What are Early Adopters?

When well established marketers and companies evaluate their most valued and important brand visibility tools, brand ambassadors, brand advocates, and loyalists are ranked very highly.

However, you should know that for Startups, launching new products or services, these types of powerful and influential groups are nowhere in sight to help you, because your startup does not have a track record. So, you have to seek and nurture influencers from scratch.

A look at some of the most successful start-ups in the world will help you understand the importance of the first users of your products or services and their impact on future success. For example, when the co-founder of Tinder was faced with the problem of increasing the app’s user base, she went to many college sororities and fraternities and pitched the idea from university to university, developing a network of seed users i.e.. early adopters that drove Tinder to the mainstream. She did the exact same thing again when she launched Bumble in Dec 2014.

You will notice similar narratives in the growth, and popularity of Apple products, Facebook, Fubu, Reddit, Etsy, and Uber. They have leveraged the strength and clout of seed users or early adopters to drive their companies to market dominance.

An Early Adopter – Defined

Early adopters, also known as “lighthouse customers,” help offer feedback about a product or service and sometimes provide cash flow for further R&D (Research and Development). Early adopters also provide social proof, helping the company push a product or service into the mainstream market.

Keep in mind that early adopters are likely to pay more for the product or service than later adopters but accept this premium or higher price if using the product reduces cost, improves efficiency, increases market penetration, or improves the early adopters’ social status. Did you know that early adopters account for about 13.5% of the population, according to Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) theory?

The early adopters are usually the most influential individuals in a market space. They tend to be quite active on social media platforms, such as Twitter, and take the time to carefully review products they strongly like or dislike.

They typically have a high educational level, high social status, and access to financial resources. Early adopters are also comfortable taking a reasonable level of risk.

Example of Early Adopters

As the world started to focus on reducing carbon emissions and tackle climate change, electric cars and vehicles became a primary point of discussion. And Elon Musk created Tesla, one of the leading and first producers of electric cars.

Elon Musk introduced new technology that disrupted the market. When the first electric cars were released, many people opted to purchase Tesla’s cars rather than traditional cars these people were the early adopters of this technology.

These early Tesla adopters had an aura of distinction and mystique because they were the first people to use cutting-edge technology and own a car that few others owned.

If you are Startup or considering launching a new idea, make sure you begin by finding out who your early adopters are. Headway can help you develop your unique 28+ page Early Adopter Profile Report specific to your product and your industry. Learn more here!