Introduction

In every passing second, three new startups are launched worldwide. So that makes it 11000 per hour and 25,9200 per day. But, the most alarming aspect here is a study conducted by CB Insights that concluded 90% of all startups fail! Of course, the stat is not intended to scare the entrepreneurs but to encourage them to work harder and smarter. So what is that which goes in favor of the other 10%? Luck? Well. course, you need luck in everything you do, but no startup bets their money on luck. The fact is there is no single secret mantra to be a successful startup. It is a combination of various factors such as clear vision, knowing your audience, staying contemporary and relevant that keeps you in the bracket of the successful 10%. On that note, let us have a look at some of the factors that would help you not to be one among the 90%.

Website – Because you don’t get a second chance at first impression

“If your business is not on the Internet, then your business will be out of business,” said Bill Gates. One cannot explain the importance of websites any better. No matter what your line of business is, a website is an absolute must-have. About 48% of the world population uses the Internet. Do you really want to miss that reach! The Internet is one of the first steps of a startup and if your first step is in the right direction, you will be amazed by the glorious results that follow. In today’s data-driven world, it is easier than ever to learn from success stories. So while you prepare yourself to have that giant website launch, you may like to look at the following websites.

We all love capturing our fond memories. Instagram witnesses almost 60 million new pictures each day and Facebook 350! But what if you could do more with your photos. Something meaningful, like… storytelling! Take a look at the ‘Exposure’ website and you will realize its impact. Filled with incredible photo stories from people all over the world, one look at the site will prompt you to join them. You will start looking at your photos and wonder if they too have amazing stories to tell. That is how a website should be!

Your challenge is even bigger if your business is helping others create websites. After all, who will partner with you if your own website is not interesting enough? You cannot afford to say we help you create amazing websites sitting inside a shabby one! But see how flawlessly ‘Squarespace’ describes their business through the website. The site literally tells you they are masters in what they do. Their home page is simple yet advanced. When the page is fully loaded, the background images keep on changing. The effect of such simple factors can never be underestimated.

Talk about being simple, here is a startup that identifies themselves as ‘Simple’. Aimed at providing ultimate personal banking solutions, the website is a delightful combination of designs. Take a scroll through and you would immediately be hooked by the prospects of how much you can save if there is an organized solution! That is what a website’s purpose is. At the end of it, a customer should be interested in business with you.

Explainer Videos – Show more, tell little

Storytellers believe in “Show, don’t tell”. Though in a different context, the same principle can be put to best effect by startups too through the smart use of Explainer videos. If you are confused on whether or not to make use of them, consider these factors. How would you clarify the objectives or the USP of your business in an engaging manner? How do you plan to get “viral”? How do you plan to grab a customer’s attention? How do you plan to improve your conversion rate? Yes, explainer videos are a lot more powerful than you think! If you still don’t believe, here are some amazing examples;

From job portals to entertainment forums all of us have several subscriptions running. What does that do to our mail inbox? Ya, we know the pain of getting bombarded by needless mails, don’t we? ‘Unroll.Me’ was a startup launched to unclutter our mail inboxes in seconds. Look how they explained their business through this smart video. The video follows the reaction of six people before and after using the application. The video begins by showcasing the negative reaction of users before there was a solution to clean up their inbox. ‘Unroll.Me’ arrives as the lifesaver and all of them enjoy using it. It is interesting and at the same time pretty efficient to get the message through!

‘Zopim’ was launched as a customer service platform that enabled websites to have real-time interaction with customers. Take a look at their funny and witty explainer video that shows company representatives having discussions with customers over the Internet in real time.

The entire narrative follows a light-hearted approach to a complex business situation. The voice of the narrator is outstandingly simple and soft which makes it appalling to any common man.

When you are traveling, there are so many details to take care of. Your place of accommodation, the events and meetings you have to attend etc. ‘TripCase’ was launched as an ideal travel partner that enabled a traveler to keep all travel related information in one place. The very setting of their explainer video, which is an airport is eye-catching and the video successfully puts us right in the middle of its premise. The entire narrative unfolds in a hilarious way as the lady walks through the airport. There is so much happening behind her and that perfectly describes the chaos you would find yourself in if you don’t have an organized travel partner! The soothing, upbeat and playful background music perfectly syncs in with the mood of the video.

Corporate Videos – Establish your legacy and philosophy

According to GoAnimate, 60% of viewers prefer to watch a video about a company than reading about them and videos generate three times as many clicks as text. Your Corporate video should be a high-end presentation of your startup. It should smoothly communicate your brand’s ethics, values, philosophy and legacy along with showcasing your range of products and services. A well made corporate video will enhance the respect of your organization and will positively influence a customer to engage in a relationship with you. The best way to learn is to look at the people who did it right. So, let us take a look at some of the beautiful corporate videos.

