Basecamp: A Tale of Building Buzz

37signals has an interesting article about how they successfully launched a product to their target market after building up a strong base of fans. It serves as an market compass on how to transition from design to market. The article continues:

We built up an audience that turned out to be an invaluable headstart when we eventually launched Basecamp. It’s a lot easier to market a product when you already have thousands of fans — ones who are the perfect target market for what you’re trying to sell.

It’s also worth reemphasizing one thing that’s been there from the beginning: Our philosophy. By knowing what we stood for, we always had an internal compass to guide us. We knew which clients were right/wrong for us. We knew which projects we wanted to spend time on. And we knew what we stood for.

The Early Days: How 37signals Built Buzz Out of the Gate