6. Gauge interest on social media

Another way you can validate a product idea is through social media. Your followers know you best and will tell you what they want to see from you. Each day, millions of people express their feelings on social media, talking about what they’ve bought and their experiences with it.

Beauty brands like Cadence leverage their social media community for product development. Stephanie Hon, CEO and founder of Cadence, reports to Modern Retail that their customers reach out on social media often, specifically about colors they want to see.

She says, “I will say for future product lines it merges with what we’re already on track making, which is a great validation point for us. It’s very exciting to get a lot of requests and be like, Oh, just wait a few months. It’s coming. We’re always listening.”

Two key ways brands can use social media for product validation include:

• Social listening. You can analyze what customers say on social media, gain insight, and validate ideas quickly.

• Direct feedback. You can poll followers for product ideas, run live Q&As to understand their problems, and get direct feedback on MVPs.