7 tips for a sensational product launch.

Unfortunately, only 11% of organisations hit their launch targets*. After all the time spent researching, testing, and developing, it would be a shame for your new product to arrive with a damp fizzle.

Don’t start your post-pandemic business with a flop. We’ve put together our 7 expert tips for a sensational product launch.

A product launch shouldn’t be an afterthought at the end of a campaign.

The most successful launches will have been planned many months, even years, in advance. Without a proper strategy in place, you could end up undoing a lot of your hard work.

Think about how the product launch fits into your overall marketing goals and view it as a key part of the strategy.

The key to any successful campaign is knowing who your target audience is.

The better you understand your buyer persona and how your product meets their needs, the more likely your product launch will be a success.

Think about questions like:

• What do they do for a living?
• What pain points in their job are holding them back from success?
• What motivates them to make a purchase?
• What social media channels do they use?
• What kind of content do they engage with?

Creating buyer personas helps you understand the audience’s hopes and fears, and plan around their behaviours. Strong buyer personas will help you to choose a launch strategy that truly resonates with your audience.

Unless you’ve invented something that’s genuinely brand new, the chances are that another product’s already filling your spot on the shelf.

If a customer is going to make the effort of switching to your product, they need to see a clear USP.

Is your product faster, simpler, or cheaper than the competition? Whatever the USP is, make sure the customer knows it.

We’re all looking for ways to stand out and get customer attention. Bland, boring messaging will simply get lost in the noise.

Is your message something the customer has heard hundreds of times before, or is it something new that provides value?

It’s best to focus on a small number of key benefits and your USP(s) in the messaging rather than overcomplicating it with tons of features.

Create a content plan with a timeline of what key messages will be sent and when. Your plan could include:

• Press releases
• Blog posts
• Emails
• Social media posts
• Podcasts
• Customer stories

… the opportunities are endless!

Maybe you’re also offering a free trial or discount to incentivise people into using the product. You’ll want to make sure this incentive is promoted in your messaging too.

There’s no point creating great content if nobody ends up seeing it!

Today, you don’t need a physical event to launch a product. In fact, virtual product launches will be a key feature of the post-pandemic world. Recently, Xiaomi hosted a 72-hour, virtual product launch which was streamed by 12 million viewers.**

Whether you choose a physical or virtual launch, remember: a product launch is a continuous event, and you should use a mix of media across a range of channels.

Get your message out there through a combination of emails, direct mails, and social media.

Could you leverage journalists, influencers, analysts, or industry events to get your product more coverage? Paid advertising can also be worth the investment to expand your reach.

Timing is really important. There’s little point launching a new winter coat at the beginning of summer. Or launching a new office product on Christmas Day. No matter how exciting you think your new product is, some things aren’t worth competing with.

Avoid clashing with national holidays, big news events, or other major product launches. It’s worth pushing a launch back if it means there’ll be a bigger impact on a different date.

Ask yourself: When is my audience going to be most receptive?

The product launch is only the beginning of an ongoing process that needs to be nurtured and followed up on. Use analytics to review what’s been working, and which areas might need improving.

Don’t be scared to make changes as you go: some things will work well, and some won’t. You can monitor how customers react over time to different content and different channels, then adapt the messaging and strategy as your launch progresses.

At Miramar, our ROI-driven campaigns emphasise strong strategic planning, ensuring your product gets the launch it deserves.

If you’d like to have a chat about putting your business in the best possible position post-pandemic. We’d love to hear from you.

_{* Gartner Survey Finds That 45% of Product Launches Are Delayed by at Least One Month, Gartner, 2019}

_{** A 72-HOUR PRODUCT LAUNCH, LIVE-STREAMED DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN, SPRINGWISE, 2020}