You should update the copy right info at the bottom of the page. It was kind of jarring when I saw that it wasn't changed from the default text from the template.
I love physical companies using digital media, I really do, they are hard to succeed with but if you do they can be great business.
But I think you need to do some more work to get this on up and running properly.
right now it looks a little bit like a link farm page.
May I suggest the following changes.
1) Move the text out of the picture or at least have it on a background.
2) Remove the gradient from the sign up form and give it a solid color (perhaps red?)
3) Move the sign up form outside the picture.
4) Be more disciplined with your description text.
5)Set up a facebook page and a twitter account, start collecting followers there and show some of the feedback on your page.
6) And most importantly. Add a FAQ so that people know who you are, where you are located, what this is all about, what they are signing up for and so on.
I appreciate the feedback! The page is definitely lacking in a lot of areas, so receiving unbiased feedback makes things a lot easier to prioritize. Again, I appreciate you sharing some insight. I’m currently making improvements and trying to spruce it up with my limited (non-existent) design skills :)
I’ve been getting a lot of interest from the UK, so I’m thinking I should work with some UK salsa brands as well. At this point it remains to be seen if I will ship to the UK, but I definitely will work on it, so I’m hopeful.
It seems to be a good service. I need to improve my page a lot more, but that’s not Unbounce’s fault. They seem to be a good service and their customer service is very friendly, so yes, I’d recommend them.
Ok, Brandon, let me rant for a second. This isn't your fault, you're a part of a much bigger trend. But bro, a validation test is no excuse for being hasty.
Just because you're in validation stage doesn't mean the marketing page only deserves 2 hours. When the Lean Startup came out, Eric Ries was pushing back against people who devote thousands of dollars and hours before they knew if a product would work out not.
AppSumo has made it cool to test w/ quickly-conceived pages. But a minimum viable product still needs to be viable.
Maybe I'm a hater. If so, sorry I'm not trying to rain on your parade. I just think it's worth pushing for higher-quality in validation tests. A few more hours could greatly affect your results.
For example: what are examples of brands of salsa you'll be delivering? Is this an email newsletter, or a paid service? What if I don't like the salsa this month? Is it crazy-wacky mango salsas or interesting tomato-based salsa?
Answering those questions might push your needle in the right direction. :)
I appreciate the constructive criticism, and I agree with your points.
Your comments, along with a ton of others, are definitely helping. To answer your questions this is both a newsletter and I will be selling independently owned salsa brands, both as a monthly subscription and through an e-commerce section. The landing page is very basic, probably too basic, but it’s serving as a way to keep in touch with other salsa enthusiasts until I can get everything up and running.
Again, I appreciate your comments. All feedback is important!
One of the points of a validation test like this is to be broad in your product offering, and seek feedback to guide the development/refinement of your product and its features.
Your own questions provide exactly that- Maybe nobody cares what type or brand of salsa it is, just that it’s different each month. Or maybe 2/3s of potential users ask that question, and he knows he should add that as a feature/description.
Or maybe he hears people want guacamole and sour cream delivered as well, and he then tests that offering out. Or nobody signs up, it fails, and he’s only lost a few hours of his time.
yep! All of that is definitely true as well. People seem to be receptive to salsa in general, and from there I can see what types of flavors everyone likes and settle on a fair price point
Agree completely. I can tell this was made with UnBounce, and i could duplicate it in roughly 6 minutes.
If you have an idea worth testing, it's probably worth spending 5-10 hours on the test, assuming you want to receive decision making data.
I would expect any landing page like this to "prove" the idea was terrible, when it in fact could have legs. I for one would like a salsa of the month club.
For the 30% of people who are genetically disposed to hate cilantro/coriander, please have an option to not have it in the salsa or skip those types of salsas.
It looks like it's not quite 30%, but still high enough to make an opt-out worthwhile [1]. As someone who is afflicted, I can say that it would be a deal-breaker.
First, your landing page needs the attention that others have mentioned.
Second, I LOVE this idea. Kind of like Graze, but for salsa. Actually, yes, do that - make Graze for salsa. Give us options. Let us choose to Hate or Love certain ingredients/keywords.
Some constructive feedback:
1. Maybe offer a few price points?
- i.e. select how much salsa you want $10/month?$20?
2. Will shipping glass containers with liquid be costly/dangerous/risky?
3. Did you try any google adwords?
The HN audience probably has a inherent bias TOWARDS saas services/subscription models.
