Challenge: Develop and implement a marketing plan to effectively promote and sell original designs.
According to an estimate from Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, over 30,000 products are introduced to the market every year. Businesses are tasked with identifying and implementing the best marketing strategies to make customers aware of their product and continue to engage them. In this challenge, you will develop and implement a marketing plan to sell a product that you will digitally design and create using Glowforge. To be successful, you will need to consider your target market, your competitors, and your product’s unique qualities.
Facilitation Guide
Background
Digital entrepreneurship is the process of pursuing business on a digital platform. The key difference between a traditional entrepreneur and a digital entrepreneur is that digital entrepreneurs offer exclusively digital products and services, such as e-commerce and content creation. These entrepreneurs must shift their marketing strategies to adapt to their online customers’ needs and wants.
To stand out from competitors, entrepreneurs need to be creative and innovative in their approach to marketing. Developing a strong brand identity and unique selling propositions helps set their products apart from others on the market.
Glowforge offers an innovative approach to product design and creation, making it the ideal tool for any entrepreneur. Whether selling a design file or a printed product, Glowforge can help you create unique items your customers will love.
Explore
Research and explore digital product ideas and marketing strategies. Consider the following:
- What are some popular products that are digitally designed? What product might you want to design and market? Are there products in the Glowforge design catalog that spark your interest?
- What are the latest trends in digital design? How can you grow your knowledge of market needs?
- Who might be your target market? How might they react to product promotions? How will you encourage audience engagement?
- How might your product benefit the target market?
- Who will your competitors be? How will your product differ from theirs?
- What are some potential market challenges you may have?
Explore Tip
Need help getting started? Watch Bailey’s Livestream episode on the four major topics for determining what products to sell.
Reflect and Review
Reflect on the research you did in the last stage.
- What did you learn about your target market, including their spending patterns and product preferences?
- What did you learn about your competitors? How might this information impact your product design or marketing strategy?
- What are some key selling points you can consider as you create your design and marketing plan?
- What are some barriers you might encounter when marketing your design?
Are there any other resources or strategies you want to explore more before brainstorming your product and strategy?
Ideate
Brainstorm some different ideas for your product, including thoughts for potential designs. You should think about possible marketing strategies at the same time. Think of as many ideas as you can without worrying about how good or bad they are. This is your time to get creative!
Consider the following:
- Which type of product would be more successful: a physical product digitally designed using Glowforge, or a Glowforge digital file that customers can customize and print on their own?
- What products could you create that meet your target market’s needs?
- What’s your vision for your design? How will it appeal to your target market?
- How can you make your design stand out from your competitors’ products? What’s your unique selling proposition?
- What marketing strategies can you use to engage your audience and increase leads?
- How can you build a brand identity through your marketing strategy and product design?
Ideate Tip
The Glowforge Live Stream has tons of resources on how to use Glowforge to start a business! Check out how Ryan has used his Glowforge to create a leather crafting business from his home.
Reflect and Review
Reflect on your product and possible marketing strategies.
- Are there product ideas that are similar and could be grouped together?
- Are there marketing strategies that are similar and could be grouped together?
- How did brand identity impact your design ideas and marketing strategy?
- How did market research impact your design ideas and marketing strategy?
In the next stage, you’ll narrow your ideas down to 1-2 products to design and create a marketing plan for. Are there any gaps in your brainstorming that you want to explore before moving to this next step?
Design
Select one or two products that you would like to develop further by creating sketches or digital mockups. After coming up with your product design, create a marketing plan to promote and sell the product. Consider the following:
- How does your product meet the needs and wants of the target audience?
- How will you sell your product? Will you sell the Glowforge design file or will you sell a physical product? If you sell a physical product, what materials will meet your customers’ needs, be cost-effective, and ensure quality?
- How does your product design align to your brand identity? How might color, text, and imagery impact marketability and sales?
- How does your marketing plan align to your brand identity? How can your unique selling proposition and audience engagement convert leads into customers?
Design Tip
You can use a ton of different materials with Glowforge! Check out this Glowforge TV playlist to get a sense for all the options. Think about what materials make sense for your own product & target market.
Reflect and Review
Now that you have spent time developing your product and marketing plan, take a moment to reflect on your progress.
- Does your product design align with your marketing plan and brand identity?
- How does your product and marketing plan enhance user experience and convert leads into sales?
Next, you’ll move on to the Prototype stage to create and test your final design and marketing plan! Is there anything you want to change about your design before making the final product?
Prototype
Select one fully developed product design. Print a prototype of your design using your final materials. Even if you plan to only sell the digital file, you need to make sure the final product is printable for customers. After printing your product, create the content or materials you need for your marketing plan. Consider the following:
Is there any part of your product that needs to be refined? How will you test your product?
How long will your product take to print?
What instructions will you need to provide to customers if you sell the digital file?
How will you test and refine your marketing material?
How could you customize your product or marketing materials once they are printed? How might color, texture, or personalization enhance your designs?
Prototype Tip
Consider using low-cost materials, such as Glowforge Proofgrade Draftboard or cardboard, for the initial prototype to save time and money. These materials let you test your designs for usability, design flaws, or aesthetic appeal before investing in more expensive materials.
Reflect and Review
Reflect on the prototypes you created and tested.
- What do you notice about your product design that you might want to adapt or adjust?
- What do you notice about your marketing efforts that you might want to revisit?
Consider if there are any previous stages you might want to go back to. Once you’re happy with your final product, it’s time to show it off!
Evaluate
After creating and testing your prototype, it’s time for feedback. The following questions can help you can get useful, actionable feedback from your peers (and customers!):
- How do members of your target market engage with your product?
- How do members of your target market respond to your marketing strategies?
- What elements of your marketing plan are most successful at attracting your target market? What elements of your marketing plan are least effective?
- What elements of your product resonate most with your target market? Are there elements of your product that are difficult for users?
Evaluate Tip
Surveys and questionnaires can be helpful for getting actionable feedback! Use a mix of open-ended and simple rating questions to find out what your customers think about your product and marketing. Consider embedding survey links from Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, or other tools into your marketing material to encourage customers to share their thoughts.
Reflect and Review
Reflect on the feedback you received.
- Are there any aspects of your product design or marketing plan that you need to revisit?
- Which stages in the process can you return to for these changes?
Once you’re happy with your final product, it’s time to start making sales!
