How do you educate your users on your product and industry?

Question

To fully get the value of what we're working on, our target audience will need to understand things about the industry we're operating in, which happens to be data and blockchain. Data is notoriously shady and obscure, meaning that many of us don't really know what's going on behind the scenes.

A big part of our vision is to rebalance this, so we need our users to understand the current situation first before they appreciate the value of what we're offering.

If you've had a similar hurdle in your business, what did you find was the most effective way to educate without being boring or patronising?

Bill Flitter · Accepted Answer

As a maker for 20 years and many times early in big markets, I have a lot of experience educating consumers on new products. Your goal is to showcase your expertise on the topic - become THE source of truth. Educate, educate, educate!

Choose a few of these channels that you can do well and syndicate to the others. 
1. Content Marketing - blog posts for example
2. Podcasts - try to get interviews on podcasts or create your own! 
3. Comment marketing - comment on tweets, blog posts, Quora etc where your prospects are hanging out.  
4. Twitter - who else is talking about your space? Retweet their content, comment on their tweets, follow them and use it to voice your opinion on the topic. 
6. ebooks - create an ebook and tell us what's going on behind the scenes of data
7. Webinars / Videos

Hope that helps.

-Bill 
https://FixMyGrowth.com

Forster Perelsztejn · Answer

Hey Chloe,

This is my go-to article when I hear about "Educating the market": https://medium.com/@thiagoko/youre-not-educating-the-market-you-re-just-delusional-35678da79607

Don't be fooled by the shock value of the title, it's actually a very interesting read. The essence, though, is that you should be listening to the market instead of trying to educate it.

You can educate people on products/services they're ripe for but don't know they want, but it's kind of delusional to fight the market.

If you start by saying "we need our users to understand", you're already in trouble, because, in 99% of cases, it's you who need to understand your users.

As TK says in the article: "If you’re a sailor, you don’t educate the ocean. You learn the currents and navigate the best route to reach your destination safely."

Listen to the market, and act accordingly :)

Chloe Diamond · Answer

@billflitter Thanks Bill, that's all super helpful! Also reassuring to know we're on the right track. Much appreciated!

Forster Perelsztejn · Answer

@chloe_diamond glad if this was helpful in any way :)

Chloe Diamond · Answer

@thiagoko @forster_perelsztejn1 Love this advice, thank you! We've done some market research which has already started shedding some light on different approaches we should take (which we're in the process of doing now) but this was really reassuring and helpful to read :)

Amanda Trincher · Answer

It all depends on your project and the audience and their habits that you want to reach. You can use digital marketing methods or more familiar methods to advertise your product. It's important to find your audience and show them the benefits of your product. For example, for tools for automating industrial projects, you need to focus on the managers of such projects in order to be effective.

LachlanConsiden · Answer

I have been developing my construction concrete business for more than 5 years. My strategy includes potential advertising, social media activity, site promotion, and active blogging with helpful tips, for example https://www.armorcoatings.net/how-to-repair-cracks-in-a-concrete-driveway/ , for people planning or making concrete repairs.

Anuj Mishra · Answer

Educating your audience about your product has become a necessity, especially, when you are exploring areas like data and blockchain technology. After all, there is no point in launching a product that customers find difficult to grasp or they are unsure if they need it in the first place.

You need to be constantly on your toes and ready to answer any questions that customers may have. For example, we are constantly educating our customers via relevant content in the form of how-to videos, blogs, self-help articles, and more. Besides this, we use a tool called ProProfs Help Desk (https://www.proprofsdesk.com/) that allows us to quickly respond to every customer issue and ensure not a single customer request remains unanswered.

How do you educate your users on your product and industry?

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