This is a sponsored post by ONTRAPORT, an all-in-one small business management platform.
Your small business already knows that the key to success is creating amazing, positive experiences for customers, so it’s no surprise that this is also key to pulling off a product launch that will be well-received. Although there’s a lot that can go wrong during your launch, you can set yourself up for success. To do this, you’ll have to step into your customer’s shoes and mentally walk through every step of your product launch.
Step 1: The Product Itself
Your product launch is doomed if you aren’t already certain that your target market wants what you have to offer. Never underestimate the power of product research! Reach out to a few influencers within your target market and present your product offer to them. If they have criticism, figure out whether they don’t understand how the product would benefit them because of how you’re presenting it or whether the product actually isn’t something they would get value from. Sometimes you know that your target market would actually love your product, but they aren’t willing to try it. This issue can be fixed by adjusting your messaging to better inform them of the product’s benefits.
Step 2: The Pre-Launch
There’s a lot to do during the phase between finalizing your product and your launch date. You’ll want to create a media or press kit that sets the tone for the public conversations surrounding your launch. You can get a positive buzz going and prevent miscommunication by making it easy for people to say good things about you – address questions before they’re asked and help them tell your story. Think about creating a detailed launch calendar that charts your every move in the weeks leading up to your launch date. You’ll also want to go through a product launch checklist to make sure you’ve anticipated issues that could arise.
Step 3: The Big Day
Your hard work isn’t quite over when you click the button to make your launch go live. You’ll want to remain available to respond to any unexpected issues that arise. You need to be ready to respond to questions and requests for support from your customers. Keep a list of contacts handy in case any technology goes down – your web tech, the support team for any selling platforms or payment gateways you’re using, your shipping or fulfillment company etc. Listen to feedback you’re receiving and do everything you can to turn around negative experiences your customers report. Try monitoring social media to see if anyone is mentioning your brand or your new product. If you’re getting positive mentions, you’ll want to retweet, re-gram, or respond. If you’re getting negative mentions, you’ll want to investigate their situations and make them right as quickly as possible to publicly demonstrate your commitment to your customers’ satisfaction.
If you’re on top of everything covered here, your product launch has a healthy shot at being wildly successful. If you want to be sure that you don’t forget to address every aspect of your launch, we also wrote an Ultimate Product Launch Guide, which includes a thorough checklist to help you launch confidently. The guide will show you how to create a timeline for your launch, how to avoid unnecessary complications in your plan and how to get your product messaging to tell a compelling, consistent story.
Your Product Launch can spell huge success for your business, so you can’t afford to just “wing it.” Learn how to earn your customers’ loyalty through a successful product launch – download the Ultimate Product Launch Guide and get a handle on all the important details of your launch.
