In this article, you will better understand

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Are you the type of consumer who wants to be the first to try a new product or who prefers to wait for other people to approve the product before purchasing it?

If you identify with the first alternative, then you are one of the homeowner database early adopters in the market!

Early adopters are not afraid to embrace new things: as soon as a product is launched, they are the first to buy it .

On the other hand, other consumers, who seek greater security when purchasing, wait for the impressions of early adopters before betting on an innovation.

Do you realize how this type of consumer has a great power of influence? And that is why marketing and sales strategies must pay more attention to this public.


What are early adopters?
Why is selling to early adopters different?
How to segment campaigns for these passionate consumers?
Join us to find out everything!

What are early adopters?
Early adopters are people who embrace an innovation from the start, being responsible for driving the success of a new product or service .

They are willing to try new things, even at the risk of buying a product that has not yet been approved by the market and may not be fully developed.

However, the risk is worth it to be one of the privileged few who have access to innovation and can influence the decisions of other consumers.

This term arose from the studies of Everett Rogers, one of the most renowned scholars in the field of innovation. Intrigued by the success of innovative products, the university professor wanted to understand the path they took to conquer the market.

This is how he launched the book “ The Diffusion of Innovation ” in 1962.

In this work, Rogers launches the theory of diffusion of innovations, according to which a new idea, a new product or a new behavior is consolidated in society after passing through different public segments.

So, early adopters would be those consumers who drive the adoption of the innovation, so that only later it creates roots in the social environment .

The model proposed is summarized in this graph:

early adopters chart
This model divides social segments into five groups, based on their size and the time it takes them to adopt an innovation.

They are:

innovators (inovators);
early adopters
early majority;
late majority;
laggards.
In the consumer market, it works like this: after the product is launched, only a small group of innovators know about it. These are usually specialists or technology enthusiasts who like to explore new things on the market. With them, innovation takes off slowly.

Thus, early adopters form a larger group of first consumers, even in an environment of uncertainty; in the end, very few people know if that product is really good, if it will work or if it has a fair price.

When it comes to innovation, the market often does not even understand what it is for and what needs it can solve . It is these people, therefore, who push for the launch of an innovative product to make it capable of transforming its status quo.

From there, other consumers feel more confident in adopting the innovation . Then, based on the first impressions of the early adopters, the initial majority (or early majority) begins to acquire the product and thus begins to expand in the market.

The product then finally becomes established in the market with the late majority. This segment does not like to take risks with new products, preferring to stay in their comfort zone, but they do not want to be left behind either.

So it takes a while for them to adopt innovation, but they end up giving up when they notice that they are becoming outdated.

Finally, a smaller group of latecomers is the last segment to adopt innovation, which has already caused transformations in social habits. This group prefers the traditional solutions to which it is already accustomed and is reluctant to buy new products.

Therefore, this only happens when you can no longer escape, because only that product can solve your need.

Want an example to see how this happens with a real product? Think of the iPhone, as Apple is known for its innovation power.

When the iPhone was launched, tech fans were already looking forward to what Steve Jobs would bring to market. But it was the launch event in 2007 that stirred up early adopters who needed to try out the device that promised to put everything in the palm of their hands, even if they had to pay dearly for it and the product wasn't fully finished yet.

They were responsible for testing the smartphone and sharing their impressions with other consumers.

That product was different! So, most people started to change their cell phone for iPhone looking for its benefits.

Some resisted, perhaps because of the price or because of their attachment to their habits. But the iPhone became a standout in the mobile device market and gained a legion of fans and defenders. Most of them were late, but they could not be left behind.

Those Blackberry and Windows Phone users, however, were still holding out. It was undeniable that Apple's launch featured superior technology, design and performance. There was no getting around it, the iPhone had dominated the market.

Why is selling to early adopters different?
Launching an innovative product is a challenge. After all, it needs to be known to consumers, it needs to make its purpose clear and it needs to spread to a still unknown market until it starts to generate profits for the business.

This is why the early adopters group plays a strategic role in marketing : it paves the way to conquer the market.

By being willing to try an innovation, they boost the dissemination of the product, generate security for other consumers and provide access to a broader market.

In addition to driving sales , this segment is generally willing to share their opinions and collaborate with brands. As such, they also help provide crucial feedback for companies to test the market and improve their products before reaching a larger audience.

For startups, launching the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is an essential stage of product development.

At this level, a group of early adopters is often approached by the company to help test the product and provide feedback to improve it, before reaching a larger market.

Now, let's understand what characteristics early adopters have that make them different from other consumers and influence the way we approach them.

Early adopters like novelty
Early adopters are eager for innovation. There is no comfort zone that limits them; what they want is to know the latest developments to be the pioneers in the market.

They are comfortable with change , unlike the late majority and the laggards.

Therefore, marketing and sales strategies do not need to worry about convincing them to change habits, they are already willing to do so! What you need to do is show them how your product will bring value to their lives and solve their needs.

Early adopters are critical, but not perfectionists
Early adopters are also quite critical. They generally follow the technology and innovation market, know the latest trends and have the discernment to evaluate the positive and negative points of a solution.

This makes them strategic in product development. They are able to provide valuable feedback with details that would not be possible without their insight.

However, they are not perfectionists. You don't need to worry about delivering a finished product to them, as long as you can show them its relevance, which is the goal of a startup MVP, by the way.

They know they may encounter some flaws, but if they believe in the solution the product offers, they are willing to contribute to correcting them.

