The MVP constitutes the inception of a startup’s activities. For any newly established startup, that initial stage represents a phase that is as delicate as it is decisive. The Italian equivalent of the expression Minimum Viable Product is “minimum working product.” Frank Robinson, co-founder of SyncDev, coined the term in 2001. He used the expression to refer to products with the highest ROI (Return on Investment) relative to risk. The concept of MVP indicates the initial project, still lacking advanced features, but consisting only of the essential ones. We speak, therefore, of a kind of framework on which to build one’s business strategy.

What is MVP?
Over time, MVP has become a basic concept of various methodologies and in particular the “Lean Startup” method created by entrepreneurs Steve Blank and Eric Ries. This is based on the “Build – Meausure – Learn” principle. But specifically what is MVP and why is MVP startup an inseparable pair? The Minimum Viable Product is a real product, i.e., an application, website, or service that, according to the Lean Startup Movement strategy, is generated with as little expense as possible and equipped with a few basic features, enough to test its effectiveness with customers right away. The product, despite still being a “beta,” is already ready to be put on the market for feedback. These are used to reshape the proposal and refine the functions of the project.

Why is MVP so important for startups and what is its main purpose?
The goals of those using this method are:

• optimize and make efficient from the outset the path adopted by the startup
• identify any errors and reshape the project as it runs
• test the product right away to see if it can meet the buyers’ real needs

The mistake of so many startups is to get too caught up in the design phase for too long, wanting to define even the smallest detail in advance and investing the entire budget on a finished product without first testing it and subjecting it to user feedback. On the contrary, listening to customers’ input is very important, as almost all of them are geared toward meeting a precise need.

All the features of MVP
The main features of this approach are low implementation costs and short planning time, generally in the 30-day range, depending on the type of product. The final version will be built over time, after it is released to the market and feedback is obtained from the public. Costs are primarily related to the type of CMS chosen to build the final product. For example, opting for free software such as WordPress makes it possible to build an MVP with minimal expenses. Of course, expenses allocated to market analysis, data collection, advertising the product, and improvements to be made to the product based on feedback obtained and any problems encountered during testing should be added to the estimated costs.

MVP in marketing
A startup’s Minimum Viable Product guides the company’s marketing strategies, as well as the implementation of the product, starting with the basic idea. Every startup starts with an idea, the implementation of which is aimed at meeting a certain need. It then moves on to the prototype, which consists of a simulation created specifically to identify the design and define the usability of the product. The next step involves the creation of the MVP, which is the evolution of the prototype and must have the minimum functionality to be launched in the market. This approach helps to identify any critical issues in time and to understand whether the path taken is really the right one or design changes are needed.

The post MVP (Minimum Viable Product): what it is and why it is critical appeared first on E-Commerce Marketing.

Lean methodology is a system that is put in place to facilitate business management. Even today, few entrepreneurs choose to apply it, some due to lack of knowledge, some due to a real business choice. Here is what it is and why it works, providing no small benefits to those who implement it in their business.

The origins of the Lean method
The system called Lean dates back to the post-World War II period thanks to the decision of the leaders of the Toyota automaker to introduce a new production method compared to the one created by Ford. Going into detail, the formula is closely related to the concept of kaizen, a Japanese expression that has spread to Europe and America only since 1993.

The word in question takes on the meaning of improvement, inherent in business efficiency in all its forms. In the Rising Sun, the term is also used to summarize better management of the resources available to a business, with a view to increasing its productivity quickly.

What is Lean methodology
Lean methodology is simply the ability to achieve greater results with minimal effort. It does not affect the increase of economic resources, but rather facilitates the monitoring of activities without any additional expense. With such premises, it is possible to optimize one’s endowment in manpower and equipment, enhancing enterprise capital.

In this situation, it is possible to introduce the concept of lean thinking, which makes it possible to shape a new corporate mindset aimed at the well-being of a staff. In practice, the Lean method is not just a simple set of useful actions to increase productivity, but manages to go far beyond that.

In fact, thanks to Lean, it is possible to make the company more competitive and, at the same time, ensure that employees have the conditions they need to perform at their best. Every business reality of the latest generation should give serious consideration to such a hypothesis, through constructive involvement of the staff.

How to apply this system in a business reality
Having seen what the Lean methodology is, it is essential to know how to apply it in a wide-ranging business strategy. In any case, the incorporation of this technique must be preceded by some careful assessments, without which it may prove somewhat less effective.

It starts, first of all, by defining the determining activities to improve the customer’s experience and invite them to perform various actions. Then, you proceed with the Kaizen method, carrying out the policy of small steps and gradual progress. One should not forget to remove unnecessary activities.

The situation from which one starts should be analyzed in detail, with a view to removing unnecessary waste. From travel management to the control of necessary processing, from the reduction of goods in stock to the ability to avert the risk of overproduction, every detail can make a major contribution to a company that wants to grow.

The Five S’s Technique
For a flawless implementation of the Lean method, implementing the so-called Five S technique can in turn make a difference. Here are what these five Japanese terms are and how to know their respective characteristics:

• Seiri, that is, to best distinguish what is needed and not needed;
• Seiton, i.e. to put in order the items considered essential;
• Seiso, i.e. to arrange one’s workplace to the best of one’s ability in every respect;
• Seiketsu, that is, to focus on repetitive methods to improve one’s work system;
• Shitsuke, i.e. making one’s modus operandi spread in a well-established manner.