‘Dollar Shave Club’ delivers razors and other personal grooming products to its customers by mail. Take a look at their out of the box funny corporate video that became an internet sensation. Through its admirable craziness, the video delivers the ultimate message of the company. Honesty! The startup didn’t pretend to be anything that they aren’t and made sure you get exactly what they are all about. With clever storytelling and smart visual dispositions, this video is a winner all the way.

‘Dollar Shave Club’ delivers razors and other personal grooming products to its customers by mail. Take a look at their out of the box funny corporate video that became an internet sensation. Through its admirable craziness, the video delivers the ultimate message of the company. Honesty! The startup didn’t pretend to be anything that they aren’t and made sure you get exactly what they are all about. With clever storytelling and smart visual dispositions, this video is a winner all the way.

We deploy expensive satellites into the stratosphere. What if we could send balloons instead! That is what ‘World View Enterprises’ does. The goal is to obtain pictures and data and the startup also aims for stratosphere tourism through which people can be taken to rides above Earth. Take a look at their corporate video and see how out of the world they are! Without any voice-over help, they made their visuals speak. After all, that is what a startup which aims to take amazing visuals is all about.

Here is something encouraging. This video from Thai Life Insurance is powerful, emotional and at the same time inspiring. The video just goes to show that you don’t have to lure your audience into a world of glamour or limelight to keep them interested. Just upholding the value of little things in life would do! See how effortlessly the video associates with Thai Life Insurance’s motto of hope, social responsibility, and kindness. Realistic performance and the calming background score makes the video a heartening experience. If one of the biggest advantages of a video is the ability to connect emotionally with the audience, there cannot be a better example than this. No wonder it is one of the most viral videos ever.

Apps – Because you should always only be a click away

The era is smart and we have an app for anything today. From ordering food to planning journeys and performing banking activities, we love it when every service is just a tap away. It is almost like if you are not there in the pocket, you don’t exist! Thus, having a user-friendly and interactive app is substantial in enhancing the reachability of your startup. Let us have a look at some of the startups which successfully did that.

How would you like it if there is a smart oven that will cook for you and prompt you to work out! ‘Make All Incredible Dishes’ aka ‘MAID’ is a smart multifunctional oven launched by Sectorqube Technolabs Private Limited, an Indian startup. It can be controlled by touch, gesture, and voice and also has a personalization engine that learns a user’s cooking habits and calorie needs. It learns what you cook and gives suggestions for a healthy balanced diet. The app is quite an integral part of their entire ecosystem. It notifies you when the dish is ready and its activity tracker calculates the amount of calorie you have burnt and suggests diet accordingly. The app can be used to operate the smart oven, preheat it, create a recipe and more. See how the app becomes a critical part of the entire product!

Dwelling into the astonishing world of wearable technology, ‘Boltt Sports Technologies Private Limited’ provides shoes that empower your running stride and wristbands that track and log your daily activities wirelessly. But their striking attraction is an AI backed mobile application that monitors a wide range of health-related information.

What can you expect from an app that has the immense power of ‘AI’ backing it? Life… Exactly. With ‘AI’, apps are not just apps. There is more life to it. And that is why Boltt’s app feels more like a Virtual Coach than a mere app. Talk about giving a personalized experience!

‘Sisense ’ was developed as a Business Intelligence Tool that would help nontechnical business managers to analyze complex data scattered around different sources. Their user-friendly app helps anyone keep up with the latest trends and changes in their data. Data is gold dust in business and no wonder that an optimized solution like this became an incredibly resourceful tool for business managers.

Presentations – They are still relevant

“That’s what I am good at. Not the work, not the work… The presentation” said Liam Neeson’s iconic character in Spielberg’s classic ‘Schindler’s List’. Your business idea might be one of its kind or you might have that giant proposal that could get the whole world talking. But how would you get around convincing potential investors, marketers or even your future clients the enormity of your idea? Videos are great but at times it could sound like fiction or a distant reality. How would you get to state the facts in a plain, realistic yet interesting manner? Interactive presentations are your answer.

AirBed&Breakfast, abbreviated as ‘Airbnb’ is a tool that helps users to list, rent and find lodging. Their unique presentation has become so popular that it is used as a reference point by many entrepreneurs around the world. Again, if you take a look at it, the very essence that stands out is its simplicity! The introduction is so precise, clear and simple that it hooks you from the word Go. Most storytellers and creative people believe in one factor. When you narrate something, even a five-year-old and your grandma should understand it. Take a look at this presentation and know why!

