Everyone knows that you need a remarkable product. But once you actually have one, how do you let the world know?

First, there are the pioneers & innovators: people who are eager to try new things and to be at the cutting edge.

Next, there are the early adopters.They are keen on using new products because they want whatever advantage they might provide.

Then, there are the early and late majorities. These consumers are the pragmatics who only adopt proven products because everyone is already using them. These groups compose the majority of the customer set.

Finally, there are the sluggards, those who are reluctant to adopt anything new and only does so when they absolutely need to.

More traditional marketing wisdom may suggest that because early and late majorities compose the largest segment that you should target them first. But in fact, this is a mistake, as these consumers are reluctant to adopt new products before they are in wide use.

Instead, you should focus on the early adopters; those who are likely to discover new products and, even more critically, they can create buzz around your products.

This means you should engineer your product so it will attract early adopters and help them spread the word.

Take for example digital cameras: they are much more convenient and cheaper to use than the traditional film cameras. How would you market them?

First, you should target your marketing at technology enthusiasts and professional photographers, because they constitute the early-adopter segment. This means they will appreciate your products benefits and convince others to use it as well. They could win you customers from the other segments.

To understand how you can encourage people to spread the word about your product, ask yourself questions like How effortlessly can people recommend your product to others? and Does your target group talk about products they like?