Did you know, for example, that the iPhone was launched without even making a perfect call?

However, the product was able to demonstrate its value to early adopters , who drove sales in the market.

Early adopters are sociable and opinion-forming
Think of that boss or coworker who likes to show up at the office with the latest news on the market. Or that friend who became a reference for you to ask about the latest products launched. These people are usually early adopters!

They like to share their discoveries: "Look, this amazing product I found, I think you should try it!"

In this way, they become opinion makers for friends, family and colleagues. In the digital age, early adopters have even more channels, such as blogs and social networks, to influence the decisions of the rest of the market , even strangers.

Therefore, they can have access to new products not only by purchasing them on their own initiative, but also by purchasing them on the initiative of brands. Marketing can provide alliances with groups of early adopters to boost the launch of a product.

Since we're talking about influencers, why not check out our infographic about them? Click on the image below to download it for free.


Early adopters are thoughtful and engaged with the product
Early adopters are quite careful when choosing which products they will try.

Although they are encouraged by the new developments, they have to understand the value of the solution, both for their lives and for their social circles.

Ultimately, they are considered references, so they must recommend products that are valuable to their audience . Otherwise, they compromise their reputation.

So when they trust the solution, they become involved with the brand . They want to see the product succeed, so they collaborate with its development, fault correction and promotion.

Here's another reason for marketing teams to propose partnerships with early adopters: they can say that they were the first to market and contributed to the product's good performance.

Early adopters take calculated risks
Early adopters take risks by buying products that have not yet been tested and approved in the market. But don't think they are jumping in the dark. They make calculated decisions to put time, money and effort into a product still surrounded by uncertainty.

To convince them that it is worth making that investment, brands must show them that they do not want to use them as guinea pigs .

Instead, they should be shown the benefits of purchasing the product and contributing to its development.

It is also important to give them technical information, show them behind the scenes of the brand, explain to them who the product is intended for and what the future plans are, so that early adopters get involved and notice the greatness of the project they are involved in.

branding
How to segment campaigns for these passionate consumers?
A Pew Research Center study found that 28% of Americans consider themselves early adopters of technology products.

This is a representative group, don't you think? Even more so if we think about the power of this social segment to influence other consumers and promote a product on the market.

Ok, so the importance of early adopters in marketing is clear. But how do you find this group? How do you communicate with them?

That's what you'll see now!

Take a personalized approach
Early adopters don't respond to marketing campaigns aimed at general consumers. If you use the same strategy, they won't see your product as unique and won't trust your solution.

This group of consumers must be valued. They must feel that they are being invited to something special as pioneers, to take on a great responsibility, which will have a great impact on the market.

This will encourage them to try the product. In addition to that, it is also necessary to explain to early adopters what you expect from them, as specialists and as influencers.

To do this, it is essential to adopt one-to-one marketing strategies . This type of approach speaks directly to each consumer, so that they feel unique and valued by the brand.

This can be done with email marketing , by participating in specialized communities and forums, or even with non-invasive ads on specific sites.

Address early adopters in their niches
Early adopters are often already in networks, groups, communities or forums on the topics they are knowledgeable about . In the area of ​​smartphones, for example, there are hundreds of groups that meet to learn about and discuss the latest releases, mainly on the Internet.

In these groups, they already have influence and feel comfortable talking about the topic. So it is worth mapping out the places where early adopters are present, such as Facebook and LinkedIn groups, Internet forums, YouTube or in their own Slack channels.

A study of Twitter , for example, showed that the social network is widely used by early adopters as a way to create an ongoing and active dialogue about technology.

Early adopters and influencers
On these channels, brands can directly promote the product, always highlighting the value it can offer to that community. But they can also ask for feedback from members of the network, who also like to stay up to date with market developments.

Understand if they are already looking for a solution you offer
One of the essential definitions for segmenting campaigns for early adopters is whether they are already looking for a solution or if they don't yet know what they need . That is what defines, according to David J. Bland , whether you should adopt a "push" or "pull" approach.

The author says that the "push based acquisition" approach can be adopted when the target segment, in this case the early adopters, recognizes the problem they have, but is not yet looking for a solution to solve it.

The brand then moves forward to "push" its value proposition and spark interest in the product.

This can be done with social ad segmentation—Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter Ads, mainly—based on interests and behaviors.

Push and pull approach
On the other hand, the "pull based acquisition" approach is done when early adopters are already looking for a solution to their need.

So, the brand must "pull" consumers towards its value proposition and convince them that it has the best solution.

This can be done by investing in Google Ads and Bing Ads, for example. This type of ad reaches the consumer exactly when they are looking for an answer on search engines.

Thus, the value proposition becomes evident.

Push and pull approach
Therefore, you need to understand what level your audience is at in relation to your product. Depending on this, you can use different channels and segmentation filters to make communication more precise.

Interact with early adopters to get feedback
Remember that early adopters can help you improve your product. So, it is not worth thinking about a one-way communication. It is necessary to create a dialogue between the brand and the consumer so that they can share their impressions and generate interest in the growth of the product.

In the case of the launch of Dropbox, for example, Drew Houston (founder of the business) asked users of the Hackers News forum what they thought about creating a storage application that eliminated the need for a USB flash drive.

By reading the comments, Houston gained a general sense of the product's receptivity in the market and collected very specific feedback to improve its development.

hacker news
So, have you already noticed that early adopters cannot be left out of your marketing and sales strategies ?

If they can boost sales of a product and make innovation more palpable for the entire market, then they deserve your attention.

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