Product launches sound easy. You post a tweet saying you've got this new, amazing product, then you go to Instagram and post a picture of the new, amazing product. You go to Facebook and you do the same thing. You might keep this up for a day, maybe two. And then you're done.
Wrong.
Product launches aren't just for the day you release your product, or post the listing on your site. You need to create a marketing campaign that goes from anything from 6 months before, to a week before. You need to create mystery and interest in this new, amazing thing you're working on. You need to get people excited and eager, as well as grow your audience. And then when launch day comes around, you need to keep that excitement up.
Before I even think of launching a new product or service, I need to make sure I've got the right audience + followers in my hands, ready to be delighted. This is an important step, as you don't want your campaign falling on deaf ears. You need an engaged audience, one that actually cares about you, your brand and your products.
Here are a few tips to get your audience ready for your new product:
1. Create hype.
Before a launch, I post up to 2 weeks in advance about the product. I'll show behind-the-scene images of me designing, or little sneak peeks, as well as when they can expect to see it on the site. I don't badger my audience, but I post just enough to get them excited about the new product or service. I've also seen a lot of people revealing their new product, but only showing the back or a slight snippet, and getting people to buy it on a preorder. This is crazy brave, but I've definitely seen it working.
2. Do a competition/giveaway.
Giveaways and competitions are a great way of growing your audience. Friends see each other post a giveaway, or tag them in a picture of a competition, and they trust you more because their pal trusts you. Although, they aren't what they used to be. In the olden days (well, last year at most...), you could create or shoot an image that people would share on their feeds. Now, it's a bit like an intrusion, and people aren't responding as much as they used to. Create a competition where they need to follow you and tag three friends, or they need to leave a comment explaining why they should win. It gets your audience really engaged with you, and gets them sharing for you.
3. Network (but do it authentically).
Having friends in your field is a huge yes. Not only will you have people to ask for advice, to turn to when you feel like screaming, to hug when you see them at craft fairs, but your pals will most definitely want to help you out by sharing your product/service to their audience. Ask them nicely if they could post a link + a comment to their followers, and return the favour by doing the same, or featuring them on your blog. Just don't be phoney, and don't try to make friends just for this reason. You can smell it a mile away, and it'll do more harm than good.
Also think about joining relevant Facebook groups where the done thing is help each other out. Twitter chats are also great for getting your product out to people in your field.
4. Be consistent.
Don't do what I described at the beginning of the post! Keep up with your campaign and post regularly about your product. You will only get sales if your customer knows to buy. Don't ever worry about annoying your audience, they're there for a reason and want to hear all about you're offering.
Keep an eye out over the next few weeks on a post detailing a real-life marketing campaign I used for one of my recent products, and also download a quick recap on this post with the 4 tips for a successful product launch included by signing up to our Branding + Consulting mailing list below.
No comments:
Post a Comment