Like any TV series claiming to be the next Game of Thrones, any move you make to set high expectations is likely to lead to a letdown.
 
While cashing in on the latest fad might seem like a great idea, the businesses that last look beyond what’s trending to what it is enduring. After all, why would someone use your clone of Instagram or Snapchat when they can join all their friends on the real thing? Even if you add one or two cool features to your version of Snapchat, what’s to stop them doing the same and making you irrelevant yet again? All it takes is one update to put you right back where you started.
 
So what’s the answer? If everything has been done before and there is nothing new under the sun, how can you possibly hope to compete? Well, you need to stop following trends and start leveraging them.
 
1. Pay attention to what’s out there
 
Take a look at the market. What’s working? What isn’t? If you look long and hard enough and apply some critical thinking you will begin to get a sense of what consumers want and what they will soon want. With this insight, you gain the upper hand to start dictating trends rather than blindly following. This will help you avoid the market moving on before your idea gets off the ground.
 
2.  Study problems, not solutions
 
Believe it or not, even behemoths like Facebook and Instagram have their holes. You only have to look at how Instagram came to be: the app fulfilled a need for the visually inclined that other apps like Facebook had largely ignored. As a result, Instagram has changed the landscape, enabling amateurs to post and share stunning photos.
 
3. Focus on being useful
 
Be honest with yourself about whether your idea is useful. Sure, you can create a Snapchat for cats, but is it an app that cat lovers will feel the need to open everyday? You need the answer to be ‘yes’. If it’s not, you need to go back to the drawing board.
 
4. Hone in on a niche
 
Tailoring your idea to a niche is a good starting point as you are able to really hone in on and meet the wants and needs of a particular target market. However, you must make sure your niche isn’t already served by a market leader. To use the early example, Snapchat for cats likely won’t take off as people have the option of subscribing to channels that already meet this need.