Rally the Neophiles | Software Branding

It doesn’t make sense to build for anyone else.

How much market share do you want? All of it?

Wow. That’s an ambitious goal.

You want it now? Dang. Sounds like you’re a real go-getter.

You can’t have it.

At least not now. You’re not ready. But there is a clear starting point that every successful software out there has shown us: build for neophiles. The innovators and early-adopters. It simply doesn’t make sense to build for anyone else. Here’s why:

Whenever we create something truly novel, we engage in pattern interrupt (thanks Seth Godin). Pattern interrupt places a user in a state of decision making since they have encountered something outside their normal pattern of behavior. Slack, before it was adopted by every single organization worth talking about, was a pattern interrupt. Most teams communicated via email, text, etc. Not very effective. Even so, the thought of switching from the normal, (albeit shitty) pattern requires energy that people don’t want to spend… unless trying out new things is their normal.

The only folks who fit that pattern are neophiles. They are people who want to find something new, who want to be in-the-know, and who are joyous when they find something novel they can test. Furthermore, they are the first stepping stone in gaining mass market share. If you want the masses to engage with your product, you have to first rally the Neophiles.

Originally published at https://www.zstvns.design.