‘Square’ was introduced to allow traders to accept mobile credit card payments through a dongle. When you have a management team that has been part of Twitter, Google, Linkedin and Paypal you waste no time in establishing it! See how their pitch deck convinces you right from the beginning. The business and financial model, annual revenue, growth rate etc are all detailed with transparency and efficiency.

Though just around 14 slides, ‘MapMe’s’ presentation goes a long way in impressing viewers with its business model and success story. Designed to create globally accessible maps of any location without any coding, MapMe’s pitch smartly covers their market strategy and social proof. No wonder the pitch generated 1 million dollars in seed funding!

Infographics – Let your data tell stories

Today, we create data more than ever before and channeling them in an informative way is a daunting task. But the modern era hardly throws us a problem for which there is no solution around. And thanks to information graphics or widely known as infographics, startups can not only afford to make sense of bulk data but also present them in an engaging manner. A combination of design, writing, and analysis, infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge aimed to present complex information in a quick and clear manner.  And that is exactly why it is a champion companion when it comes to your content marketing. Studies showed that not so long ago, during the period of 2010-2012, infographics search volume increased by 800%! Visual impact plays a vital role in our decision making and that is why you need a really good engaging narrative when it comes to your content marketing. So, let us take a look at some of the very best examples of infographics.

Off late we hear a lot about colonizing Mars or being a tourist there. But ever wondered how far Mars is? The Internet can help you of course but chances are you might get stuck at some confusing astronomical terms. Here is an interesting infographic created by “David Paliwoda and Jesse Williams” that explains the ‘massive distance’ in a way every modern tech-savvy would understand – in pixels! If your line of business in space, astronomy or simple science research, such an interesting presentation could do wonders in improving your reachability and likability.

User interface engineering is critical in making your device or platform an easily accessible tool for your customer. Take a look at this ‘infographic from Designmantic’ that lays down the golden principles of User Interface design. What do you see? The entire presentation is so eyed catchy and it feels like an ultimate guideline to a universal problem. Imagine the impact you can create with such presentation if you are into the design business.

‘GoSquared’, a ‘UK’ based analytics and software company came up with this interesting infographic during the 2012 London Olympics. This narrative that showcases some of the mighty facts in Olympics is a fun read with an interesting twist towards the end. No spoilers… Check it out yourself!

VR And AR – Stay in the New

The very existence of business depends upon how update you are. You simply cannot afford to miss any opportunity that is in front of you. The buzzing around latest immersive experience technologies known as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality is so big that you can never have missed hearing about them. But did you know it could be tremendously helpful to you too as a startup? At the moment, you might think it’s a high-end fancy technology that requires a lot of investment. Well… It is true to an extent but if you can afford it, you would be surprised by the results!  They are also supposed to become easily accessible in the coming years. Contradictory to the widespread belief, it is not just the games and entertainment industry that could benefit from VR and AR. It’s potential is huge and if it can serve your business, there is no reason why you shouldn’t give a go.

‘Urban Ladder’, an online furniture retailer launched an Augmented Reality app called ‘Living Spaces’ that helps customers to virtually deploy sofas anywhere in their living room. The sofas can be moved around, rotated, rearranged or reshaped according to one’s convenience. They also arrive in different color choices.

The Tequila producers ‘Patron’ came up with a unique VR experience to give their customers a feel of how they master the craft of producing the finest of tequila. Imagine having a drink in your hand after watching the video? Won’t you be proud that you chose their brand and you are part of a grand legacy. It makes the existing customers proud and the potential ones curious! That is why it’s a winner all the way.

Marriott Hotels launched a virtual travel content platform known as “VR Postcards” where users could experience travel stories of others. Every story follows a real person’s journey to a distinct destination and viewers will be immersed in the location. They could also listen to the traveler’s personal stories and know why traveling is important to them. The weather, landscape and the buzz of the surroundings the traveler experienced could be felt by someone who is thousands of miles away! Don’t you just love technology.

How about VR for a social cause? Sounds unlikely? Wait until you hear about ‘Virtual Village VR’. In this immersive experience, once you put on the VR headset, you will find yourself in an African village that has locations such as medical camps, schools, agricultural fields etc. Based on the location you prefer to access, you can find the represented projects and charities and move on to contribute single items such as vaccinations in medical camp, books in school etc! If VR can aid a social cause, imagine the vast potential it has.

This was an outline of various ways through which you could create your own niche in the market as a startup. If you wish to discuss the prospects in detail, please reach out to us at hello@pixelsutra.com. We would be glad to partner with you.