nice to be nationalistic but in the cloud SAAS you are building could be used by anyone in the world and will need a global address.; also is the start-ups twitter handles and other social media address available in the proposed name of the start-up?
The website is the start-up's sales brochure in the cloud, have the founders spent enough time on the start-up's website and do they have a social media footprint and presence. Awesome technology alone will not bring in the revenue, you need marketing muscle and agile selling online, plus you need audience. There have been great technology companies, names we cannot even remember now in the cloud rush that vanished before they were even born. Get the Branding and Positioning Right of the start-up right, if it does not work change the name of the start-up, not driven by an astrologer or numerologist but by the attributes of the product offering.
The first is S in SMAC has to be done right; either your start-up is in social media or you are not there. Word of Mouth is good to take your start-up places and bring in the eyeballs, but you need to get it right. Has the website been launched in more than one language, the world's most spoken language is Spanish followed by Mandarin, do you provide support in these languages other than English for your global customers? If you do not have Spanish you will miss most countries in Latin America and without Portuguese you will miss Brazil which is a mature Digital Market.
The next is M - Mobile support, does your website and application work in the mobile, has the start-up tested their presence in various mobiles and tablets.
Then there is A - Analytics, is the start-up measuring its engagement in the digital world, if you do not know how to do it, subscribe to a SAAS solution in the cloud which can do it for you.
The last is C - Cloud; has the start-up chosen the right cloud partner for its solution.
The Start-up has to get its SMAC right and to get high in the cloud.
Some more some more pointers which need to be addressed by the start-up up in its
digital avatar starts with the description of its offering. Does the start-up's web page and
social media campaigns get prospective customers excited about their product, is it
supplemented by video advertising on Television and You tube and other social media
sites?
Is the start- up able to sustain its digital footfall and get visitors excited and subscribe to its offering? Remember layman's language works best since most SAAS users do not understand Geek language. Tell your prospects why they should try your offering, and highlight the features and benefits of your solution, be transparent on the pricing and let there be no surprises. Make sure you offer a self service trial of your offerings from your website, which can be used with no fuss and can be concluded with two mouse clicks. If the trail user's like the start-ups solution they will continue using it irrespective of the pricing, so getting them to use it is the first step.
The start-up needs to explain the security around the offering, cloud is all about trust, the more you share the better is the TRUST. A full page on security is warranted, including standards, backups and what not to convince your customer they are in safe hands.
The start-up should share its coverage in the media and also customer success stories and testimonials, this gives confidence to a prospective customer.
Start-up needs to talk about the Help & Support available, it needs to provide a chat room for immediate support on enquiries, to close sales and offer solution support. The start-up needs to share its marketing presentations and videos to be easily viewed by the prospective customer, remember you will need to close the sale most times without ever meeting your customer in person. Many Indian start-ups still believe they need to meet the customer and close the SAAS sale, this shows their reluctance and lack of understanding of Digital Branding and Marketing. The most classic lament is we do not have a Beta as yet, how can a start-up get a Beta without a self-service delivery of its SAAS solution on its website. Who has the patience to write to the start-up for a Beta site, when I stumble on the start-up's site I am looking for instant Nirvana not Penance.
The start-up needs to share on the website details about its partners, affiliates and Careers, also needs to Provide Contact through, an online form, email, chat, social media, phone and any other innovative ideas of communication. The start-up should encourage prospect to remain connected through Social Media, email and newsletters.
If Indian start-up companies with great technology skills and brilliant SAAS solutions incorporate some of these points which they may have missed, then India can serve the world and multiply into a million start-ups in the cloud.
Many of these start-ups will be driving SAAS solutions on the cloud and Nasscom has added momentum by leading the charge with a target of 10,000 start-ups a very modest number, India can do with a million start-ups' to service the world and create economic value for India.
The first aspect the start-up needs to get right is the domain name,is it "startup.in" or is it startup.com, starup.biz, starup.net, it is nice to be nationalistic but in the cloud SAAS you are building could be used by anyone in the world and will need a global address.; also is the start-ups twitter handles and other social media address available in the proposed name of the start-up?
The website is the start-up's sales brochure in the cloud, have the founders spent enough time on the start-up's website and do they have a social media footprint and presence. Awesome technology alone will not bring in the revenue, you need marketing muscle and agile selling online, plus you need audience. There have been great technology companies, names we cannot even remember now in the cloud rush that vanished before they were even born. Get the Branding and Positioning Right of the start-up right, if it does not work change the name of the start-up, not driven by an astrologer or numerologist but by the attributes of the product offering.
The first is S in SMAC has to be done right; either your start-up is in social media or you are not there. Word of Mouth is good to take your start-up places and bring in the eyeballs, but you need to get it right. Has the website been launched in more than one language, the world's most spoken language is Spanish followed by Mandarin, do you provide support in these languages other than English for your global customers? If you do not have Spanish you will miss most countries in Latin America and without Portuguese you will miss Brazil which is a mature Digital Market.
The next is M - Mobile support, does your website and application work in the mobile, has the start-up tested their presence in various mobiles and tablets.
Then there is A - Analytics, is the start-up measuring its engagement in the digital world, if you do not know how to do it, subscribe to a SAAS solution in the cloud which can do it for you.
The last is C - Cloud; has the start-up chosen the right cloud partner for its solution.
The Start-up has to get its SMAC right and to get high in the cloud.
Some more some more pointers which need to be addressed by the start-up up in its
digital avatar starts with the description of its offering. Does the start-up's web page and
social media campaigns get prospective customers excited about their product, is it
supplemented by video advertising on Television and You tube and other social media
sites?
Is the start- up able to sustain its digital footfall and get visitors excited and subscribe to its offering? Remember layman's language works best since most SAAS users do not understand Geek language. Tell your prospects why they should try your offering, and highlight the features and benefits of your solution, be transparent on the pricing and let there be no surprises. Make sure you offer a self service trial of your offerings from your website, which can be used with no fuss and can be concluded with two mouse clicks. If the trail user's like the start-ups solution they will continue using it irrespective of the pricing, so getting them to use it is the first step.
The start-up needs to explain the security around the offering, cloud is all about trust, the more you share the better is the TRUST. A full page on security is warranted, including standards, backups and what not to convince your customer they are in safe hands.
The start-up should share its coverage in the media and also customer success stories and testimonials, this gives confidence to a prospective customer.
Start-up needs to talk about the Help & Support available, it needs to provide a chat room for immediate support on enquiries, to close sales and offer solution support. The start-up needs to share its marketing presentations and videos to be easily viewed by the prospective customer, remember you will need to close the sale most times without ever meeting your customer in person. Many Indian start-ups still believe they need to meet the customer and close the SAAS sale, this shows their reluctance and lack of understanding of Digital Branding and Marketing. The most classic lament is we do not have a Beta as yet, how can a start-up get a Beta without a self-service delivery of its SAAS solution on its website. Who has the patience to write to the start-up for a Beta site, when I stumble on the start-up's site I am looking for instant Nirvana not Penance.
The start-up needs to share on the website details about its partners, affiliates and Careers, also needs to Provide Contact through, an online form, email, chat, social media, phone and any other innovative ideas of communication. The start-up should encourage prospect to remain connected through Social Media, email and newsletters.
If Indian start-up companies with great technology skills and brilliant SAAS solutions incorporate some of these points which they may have missed, then India can serve the world and multiply into a million start-ups in the cloud.
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