Lean Startup Business Strategy Development

Our team has noticed that our product development and operational processes are not as efficient as they have the potential to be. We want to simplify these processes to make them more “lean” in order to make them less costly and more adaptable to customer feedback at a fast pace. In this project, students will focus on evaluating our operations and identifying internal issues that are causing processes to be too timely or costly. Mapping out operational processes using Business Process Model Notation and notation (BPMN), and evaluating each step and the resources it consumes. Identifying bottlenecks in our operational processes. Researching solutions to each unique problem identified in the mapping process. Creating a proposal with recommendations for improvements and an implementation plan for how we would incorporate the solutions. Creating a second BPMN model of operational processes with the proposed solution(s).

Website Development

Our company advertises thousands of products online. We hope to update and revamp our existing website to attract more customers. We would like to work with students to develop a new website that is easy to maintain while providing an appealing interface for users. This can be achieved through common site building tools such as Wix, Webflow, and WordPress. This will involve several different steps for the students, including: Researching different site-building tools and their associated advantages / disadvantages. Conducting a needs analysis to determine which platform is most suitable. Building a website, with our assistance in providing the content. Providing training on updating and maintaining the website. Bonus steps in the process would also include: Testing prototypes with customers and refining ideas with feedback.

Sales Process Optimization

Our company is hoping to improve our sales process to improve our ROI and overall operations. In this project, students will evaluate our current sales process, determine bottlenecks, and create recommendations as well as new training materials. Based on research and best practices you will develop new scripts for our sales staff to use to improve the quality and quantity of leads generated and increase the conversion rate. This will involve several different steps for the students, including: Evaluating our current sales process by speaking with sales representatives and examining our handbook and protocols. Researching industry sales processes and lead generation strategies. Create recommendations that will improve our leads and conversion rate. Writing new sales scripts for both phone calls and emails. Creating an updated sales process handbook.

Podcast Production

Since podcasts are becoming an increasingly popular content medium, our company hopes to capitalize on this by creating our own. In this project, students will collaborate with us to take advantage of trending media and create a season of our own podcast. We would like students to deliver a 5-episode podcast series based on our company’s nice to resonate with our target audience. This will involve several different steps for the students, including: Collaborating with the project manager to form a name and a theme for the podcast, and a topic for each episode. Script various components of each podcast episode such as the introduction, welcome, call to action, and outro. Create cover art for the podcast. Research and plan what will be discussed on an episode-by-episode basis. Record and edit each episode. Facilitating special guest appearances in one or more episodes.

SEO and Social Media Strategy

Our team is looking to take our social media presence to the next level in order to drive traffic to our pages. To do this, we hope to improve our search engine optimization, and create an optimal schedule for our social media posts to be uploaded. This will involve several different steps for the students, including: Researching keywords to determine the most relevant terms that our customers search for. Researching Search Engine Optimization requirements for us to rank on the first page of Google. Constructing a content calendar to upload social media content for the maximum possible traffic . Creating social media content using the most efficient keywords for our target audience while following the content calendar. Bonus steps in the process would also include: Using our company’s social media analytics to tailor the content calendar to our customers activity, rather than general trends

Marketing Plan

Our company advertises thousands of products online. We hope to revamp our marketing strategy to attract more customers. We want students to help us build a marketing plan to grow and engage our target market. This will involve several different steps for the students, including: Familiarizing themselves with our current marketing goals and strategies. Researching how customers perceive our brand and marketing. Recommending new channels we should use for promotion. Identifying an appropriate budget for advertising. Bonus steps in the process would also include: Recommending updates to our messaging that can better explain our value proposition.

Competitive Analysis

Our company has been serving thousands of customers for decades. We want to better understand how our target audience perceives our brand and competitors. This will help us develop clarity on our competitive advantages and optimize our marketing strategy. We would like to collaborate with students to conduct a competitive analysis of our business. This will involve several different steps for the students, including: Familiarizing themselves with our company, products, and target market. Identifying current and potential future competitors. Creating a matrix identifying features that are similar and different between companies. Summarizing our competitive advantages and disadvantages relative to the competition identified. Bonus steps in the process would also include: Recommending how our company can differentiate itself through products / services and messaging.