I like your approach. Assuming you are going to focus on existing salsa and not make your own.
I had a very similar idea about a year ago. Except my idea was that user would build their salsa by selecting ingredients and I would make/ship. Of course this allows recipe sharing and such. The thought of food production quickly had me shelf that idea. Your approach seems much easier to execute
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[ 2.1 ms ] story [ 85.7 ms ] threadBut I think you need to do some more work to get this on up and running properly.
right now it looks a little bit like a link farm page.
May I suggest the following changes.
1) Move the text out of the picture or at least have it on a background.
2) Remove the gradient from the sign up form and give it a solid color (perhaps red?)
3) Move the sign up form outside the picture.
4) Be more disciplined with your description text.
5)Set up a facebook page and a twitter account, start collecting followers there and show some of the feedback on your page.
6) And most importantly. Add a FAQ so that people know who you are, where you are located, what this is all about, what they are signing up for and so on.
Best Wishes
In other news, I'm seriously craving salsa now, so that aspect of the site works.
What did you make the landing page with?
I’ve been getting a lot of interest from the UK, so I’m thinking I should work with some UK salsa brands as well. At this point it remains to be seen if I will ship to the UK, but I definitely will work on it, so I’m hopeful.
Just because you're in validation stage doesn't mean the marketing page only deserves 2 hours. When the Lean Startup came out, Eric Ries was pushing back against people who devote thousands of dollars and hours before they knew if a product would work out not.
AppSumo has made it cool to test w/ quickly-conceived pages. But a minimum viable product still needs to be viable.
Maybe I'm a hater. If so, sorry I'm not trying to rain on your parade. I just think it's worth pushing for higher-quality in validation tests. A few more hours could greatly affect your results.
For example: what are examples of brands of salsa you'll be delivering? Is this an email newsletter, or a paid service? What if I don't like the salsa this month? Is it crazy-wacky mango salsas or interesting tomato-based salsa?
Answering those questions might push your needle in the right direction. :)
Your comments, along with a ton of others, are definitely helping. To answer your questions this is both a newsletter and I will be selling independently owned salsa brands, both as a monthly subscription and through an e-commerce section. The landing page is very basic, probably too basic, but it’s serving as a way to keep in touch with other salsa enthusiasts until I can get everything up and running.
Again, I appreciate your comments. All feedback is important!
Your own questions provide exactly that- Maybe nobody cares what type or brand of salsa it is, just that it’s different each month. Or maybe 2/3s of potential users ask that question, and he knows he should add that as a feature/description.
Or maybe he hears people want guacamole and sour cream delivered as well, and he then tests that offering out. Or nobody signs up, it fails, and he’s only lost a few hours of his time.
If you have an idea worth testing, it's probably worth spending 5-10 hours on the test, assuming you want to receive decision making data.
I would expect any landing page like this to "prove" the idea was terrible, when it in fact could have legs. I for one would like a salsa of the month club.
(I only learned of the condition because one of the family members mentioned above was my college roommate.)
[1] http://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/cilantro-love-hate-...
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Second, I LOVE this idea. Kind of like Graze, but for salsa. Actually, yes, do that - make Graze for salsa. Give us options. Let us choose to Hate or Love certain ingredients/keywords.
And I appreciate the kind words. There’s so many great salsas out there yet it seems they’re so hard to find.
Simple, clear visual design. Straight-forward, terse copy. Great on every level. Kudos.
The HN audience probably has a inherent bias TOWARDS saas services/subscription models.
I’m still working through the price points, and I’ll probably offer an e-commcerce section as well.
Shipping the salsa isn’t much of a problem. The brands I’ve been talking to have their methods down pat and it hasn’t been a problem thus far
I don't have any sense of your service area (SF? West Coast? US? Global?), price points, or your food handling reliability.
All of those datapoints are important for me to even ask myself if I'd buy.
I’m working with existing salsa brands, mainly independently owned brands who will take care of the shipping.
I’m really just doing this for fun to share great salsas and help out some existing small businesses. We’ll see where it goes from there
I had a very similar idea about a year ago. Except my idea was that user would build their salsa by selecting ingredients and I would make/ship. Of course this allows recipe sharing and such. The thought of food production quickly had me shelf that idea. Your approach seems much easier to execute