Hijacked

I'm at this intersection where I'm looking at the specific needs of startups right now and the deluge of trends covering everything from how startups are bulding and iterating to consumer behaviour and expectation. While there's a lot of traffic flowing in every direction, I'm starting to see one theme pop out prominently: startups being hijacked in design and development.

At the start of this week I saw the hijack trend fitting startups that didn't have tech founders, and now that I've started talking about it with more people, I see it happening where founders have a tech background too. So I've officially labelled it 'Trend'. As one founder explained to me, the hijack happens for a whole personality-driven range of reasons that go beyond what's written in a contract. So let's shelf the 'why'.

What does a hijack look like? Basically, it seems to include some or all of these:

• Calls and emails aren't answered.

• Requests for changes go unanswered; or are acknowledged but not acted on.

• Key dates are missed.

• Features/actions/stuff promised isn't done.

• Project scope isn't as promised (less funtionality or allowance for feedback etc).

• Deployment doesn't include the revisions and/or testing as promised.

Any of this is incredibly common, as it turns out. And it's not limited to startups either. Every founder I begin to share this with, just to tell them they're not alone, gets all excited with recognition and wants to add to the list. 

The crisis point of the hijack is when the founder can't get access to his or site. When the files are in the hands of one person 'with the keys', as one founder said. Who isn't answering calls and won't hand over the site to the founder or another team. If I keep following this I'm sure Ill be able to write a book about it. I've seen a key sales season get missed for one startup which had an impact on everything for the business going forward. Another client gave up the chase for their files; even after hiring a lawyer and pursuing the legal angle, they lost all their data and ended up relaunching with a new site. Yet another moved ahead with sales despite having a product that wasn't as evolved as it should have been. 

The name game

I've been involved with naming three very different projects lately. Each is unique but there are rules, tips or guildelines that I'm coming back to.

1] Keep it short. Short says 'easy' and 'uncomplicated, which is important to encouraging adoption.

2] Listen to how it sounds. A hard consonant in the name (ie, d or t) will give it substance and ground it. The hard sound of an 'i', 'e' or 'a' is good to make it sound active. Soft consonants and vowels are warm and cuddly.

3] Inspire. Avoid being preachy, if you're in sustainability or social impact. This applies to your marketing too.

4] When trends have shifted in a year, will this name still sound good? Apply a macro lens over the micro of what sounds good in the moment. 

5] Think about how it looks. Test the name out with some design comps. 

6] Stay human. You're looking for a name that touches people.

7] Write down the keywords or phrases of your business or marketing strategy and keep them in front of you to stay on strategy.

8] Keep your user in mind, as well as the customer when they aren't the same group. Your name has to resonate with both groups.

9] Test the name on friends, and try to listen with a filter. Where are they coming from? Are they the target? Try to consider their interest either in supporting you or challenging you. 

10] Don't rush it. Names take time and though there are lots of approaches to take. There's no magic formula.

Seth Godin, my hero

Seth Godin always says the smartest things about marketing in the simplest way. Having seen him speak twice, I can tell you he's totally inspiring. Right now I'm watching him on Strombo talking about the race to the bottom that's come from being at the tail end of the industrial era.

What he's been strong on for years is the importance of specializing; defining yourself in a deep slice of a category as the way to rise to the top, not being a generalist or good at a bunch of things that everyone else is.

Love him talking about Algonquin Park... where he's been going since he was 10 years old.

Here's a link to his site. I follow his blog of short smart insights.

New year. New look.

The start of 2012 seems a time to redesign my online presence. 2011 was a great year as I gave my clients all the attention on brand strategies, some of which spun out to executions. And sadly neglected my own. So I took a few days over the holidays to clean things up and get my online house in order.

Take a look around and see what you think. Looking forward to hearing from you.