Square is easily one of the coolest solutions out there for small business owners.
From a marketer's perspective, Square has some of the most elegant, yet simple branding and messaging that I have ever seen. In 2012, Square was named one of the most innovative companies in the world by Fast Company.
Recently, Square launched a new hardware solution to go along with its Square Register app called: Business in a box.
Business in a box.
Here are some strategies that marketers can adopt from Square:
- Sell the solution, not the product - When people have a problem, they seek solutions. Think like a user. Identify all the possible areas of their pain points and figure out how you can solve them. In the process you may realize that there is an opportunity for your product to be supplemented with other products in order to provide an overall solution. That's what Square has done with 'Business in a box.' They have continued to focus on their own product offering but also brought in other specialized products to sell an overall solution.
- Build an ecosystem - Square started with a dongle and an app. They have now evolved to become a bigger solution for small businesses. By expanding into hardware offerings and allowing the different pieces of hardware to communicate, Square is slowly building an ecosystem. This makes it harder for people to switch to a different service when they've bought into Square.
- Be simple at every turn - Everything I see from Square is simple. If you look at their product page, even the explanations of what is normally a slightly complex topic (credit card transactions) ... Square makes simple. Find as many ways as you can to simplify what you do. Perhaps you can have a hackathon on simplicity.
Be simple.
Be smart.
Be Square. (I heard it's hip to do so).
