A new category
When you outgrow the space you’re in.
Maybe you’ve developed tech or expertise that pushes you into a new competitive space. Maybe you’re solving an old problem in a fundamentally new way, or a new problem no one realizes they have yet.
Pushing against the boundaries of an existing category (or launching an entirely new one) might excite investors, but it can alienate and confuse buyers in record time. Likewise, elbowing your way into an established category isn’t much easier.
Things you’ll need:
- Brutal self-reflection. Is what you’re doing truly a new category? Are buyers ready for one? Do you have the resources and market fit to succeed?
- A clear understanding of your early adopters. If you are selling real innovation, you need to find folks with the appetite for a risky (but strategic) leap forward.
- A burning ‘why.’ Get specific and emotive about why the problem you solve matters. If you solve a bunch of small problems, make them add up to something big.
- An appetite for fervent evangelism. But don’t get lost in your own story — embrace comparisons with what your audience already knows.
- Laser-focused goals. Target the largest sub-segment you can confidently dominate (it’ll be smaller than you think) and build credibility and critical mass there.
Big inflection points need specific, tailored responses. But moving into a new category usually involves some mix of:
- Galvanizing story
- Messaging
- Visual identity
- Naming
- Website
- Content
- Sales enablement
- GTM Blueprint
- Search
- Always-on optimization
Where have we done this before?
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