By Daylin Mantyka
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we have read in the past week. On the podium this week are Ash Maurya: Practice Trumps Theory, GigaOm, Fast Company, Marketing Sherpa Blog and Social Media Explorer.
Your business model is a system and why you should care
Ash Maurya talks about the roots of lean development and why understanding where the concept came from is important for successfully finding that sweet spot in product-market fit.
Why good storytelling helps you design great products
One of the biggest mistakes when designing a product is focusing on great looks before thinking about great functionality. Braden Kowitz, who leads the Google Ventures Design School, talks about why using a story-centred design is crucial to getting the product right.
Oreo’s ‘Dunk in the Dark’ strategy and the future of real-time marketing
By now anyone who’s anyone has heard and analyzed Oreo’s brilliant Superbowl Tweet. This witty play not only sparked a dialogue on the power of real-time marketing, but also a paradigm shift in terms of how teams create content. Gian LaVecchia says that we’ve evolved from the concept of “brand as publisher” to “brand as newsroom,” which supports content development that is incredibly agile and helps marketers to reach and connect with audiences at scale.
Value Proposition: 3 techniques for standing out in a highly competitive market
John Tackett proposes three techniques in refining your value proposition that can be used to differentiate products or services in highly competitive environments. Thinking about why customers choose you over the competition is one method of standing out.
Entrepreneurs are constantly thinking about how to get their startup in the public eye. One method is to pitch journalists and editors who write for popular online publications. Editors can sometimes be the gatekeepers to a startup’s breakthrough, so why not learn what makes them tick? Andy Crestodina asks six questions to six prominent online editors and tells all.
