36 GERMINATION.CA NOVEMBER 2017 Here, experts from across the industry will discuss issues that are top-of-mind, share technical advancements, talk about tips for success and provide perspective on policy. IN THE WORLD of software, problem solving is essential to continually evolve and develop products or services. I’m not referring to fixing defects in the software, but my long-held view is that software must always provide the customer enough value for them to invest their time and money on it. The value being that a challenge is solved by what the software can do functionally. For example, it might reduce costs or save time by making things quicker and less prone to error, or automating mundane processes to allow time for more revenue-earning activities. I have a master list of all the ideas and areas that rep- resent customers’ challenges and potential solutions we could develop and deploy to help solve those challenges. Internally, this is known as my product roadmap — some- thing I update with new ideas and solutions and priorities based on meetings and conversations with customers and prospective customers. During these discussions, I always learn something new about their challenges and pain BUSINESS MANAGEMENT A SOLUTIONS-BASED ROADMAP HELPS ENSURE SUCCESS Vincent Veneziale, Product Manager, Cultura Seed Solutions @Vince_Veneziale • vincent.veneziale@culturatech.com • culturatech.com points, and it is my mission to solve these. Sometimes the work required to provide a solution to a challenge is large and complicated. In these instances, you don’t want to try and “boil the ocean.” It would take too long and probably be too big a change for the customer all at once. If it’s a project that’s particularly large or complex, I break it down into smaller pieces to see if I can provide what I call a “minimum viable” solution. This means starting with small improvements and getting feedback from customers to see how it can be further developed, eventually encompassing the whole challenge. It eventually flows through the process, culminating in software functionality that adds value. Prioritizing the challenges in terms of value is the most important thing to get right. Breaking down the larger pieces of work makes them more manageable and ensures you focus on the most valuable challenges that will have the biggest impact on the success and growth of your customer base. IF I MADE you keep reading, then I will consider this headline a success! The power of a strong headline is something that shouldn’t be overlooked. Sure, you’ve got great articles and content, but according to recent industry statistics, 80 per cent of people will read your headline. Of that, only 20 per cent will actually click through and read your article or blog post. Headlines are what sell the content. They represent it in search engines, in email and on social media. What elements make a great headline? Use a Number. The presence of a number in your headline can double your social shares. Data also suggest that including numbers in your blog titles can increase your click-through rate by 36 per cent. Use Strong Language. Some of the headlines that get the best results are either extremely positive or extremely negative. Positive keywords include: always, best, fastest, hottest, strongest, most and easiest. Furthermore, test- CONTENT MARKETING ARE YOU MAKING THE NO. 1 CONTENT MARKETING MISTAKE? Lindsay Hoffman Vice-President, Client Services, CREATE by Issues Ink @issuesink • lhoffman@issuesink.com • issuesink.com ing shows that negative superlatives perform 30 per cent better than positive ones. Negative keywords include: worst, never, stop, no one, avoid and none. Ask a Question. Questions arouse our curiosity. We debate the hot topics in our industry, so who doesn’t want to weigh in on a burning question? Keep it Short. If your headline is longer than 65 characters, it will be cut off in search results. According to industry research from Hubspot, titles performed best for Twitter retweets and Facebook likes when they were 8-14 words. Offer a List. Lists are always popular. When your headline addresses a specific problem and then you offer easy-to-implement actions, these posts always perform well. A great headline will help your audience connect with your post right from the get-go. Next time you’re about to hit publish, take a moment to check your opening parlay.