Proof of Concept Launch : Not Just Another Referral Platform
We’re doing a proof of concept experiment for the beta product Referrals.com. It’s a dead simple referral platform you can use for your brand or multiple websites.
And our goals are simple. We’re targetting over 1,000 “paying” website owners and social brand managers by two months. What are we using to hit the target? Our own Kool-Aid.
Hello! Our free Referrals platform is now on beta, and we are excited! We figured why buy a referral program package from top refer-a-friend companies for $19 up per brand when we can build our own?
So yeah, we’re now on closed beta, and if you can quickly look at our homepage, you will see our embed widget, which as of now is still in production. I told you, we’re drinking our own kool-aid.
How does this work?
This is basically how it works, they get perks if they refer and contribute, as simple as that. But under the hood, believe it’s not.
We know we still have a lot to do but hey, we did this platform in less than a month using a minimum viable product ideation. And the platform, is open for contributions via @contrib.com for CTB tokens or cash.
Competition is FIERCE
Yes we know we have a lot of competition and I say a lot. But there are gaps and there are specific needs that needs to be fulfilled. We aim to fill those gaps and needs with our community of contributors.
But first, our needs should be satisfied first. You see, Referrals.com is one of the web apps of VNOC.com, and this is a powerful platform for domain owners to increase value to their portfolio using integrated apps such as Contrib.com, eShares.com, Applications.com.
With our 20k domains including world-class premium assets, we wanted to have a referral platform that will fill our needs. This and because, we found out that to create a refer-a-friend campaign from these other referral platforms will cost you $9 to $29 per month and that’s not unlimited. That’s just the entry or floor price. Absurd right?
So we created only two price rates, one per domain and one for unlimited domains. Tadaa!
Proof It Works
As I said earlier, our goals are simple, make our referral campaigns stupid-friendly, get paying users in and create a community of contributors around Referrals.
The concept is good, so it should work, right? As long as we engage the lean startup’s principle and this is a lean startup, operating on coffee, gas, and the blockchain.
The Lean Startup Principles
Our shift with this lean start up principle is that from the first process to the last, we are involving the community of contributors around it.
Main process:
- Raise needs: Understanding the human needs involved.
- Defining the Problem: Re-framing and defining the problem with user needs and behavior in mind.
- Ideating: Creating many competing ideas using visual thinking techniques.
- Prototyping: Adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping, often co-creating prototypes with users.
- Testing: Validate your prototypes with real users.
Using a close-knit internal team of approvers and implementers (designers, manager, developers, and social media people), we changed our Contrib lean startup process.
Referrals and Contrib Main Process :
- Raise needs, features and wants : We wanted our contributors needs. Those who will really use the system.
- Defining the issues : We are prepared to give contributors a possible fractional ownership of Referrals and thus we wanted them to contribute a bug for CTB tokens. CTB tokens is the currency of the Contrib platform.
- Ideating : Using the ideas and the issues raised, we continue to make the platform better. We allow design and developer contributions via Git.
- Prototyping : Hands-on and production mode is our go-to approach, with approval from contributors.
- Testing : Validate with new contributors, and users.
So I will continue to update this experiment article, until the end of our two month plan.
Will definitely post stats, relevant issues, and contributions made. And yes, please do comment on whatever.
