I was reading the Sydney Morning Herald and saw this article, Back from the dead: the firm that’s making a mint out of old tech.
The idea is about taking photos uploaded to Facebook and taking them offline line to be printed and shared.
The good old fashioned photo book.
According to the article they have sold 80,000 photo books throughout the world and it seems the business is thriving.
It is not only a good example of simplicity, it also shows that there are opportunities to be realised if you look at the online and offline world in total.
Instead of thinking they must be separate or in competition.
Here are a few lessons we can learn from this example:
Marketing Mix
So often marketing is thought to be about communication only.
By looking at all aspects of marketing simple ideas can mean growing your business instead of going out of business.
Market Trends
In the article they use the words “fish where the fish are” which is fundamental but sometimes forgotten.
In this case people are sharing photos online which gave them the idea.
Observing customer trends such as their behaviour could spark inspiration. Try using a mind map to do a little brainstorming to see if there are opportunities for your business.
Free Into Sales
People are sharing photos with their friends and others online for free. This is also happening in many areas of business such as information.
Often businesses see this as a threat and it can be. However there may be opportunities to add something simple to free that customers will pay for.
Focus
If they had a diverse business this opportunity may not have been so easily spotted.
The more focused your business model especially if you are a solo or small business the easier it is to take advantage of opportunities.
Things change rapidly today. Having a focus or specialisation means you may be able to capitalise on a potential opportunity quicker than others with a more diverse range of products or services.
These are just a few lessons so please add others that you have experienced or seen that we can learn from.
If you are looking to build a thriving, profitable through simplicity and specialising Click Here to see how I can help you.
