The hardest thing about the product launches that you can not know the circumstances that will be in the time of the launch, yes you can try to expect it. Still, your expectation will not be correct all the time, that is why you need to keep watching your market, and you should be flexible for new changes.
Please tell me about your personal background, and what are you working on currently?
Mohamed Kamel: I am an Egyptian full-stack software developer who can build a complete professional web application from scratch to the final product. I graduated from the faculty of computers and information – Cairo university.
Now I am working on cvrest, which is a web application that helps you to create your PDF CV and your interactive online CV. Where you can receive messages, get likes, introduce yourself by video, add your work images for more credibility, and more, cvrest helps you to do all of that with simplicity and ease of use.
How have you attracted users and grown your product from the start till now?
Mohamed Kamel: I attracted the first 1500 users by sharing cvrest between my friends, by sharing my CV (which have been created by it) and a small ads campaign to test the app, then launched in product hunt.
Now I started publishing cvrest in the search engines and launched the SEO works.
What’s your business model, and how have you grown your revenue? What strategy worked best?
Mohamed Kamel: Although we offer a free plan for all users to show their skills in the best way, we have premium plans.
We are using the subscription business model by offering a premium plan. We also offer a low-price plan for the users who are just interested in one advanced CV template. Because the app launched on the last of March 2020, we haven’t generated any revenue yet. Getting revenues depends on the user’s trust, which we are targeting to win.
What are some marketing tips to help maximize the success of a product launch?
Mohamed Kamel:
- Study your targeted audience and how to call them.
- You should prepare your strategy and your plan to launch your product.
- Prepare the plan B and do not worry; you always can launch again.
- You should list your expectations from the product launch (for example, the number of new users or/and the number of sales) then after the launch compare between your expectation and what you got.
- Create a small video attractively describing your product.
What’s the hardest thing about product launches? And What is a good product launch checklist to be well prepared?
Mohamed Kamel: The hardest thing about the product launches that you can not know the circumstances that will be in the time of the launch, yes you can try to expect it. Still, your expectation will not be correct all the time, that is why you need to keep watching your market, and you should be flexible for new changes.
And the good product launch checklist to be well prepared:
- The app is well tested and working without problems.
- The app doesn’t have to do everything, but everything in the app should be working without errors.
- The contacts tools are reachable, and every user can contact you easily (Facebook page, twitter, official email address, etc.)
How do you plan to expand globally?
Mohamed Kamel: Firstly, I targeted the local market (Egypt), then I started to target the English speakers.
Then I will target new markets by studying it and supporting its language.
What are the most common mistakes companies make with global marketing?
Mohamed Kamel: As a software developer, I know more about the programming decisions which affect marketing. Like:
- Launching the app without enough testing.
- Not being mobile-friendly.
- Ignore the quality of the app design and user experience.
- Launching the app globally without getting feedback from your friends, family, then the local market.
How do you handle this COVID-19 outbreak situation for your company’s survival in the future?
Mohamed Kamel:
- It was reducing the costs in a way that will not affect the quality of the app.
- Reducing my personal costs as I am the sole founder of the app.
- I am watching the market while I am preparing the next version of the app with more robust features and launch it when the market be ready.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? And What advice do you have for someone who is interested in doing similar things like yours or in a similar direction?
Mohamed Kamel: When I was a student at the college, I entered a business competition, and I asked a doctor to be my mentor.
I didn’t go too far in this competition and was disqualified when the doctor asked me if I am sad that I failed in the competition or not. I told him, “No, it was a too hard one, and I entered it just to try.”
He told me, “Don’t start anything which you don’t want to win because no one cares about your point of view, now you are a loser, and the winner is better than you.”
Now I do my best to be the winner in everything I start.
And I advise who is interested in doing similar things like my project to listen for every advice and remember that if you want to do a great something, you should learn when to follow a piece of advice and when not to follow.
What are the one or two things that you would do differently if you could go back to 10 years ago?
Mohamed Kamel: Read more about the business and the marketing besides my study in programming.
You can follow Mohamed Kamel here.
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