Why It’s Critical For SaaS Startups to Leverage Early Adopters
As a SaaS startup, your early adopters are so, so valuable.
When you first launch, it’s likely your product will be the MVP of a much larger vision. Your early users are a goldmine of information, and if you make time for them, they can help you get better faster. It’s essential you make the most of this mutually beneficial situation while you can.
Here’s 3 reasons why it’s crucial for your SaaS startup to learn from your customers:
Product Roadmapping
During your early days, you can (and should!) spend time with every customer.
Arrange a chat, learn what they like about your product, and what they wish your product could do. What better source of information for your product roadmap than those who actually need to use it?
This will allow you to plan and roll out new features that customers will truly value. It also lets you fix existing bugs and work on implementing integrations with popular tools your customers already use.
Testing New Features
Who better to test new features than those who are going to be using them, or in some cases, those who are actively even requesting them?
User testing is the easiest and most effective way of gauging the success of a feature or prototype from the point of view of your customer. It allows you to watch them use it, review their journey, and listen to their suggestions.
When doing user testing — particularly as a startup — it’s important to come to terms with the fact that some things will work, and many will not.
If an experiment isn’t giving you the results you need, give yourself permission to pivot. Take the learnings from this experiment and feed it into the next one.
Growing Community Spirit
The more you interact with your early adopters, the more valued they will feel. When you take the time to listen, and then actually implement their feedback, it proves that you care about what they have to say.
When your users feel like an important part of your community, they’ll want to see it grow — and will be willing to help make that happen.
The more trusted and valued a customer feels, the more likely they are to recommend you to others. And, as you grow, they will be more likely to opt into larger focus groups for future product testing.
They’re also more likely to leave positive reviews, support your campaigns on social media and feature in a customer case study for your site.
Your most invaluable resource is a customer base that is personally invested in your success and actively involved in helping you grow.
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