In a world of voices – everyone speaking all the time – how do we make our new products or services stand out as a clear voice amongst the background noise?
Here are ten things you can do to help make your next product launch a success.
1. Plan Ahead – Start as early as you can – 6 months if possible. 3 months will do. Set out a timeline of what will happen when before the actual release and then for a couple of months afterwards. And begin to bring your key people into the discussion. Setting out a timeline will assure that you develop a plan and strategy for making your launch a blast.
2. Set Goals – Give yourself targets for how many people you want to buy the product and on what timeline. Maybe consider even setting goals for your launch – how many people do you want to share the product on social media? How many blog about it at release? These figures will help you push harder to reach them.
3. Create an insiders list. Draw together a group of people outside your business who are excited about your new service and who will help build energy around it. Then, keep them informed about new events and data about the release. Help them feel connected to you and your product, and they will help you sell it.
4. Build a buzz with leaks. Drop hints about your product on social media, through press releases, and print advertising. Ask your insiders to do the same. Share a photo of your product or tweet about one aspect of your new service. Don’t give away the whole story, but entice people closer so they will want to learn more. Then, you’ll have lots of folks paying attention when it comes time to release.
5. Give incentives. Have people sign up for your mailing list so that they can get a free sessions or sample of your new item. Encourage people to “pre-order” and then give them a bonus for doing so. Offer “extended sessions” or a free webinar for people who register before a release. By incentivizing people to come on board sooner rather than later, you help assure that your release comes with a large corps of people already invested and waiting for your new product.
6. Focus on educating your customers rather than selling. It’s easy to just keep advertising new things, and advertising has its place. But instead of just selling all the time, think about how you can educate your potential customers. Help them understand your product deeply and help them understand themselves and why your product might help them. Think creatively about how you might teach, and you’ll find people are willing to learn.
7. Think events. Be they virtual or face-to-face launch events really raise the energy around your product because they bring like individuals together to talk about your business and your product. Maybe you want to schedule a Twitter chat or maybe you want to throw a “launch party” with champagne and wine. Maybe you open it to everyone or maybe you invite your insiders and a few folks. Whatever you do, think about having an event that coincides with your launch just to get that crowd-sourced adrenaline going.
8. Know your audience. Think about who will use your new product or service and then focus on reaching them with information. If you’re launching a new training program for single women who want to close the wage gap between them and their male colleagues, reach out to women’s business groups on LinkedIn or tweet with the hashtag #womeninbusiness. Or if you’re trying to sell a new pair of running shoes for people with wide feet, share with runner’s groups or see if you can’t speak to a local running group. Be smart with identifying where your audience is, and you’ll see a bigger return on your time and money.
9. Be clear and concise. We’ve probably heard the term “elevator pitch” so often that we want to scream, but it’s still a good tool. Try to capture the heart of your new product or service in one sentence so that when you meet someone as you pick up your kids’ after school and he says, “What’s new?,” you can tell him in the time it takes to get your child’s jacket on. Conciseness and clarity will win you friends and help you spread the word without burdening everyone with lots of data.
10. Tell everyone. While you want to be respectful and not sell all the time, be sure that you use all your avenues to put the word out. Of course, put the most time and energy into cultivating your best avenues, but don’t forget to shoot out that occasional tweet or tell the folks at the corner barbecue that something new is happening. You never know who might be a new customer.
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