You’ve got a great idea for a product. Maybe you’ve just developed a rough draft of your first book or an outline for the code to build your new app.
Perhaps you’ve built a strong course that has serious potential to help lots of people and earn you steady passive income. Regardless of what your product or service, you still face the same hurdle: What do you do to launch it?
The first step is to prepare well. Part of that preparation is to educate yourself. This can include several things, but we will cover a few in this article.
The Landing Page
These days, it’s critical to gauge the market interest in your product long before the launch or development phases to avoid chasing a dead end. Too many people make the common mistake of building something that others don’t really need or want, which is an expensive mistake you can avoid. One way to avoid it is to create your landing page.
So, the idea is to make your landing page for the product even if you haven’t finished it yet. The whole point of the page should be to summarize how your creation satisfies a burning desire for others in a way that no one has done before you. Then, you integrate a sign-up form for anyone who is interested in getting updates on the release of your new product.
For example, some high-converting apps to help you collect these emails include List Builder and Welcome Mat, both by Sumome.
The Discussion Forums
Many people get lost trying to post as many links to their landing page as they can all over the place, but that’s not necessarily the point. Ideally, you should already be a member of a forum somewhere in which people are talking about how to tackle the problem or issue that your product solves. Go to those places and share links there to attract the right people and create positive buzz in anticipation of your launch.
Another thing you should do, as a member of these forums, is to include a link to your launch page from your signature. That way, every time you join in a conversation, your link is there. If the forum does not allow that, at least add the link in your forum profile.
The Crowd Funding Campaign
Crowd funding isn’t just a great way to get venture capital; it is an avenue for testing how much people care about your project and gaining publicity for it simultaneously. Indiegogo, Tilt, and Kickstarter are all excellent platforms that help you reach a vast international audience in a very low-cost, low-risk way.
Promotional Campaigns on Social Media
One example is to start a teaser promotional campaign on Facebook to engage your social network. Advertising Facebook is a very affordable way to create interest in your new offering across a wide range of demographics. It’s easy to use, and you don’t need a background in marketing to build a great ad. Just focus on the key pain point or intriguing factor about your product in your wording. For further help to look more professional, enlist an advertising-design expert from Fiverr to make your infographics, video animations, logos, and more, starting at just $5.
When you have enough buzz, announce a soft launch to influencers (more on that in the next section).
Keep in mind, too, that there are specialized launch campaigns for specific products. But, even if these are specialized, they contain additional ideas that may help your campaign. An example is this article on how to launch your video game. There are exceptional tips and ideas in “10 Social Media Hacks to Promote Your App.”
This social media stage is especially appealing to your top market influencers because you can show that you hold their opinions in such high esteem that you want to know what they think before unleashing your creation to the world.
The Influencer Campaign
Another step that should be on your list is to start an influencer campaign. If you don’t know how to find the “Oprah” of your field, to recommend or endorse your product, you can start an influence campaign on a website that has high levels of credibility. One example is ClearVoice. Another one is Klout.
Whenever you approach an authoritative person who would have good reasons to promote your merchandise, be authentic and respectful. Explain how it’s a new concept and express how grateful you’d be to have their insights about it and how to improve it. Many times influencers are happy to help, especially if you are being real (and respectful!).
Ready to dive deeper into what makes product launches fail or succeed? There are a couple of books that I picked up and they were so helpful to me that I had to recommend them as an affiliate. The first suggestion is to read Pat Flynn’s book: “Will It Fly? How to Test Your Next Business Idea so You Don’t Waste Your Time and Money” to learn more about how to avoid making critical mistakes during your next launch. Another great resource, that will help you lay out your 90 day launch plan, step-by-step, is “Launch!: The Critical 90 Days from Idea to Market.” Keep in mind that these books are not necessarily the get-it-done-fast resources, but they will help you lay a solid (and educated) foundation for what you are likely trying to do with your launch.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are quite a few resources available. Also, there are a few steps that you should take, as you can see. However, keep in mind that this doesn’t have to be difficult. Breathe. Then, breathe again. You can do this!
