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Ask HN: How to market test for new webapp

3 points by jbrun 17y ago

We are considering developing a webapp for some government reporting that is done by companies in Canada. Typically this reporting is done first in excel, then multiple sheets are compiled and then manually inputted to a government website. The webapp would allow all the work to be done in one place - saving time. While this sounds like a good idea, the market is quite small - probably about 4000 industrial companies at most. We have been sending out emails to potential clients asking if such a product would interest them, but there has been little if any response. We have also placed Google Ads to see if anyone clicks through - few do. Does the HN community have any ideas on how to test a new idea out without building the actual product. The app would only be used once a year and would have to work very well the first time around, so we cannot do a half-development and see if people start using it. Thanks. JB

tbgvi 17y ago
E-mail is passive and can get skipped over if you don't already have a relationship. Try making some phone calls instead, and ask for the person responsible for that reporting. Try using Jigsaw to target a few companies in your market. Once you've got the right person you can bounce ideas off of them and gauge interest in what you're building. Good luck!
- jbrun 17y ago
  Thanks, I do plan to follow up with calls. Took a quick look at Jigsaw, thanks for the tip.
run4yourlives 17y ago
>Does the HN community have any ideas on how to test a new idea out without building the actual product. Aren't you already doing that? At what point does the question change from not knowing how to market to not accepting the results? You may in fact have a great and useful idea that solves a real problem. However, the third part of that equation is a willing marketplace. It is entirely possible that your marketplace isn't able to grasp the idea, through no fault of your own. They might not be in the same headspace that you're in. In other words, you're slightly ahead of your time. I'm in an industry (also in Canada) where I've had to actually accept this outcome recently. My market is a lot bigger than yours, but I simply can't afford to evangelize and convert the old school thinking that permeates the decision makers.
- jbrun 17y ago
  Thank you for your response, I have had a very hard time converting people for my main product, so doing it again for another one seems like a daunting task. Thanks for the comments.
Mz 17y ago
"Does the HN community have any ideas on how to test a new idea out without building the actual product." You can fease it. Basically, it's a small (feasibility) study that includes not only 'would you use this?' type questions but also 'if that doesn't work for you, what would?' type questions.

3 points by jbrun 17y ago

tbgvi 17y ago

E-mail is passive and can get skipped over if you don't already have a relationship. Try making some phone calls instead, and ask for the person responsible for that reporting. Try using Jigsaw to target a few companies in your market. Once you've got the right person you can bounce ideas off of them and gauge interest in what you're building. Good luck!

jbrun 17y ago
Thanks, I do plan to follow up with calls. Took a quick look at Jigsaw, thanks for the tip.

run4yourlives 17y ago

>Does the HN community have any ideas on how to test a new idea out without building the actual product. Aren't you already doing that? At what point does the question change from not knowing how to market to not accepting the results? You may in fact have a great and useful idea that solves a real problem. However, the third part of that equation is a willing marketplace. It is entirely possible that your marketplace isn't able to grasp the idea, through no fault of your own. They might not be in the same headspace that you're in. In other words, you're slightly ahead of your time. I'm in an industry (also in Canada) where I've had to actually accept this outcome recently. My market is a lot bigger than yours, but I simply can't afford to evangelize and convert the old school thinking that permeates the decision makers.

jbrun 17y ago
Thank you for your response, I have had a very hard time converting people for my main product, so doing it again for another one seems like a daunting task. Thanks for the comments.

Mz 17y ago

"Does the HN community have any ideas on how to test a new idea out without building the actual product." You can fease it. Basically, it's a small (feasibility) study that includes not only 'would you use this?' type questions but also 'if that doesn't work for you, what would?' type questions.