Today, it is more difficult than ever to have a successful launch of a new product or service, simply because there is so much competition out there. However, when you are taking advantage of all of the tools at your disposal, you can improve your chances of launching your product effectively. Let’s take a look at six steps to get your new venture off the ground and running.
Step 1: Know Your Goals
Many people and companies simply skip past step one! Before you can know whether you will have a successful launch or not, you need to make sure that you know what you want to achieve from it. How well do you want the product to sell in the first month after the launch? How many people do you want to sign up for your service? Put together some realistic numbers. This will help to guide you through all of the other steps and keep you on the right track.
Step 2: Start Your Launch Early
Instead of waiting until the last minute to begin your marketing and to get the word out about your product, you need to make sure that you start at least six to eight weeks before the official launch. This gives you a chance to get people talking about the product or service early. You need to keep it going so that the hype is relevant up until the day of the launch.
Step 3: Make the Product Available Early to Analysts
In order to keep that excitement going, you should consider providing some of the analysts and names in the industry with the product before the launch. Give them the time to write about the product and to make videos about it. You will find that they can become a huge part of your marketing plan – and they are doing all of the work for you! This is a common tactic today in the electronics and video game industry. Between written reviews online and YouTube videos, these analysts and reviewers are a very powerful marketing tool.
However, this can backfire. You need to be sure that your product is of the highest quality before offering this trial. Otherwise, the item could be skewered in the reviews, and it could heavily impact the product’s launch.
Step 4: Head to Social Media
Where is everyone? Chances are, they are on Facebook, Twitter or one of the other social networks. You need to have a heavy presence on these sites when you are launching a product of any kind. Interacting with customers and potential customers on these sites helps to keep them informed about the product and to get excited about it.
Step 5: Controlled Leaks
One of the techniques that many companies are using is the concept of the leak. During the marketing for a product, having a supposed leak about it can get people talking. It feels as though it’s something that your company didn’t want out there, and that sort of thing tends to get quite a bit of traction online.
Step 6: Make It Easy for People
It should always be easy for people to learn more about your product or service no matter what it is. Press releases, videos, blog posts and more are all marketing tools that you should be using to explain your product to people. Let them know how it can help them and make their life better or easier in some form. Focus on making the customers happy throughout and after the launch, and you will find that your product will do better. ?
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