“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” ― Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway’s words are spot on, and it’s especially important to listen to valued customers like super consumers. Super consumers are folks most engaged with your category and brand. They know you best, are clued into what you stand for, and are, at once, your biggest advocates and worst critics.
What’s more, super consumers are known to be a growth engine for brands. They are typically influencers on social media, meaning they are not only highly involved with you but also your best advocates.
Since these consumers are your lifeline, it’s essential to include them in the innovation process if you want to ensure a focus on new offerings that please and delight, and if you want to quickly move on from ideas that don’t resonate.
Super consumers are known to be a growth engine for brands. They are typically influencers on social media, meaning they are not only highly involved with you but also your best advocates.”
Here are 7 tips for harnessing the power of super consumers so they will help you land on strong ideas, develop seedlings into fully-formed plants, and mitigate your risk by avoiding things won’t work:
1. Define and identify. Determine what defines the 20% responsible for 80% of your business and then work with partners to connect with them in existing panels, communities, or other networks.
2. Test early and often. Don’t wait until ideas are fully fleshed out, better to start early. Ping them from the beginning so these superheroes can co-create with you and help direct your path forward.
3. Get the details. Peek inside the hood and understand “why” an innovation works or why it doesn’t work. Why do your super consumers love it or hate it? This takes the guesswork out of rationalizing why an idea is a homerun or a stinker. This is critical because it can help not only guide immediate initiatives but also frame out next generation ideas.
4. Evolve, then get more insight. As you learn from super consumers and continue to develop ideas, showcase new iterations and see if they work. By taking in their feedback and evolving the new ideas/products, you can quickly gain additional insight by testing the latest versions and seeing if you’re getting closer to delighting your key audience.
5. Full circle – share the love. Make them feel a part of the process, because they are. Plus, super consumers love knowing they help shape your decisions. Let them know that their POV is helping to launch new products, or that you learned about a new idea you’re continuing to develop and they should stay tuned for more. Think about giving them samples or coupons to show appreciation.
6. Transform knowledge into action. Be sure to take their feedback to heart, even if they panned an idea that you had your heart set on. These super consumers are highly clued into their needs and know what will work for them and others, and you can mitigate risk by heeding their feedback when a new direction is needed. Similarly, if they give you the green light you’ll have confidence to quickly bring that innovation to market.
7. Do it again. The process works, and well. Continue to test and learn.
Super consumers are one of your greatest assets. Want to learn more about how to leverage them?
