Introduction
A good product is only good if your target audience knows about it. And that’s why you need a bridge between your product and your target audience which will inform them about your value proposition. For established brands their reputation precedes them, and people consider their products with granted faiths. But things are a little difficult when your brand is new, and nobody has any a priori good faith about your brand.
To overcome this challenge, you need a robust marketing roadmap for product launch. In this case study I will share with you this roadmap. Any product launch event can be divided into three phases: the pre-launch, launch and post launch. In each you need to optimize your marketing strategy.
Pre-Launch Phase
1. Create an Audience Pool:
Launching a new product can be an exciting yet daunting experience for any business. To ensure that your product launch is successful, it is essential to have a solid group of people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.
One effective way to build this group is by creating a lead generation landing page. This page will allow people to pre-register or sign up for your email list. To generate traffic to this page, you can leverage various marketing strategies such as SEO, paid ads, organic social media, traditional advertising, and content marketing.
However, the real challenge lies in converting these visitors into potential buyers by persuading them to share their contact details and consent to receiving further communication from you. To encourage these conversions, you need to offer something enticing, such as early access or a discount for email subscribers.
By building a solid group of interested individuals and converting them into potential buyers, you can increase your chances of having a successful product launch.
2. Give Time to Absorb and Bounce Back:
Don’t start your pre-launch campaign just one week before the product/service launch. Irrespective of the marketing platform you choose you need to understand that your niche is probably, if not surely, dominated by other players and your target audience is their users. So, your competitors are already running robust marketing campaigns across channels. If you start your campaign too late (like one week prior to launch) it will surely go either unnoticed or ignored.
Start well before your launch, you can look at the examples from the automobile industry. Major auto manufacturers around the world showcase their prototype models in shows like EICMA while the actual market launch date may be one or two years later. During this time, they run havoc marketing for their product on websites and on other platforms. They also invite automotive journalists to test ride their vehicles and write reviews about it. This allows manufacturers a long runway to make their audience familiar with the product. And it bounces back in terms of sales.
3. Throw in Some Mystery:
Trello fostered a sense of community among its users through forums, social media engagement, and support channels. Building a community around your SaaS platform can facilitate user adoption, encourage user-generated content, and provide valuable insights for product development.
4. Integration and Compatibility:
People love to dig things which are hidden. Use this behavioral trait of your audience to attract attention for your product. With a new product your plan is to solve some unresolved pain points in your niche, which is your value proposition Craft creative teasers on your value proposition addressing the pain point, or simply the paint, which will be subtle, hidden behind the clever use of words and visuals.
This will make people anticipate what is going on, or what is going to happen. Remember, anticipation leads to conversation which will spread via word-of-mouth. You certainly want a town buzzing about your product before launch.
Launch Phase
1. Make it Known to All:
Launch phase is equally important as the pre-launch. Invite press, early registration makers and influential people at your niche to the launch event to create a buzz. You can also send out email reminders of the launch date to your email list along with discounts or gifts for early birds, for example first day buyers or first one hundred buyers.
2. Influencers have a Job to Do:
One of the strongest strategies for developing your business online is influencer marketing. It’s when a brand is promoted by a person with a large following in a certain niche. They could be extremely well-known celebrities or moderately well-known personalities with a considerable number of followers, like you see on Instagram or YouTube. In either case, they will serve as a useful conduit for you and possible new clients by publishing fascinating information about your offering.
Post Launch
1. Continue with Online Platforms:
It’s time to increase customer onboarding. So continue with your website, social media advertisement and email campaigning but a change in presentation is required here. Since your product is already launched you can showcase case studies of satisfied customers to establish the credibility of your product.
2. Ask for Feedback and Reflect:
Good customer service is itself a great marketing strategy. You should have an efficient customer service standby to answer any question raised by the existing customers, as well as people showing interest. Take your customers’ feedback frequently and always try to improve your product in accordance with the feedback. If people feel heard, they will turn their loyalty towards your brand.
Conclusion
Launching a new product can be exhilarating, but don’t let the excitement cloud your planning. This roadmap provides a blueprint for navigating the pre-launch, launch, and post-launch phases, ensuring you not only generate initial buzz but cultivate long-term customer relationships. By following this comprehensive roadmap and remaining adaptable, you can transform your new product from a hopeful launch into a thriving market leader.
