Our 2017 review: Pivoting, Social Analytics and Startup lessons

Our year in review, putting things into perspective and planning 2018. What’s ahead for us? What do you expect?

Ups and Downs

Startup life brings ups and downs; you have to be used to it. During this year, we made discoveries, we reflected on our work and where we were. Our goal and vision were to bring a new type of inbox and help customer service. On top of this inbox, we wanted to develop bots to automatise the answers. We decided during the year to move on from this idea. The place was too crowded. There are fantastic players such as FrontApp or Desk.

Something that made our decision easier to pivot was the different changes made by Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

New rules impacting everyone

In 2017, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube modified their news feed algorithms, and the way social media users get access to information. The four main messaging apps reached a higher number of users than the four leading social networks. We highlighted the changes in reach and the fact that it was harder and harder for businesses to reach their followers. It is why we decided to move on from the inbox and customer service to focus on social analytics and marketing automation.

In two blog posts, we showed the value of how focusing on social analytics, specifically social engagement analytics and social people analytics could change the way you view your fanbase.

So after finishing adding to the inbox Twitter and Facebook mentions, comments and messages, we added to ReponseIO the Social page analytics and the social people analytics.

It was all the changes we made to our product. We made those changes because of the way the market was moving.

Did we make the right choice? We do not know yet. That is part of the game. Do you want to help us? You could put in the comments what you think about the idea or what you expect from a Social People Analytics platform or you could answer this survey.

We believe that by empowering users with the right data they can get the control back to their fanbase. We also think that messaging apps will be improved drastically to allow businesses to reach their followers. Social networks are too crowded and making yourself heard is becoming impossible. If they still want to be relevant, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have to give more power. The latest news around broadcast messaging and new direct messaging app for Instagram reinforced what we think.

This pivot was not the only progress we made in 2017. We also learnt a lot about ourselves.

A retrospective in our roles and our startup

I am responsible for the product and I was too cautious. I was envisioning what the market needed without taking any risk, without thinking about the future and not seeing how the big social networks will evolve. There is a part of this role which has to do with guessing and having a vision. I need to take some risks, follow my beliefs and help people believe in it too. As a product manager and as a startup, it is where we grew up the most.

Regarding development, we are more focused also. Instead of being attracted by the new thing we are centred on our core values and making it work the right way.

Startup life is exciting!

You learn fast and talk to a lot of different people. You get traction from people you do not expect, and you meet and live exciting adventures and boring ones. You also create relationships with other startups that are in the same boat. They know why you are struggling, what you are living on a daily basis. They understand the uncertainty and how sometimes it can be tough on your mind. Just having people to talk to who are like you is good for peace of mind.

We also learned a lot as a team

We trust each other way more. We understand each other, and we found common interests outside our startup. It is essential to think about it as a founder. You have to talk every day between co-founders, and your discussion cannot be just about your startup. Things will not necessarily move at the pace you want, and you will sometimes be frustrated. Being able to discuss something else makes the startup life easier.

The idea and your startup is important but choosing your co-founders is crucial. Making the wrong choice can mean hell. You have to go through ups and downs and continue to be motivated and united toward your goal. You have to find common ground that is not your startup and keep it fresh in your head.

We have shared interests except for technology and product. We love food, cooking and also the gym. If you follow us on social media, you can expect to see a bit of that on our social media accounts.

What’s next?

We have made some decisions. In our blog, you will read more about our release notes. You will also read about product and our startup life.

We will also try to write about what we think of the market and the way it evolves. We want to give you a fresh look at social analytics and how you can use it to improve your relationships with your followers.

It will be awesome if you could answer our survey. If not it will be awesome if you could tell us in the comments section what do you expect from a social analytics platform.

A happy new year and happy 2018 to you all.

Share it, like it, it will be amazing. Leave a comment below or tweet me @philnpa

Originally published at blog.reponse.io on January 8, 2018.