The tangible benefits of Lean methodology
Knowing what Lean methodology is can be critical to the fortunes of any business. In such a case, the company knows the potential needs of customers well in advance and has all the resources it needs to meet them, without any excess production. No more unnecessary paperwork to accumulate, no stockpiled goods.

A good business realizes the continuing needs of the public. Each compartment of the company can be considered a customer as opposed to another. The ultimate goal is to produce only what is necessary to grow business productivity, as well as to enable employees and contractors to operate under perfect conditions.

According to the Lean method, production must be taken care of in every single detail, with a total elimination of any form of waste. Efforts must therefore be made so that a business can benefit from this system and appreciate its relative potential right from the start.

The post Lean methodology: what it is and why it works appeared first on E-Commerce Marketing.

Online reputation is an asset that we all, you know individuals and brands, need to pay attention to. The web acts as a huge virtual memory that keeps track of all the information about us. It can be photos, videos, social media posts, interviews, blog articles, and all that content that can be associated with our digital identity.

Managing one’s online reputation is a skill that everyone needs to master, not only to improve the way others see us but also so that we never have to later regret what we decide or allow to be posted online.

What is digital reputation
Digital reputation is the set of conversations and elements that affect a given individual and influence how he or she is judged by other people. Search engines and social networks store content that is posted and that remains available to all who use it.

From such elements, a judgment (sentiment) is then formed around the people and brands in question that can influence their ability to operate online and can also have repercussions in the physical world. Think, for example, of reputational crises that arise on the web from scandals or inappropriate statements by representatives of certain companies, leading to mass consumer movements to boycott their business activities.

What elements affect digital reputation?
Digital identity is a component of our overall reputation, and it is affected both by the activities that we ourselves carry out online and those that are carried out by other parties.

Many types of content can be posted on the net, which-unless removed-remains potentially forever available to those who wish to search for it.

This may be, for example:

• photos uploaded by us or taken by other people (even without our knowledge)
• posts posted on social networks
• online discussions
• pages on other websites
• reviews on MyBusiness pages, social pages, Tripadvisor or similar platforms

How to monitor reputation
Defending our online reputation presupposes periodic monitoring of the conversations that affect our brand to quickly intercept the elements that threaten to undermine it. Here are some tools we can use to check the tenor of online conversations that affect us and to find out which content is the most successful.

Google Alert
Google Alert is a platform that allows us to periodically check what is being produced online around a particular topic. We can set up an alert that sends an email to our address at regular intervals as soon as online content related to certain keywords is published. It constitutes a useful tool for discovering, for example, new web pages in which we are mentioned.

Manual search
Google and Youtube are search engines that constitute huge databases of content. We can check what information is present about our brand by manually searching our name and evaluating the tenor of the content present.

Talkwalker
Talkwalker is a tool that allows us to monitor user behavior online. It allows us to find out in seconds what the sentiment of online conversations is around the brand and to track posts that mention the brand of interest. It allows you to set up an alert that informs you in a timely manner when content is posted that contains the keywords you set. Talkwalker is a paid tool that allows you to extrapolate all conversions around a brand to assess its sentiment.

Brand Mention
Brand Mention is a social monitoring tool that allows you to track the success of social media marketing strategies. It allows you to identify and measure what people are saying about a given brand, in real time. It allows you to prevent reputation crises through 24H/24 monitoring of online conversations.

How to defend our online reputation?
A person’s online reputation is so important that it can suffer real theft: malicious parties can perpetrate scams or other deceptions by taking advantage of the reputation stolen from others and the qualities it embodies. Original and valuable content allows users to stimulate word of mouth, obtain links from themed sites, and create signals that can enhance reputation in the eyes of search engines.

Creating quality content
If there is content online that makes us look bad, we can, for example, engage in making our own elements that, as more authoritative and up-to-date, overshadow the pre-existing ones.

Content marketing is a discipline of creating content for various platforms in order to increase the perceived value of the brand and gain business leads through the usefulness of resources.

We can create content for our website, YouTube videos, posts for our social accounts, give interviews, in order to make others’ unflattering content drop in the serp. Google also tends to consider the recentness of content for ranking purposes, and therefore they are bound to become less visible as they are replaced.

Promoting public relations
Public relations encompass a range of activities aimed at forging links with your target audience and prominent people in your industry to increase the visibility of your brand and improve your audience’s opinion of it.

They may include, for example:

• sponsorships
• participation in industry events
• interviews
• collaborations with colleagues
• advertising through industry influencers
• taking care of social media presence

and all activities that increase positive external signals.

Encourage online reviews
Reviews found online are crucial elements in improving one’s visibility and increasing the chances of doing business. Potential customers assess brand reliability through the opinions provided by other individuals, so it is important to remove false negative reviews and encourage positive ones.

It is not a matter of deleting negative reviews justified by a real experience, as this would implicitly lead to admitting one’s own shortcomings and damaging the relationship with one’s audience. Instead, one must do away with fake reviews that damage one’s reputation unjustifiably, at the limit even proceeding through legal means.

Through public relations activities we can entice our customers to leave reviews that can increase the perceived value of our online business.

The post What is Digital Reputation and how to defend it appeared first on E-Commerce Marketing.