Launch events are still a great way to introduce your latest product—despite the fact that the process of launching a new product into a target market has transformed over the last few decades. Much like today’s market, you need your business to continue to evolve in order to fully take advantage of all the brilliant new ways you can showcase your product.
Creating a product launch checklist will help you manage your marketing campaign and launch strategy so you can effectively engage your target market during your event.
So let’s discuss how to launch a new product.
1.Build momentum before the event
The process of launching a new product in the market should start long before the launch date. You should begin your outreach activities six to eight weeks before the official launch event. That may include press releases, social media posts, blogs written for sector-specific publishers or articles posted on your website landing page. This will allow time for the news to spread and to build buzz. Figuring out how to launch a product can be complex, so why not let your audience’s response help to drive your marketing strategy.
Building anticipation and momentum prior to the launch event is a great way to soft launch your product and ensure your event is a success. Social media is a great asset here as you are able to reach out to your target audience directly and build excitement around your new product. It can also be easier to catch the attention of an industry authority, or to get your brief noticed, if you start your marketing efforts with plenty of time before the launch date. Having this kind of endorsement from an established expert during your soft launch can be invaluable to growing your client base, as they are most likely considered a trusted source by your audience.
2.Venue
A good venue can be a smart way to impress your audience and guests—just make sure the space doesn’t distract from your product. If you’re able to associate the venue with your product this could be a clever way to shine even more light on your product.
Also, if you cater to a local demographic, your venue should be close by to capitalise off this and avoid making your guest commute too far away.
Consider whether there are any local companies you could collaborate with to drive more traffic and better execute your marketing plan to potential customers. Perhaps they have a space your team could use for launch day for improved product positioning and to show your connection to the local community.
3.Theme
Choosing a relevant and unique theme is a brilliant way to ensure your event is a memorable one. It gives your team the opportunity to demonstrate your product in the real world and showcases your brand identity.
While figuring out how to launch a product for your business, you should always keep your brand image in the forefront of your team’s mind. For example, if you’re launching a new flavour for your line of soft drinks, you could have a summertime BBQ theme where your guests can enjoy your new product in the ideal setting. You could include activities like ‘guess the flavour’ games with free samples of new and existing products, and use interactive kiosks to get feedback and connect with your audience to improve your product marketing efforts.
Keep in mind that staying true to your brand is the best way to ensure you’re offering a unique experience at your launch event. No one can do you quite like you—capitalise off this and make sure you’re authentically representing your brand story.
4.Entertainment
You want your event to be memorable for your target audience so consider what entertainment or personalisation you can offer them.
For example, you could consider using video walls to convey a positioning statement or information about your product while showcasing how modern your brand is. Showing that you are in touch with the latest technology and willing to evolve as times change is very attractive to many audiences.
Utilising tech rentals like virtual reality technology, iPads and the interactive touch screen is a great way to easily harness the latest tech to ensure you are able to keep your guests entertained and excited by your brand. This can also be an efficient way to gather valuable market research to better advertise similar products in the future. Impressing your guests at a product launch event is a good way to keep interested parties
coming back for more during your future projects.
5.Timing
Knowing how to launch a new product may not be easy, but some aspects of planning a launch event can be. Something as simple as being intentional with your launch event’s timing can be crucial to how well your event goes down. For example, could your product make the perfect Christmas gift? If so, schedule your launch event in the lead up to the holidays, just as everyone is starting their Christmas shopping.
It is a good idea to be aware of when the industry is at the peak of activity or whether there are any industry-specific holidays or celebrations, and host your event around these times. Your timing could be the final element that ensures you host a successful product launch.
6.Post-event follow up
Reaching out to your guests again with follow up email campaigns or a newsletter is a good way to keep the hype from the event going a little longer. You could even offer some kind of incentive to encourage more sales, for example your email could include an offer for a free trial or a complimentary extra when the product is purchased. You could also feature this deal on your social media.
The ideal product launch
These days you never know when your product might gain traction so don’t cease all your online activity once the launch event has passed. It might not be until after the launch that the product attracts the attention of industry authorities and publications, so make sure you keep producing content. Customer stories, flashbacks to the event, how-to guides and details of product specifications can all give reporters something worthwhile to write about long after the official release.
Explore More: Related Article on 7 Strategies for a Successful Product Launch
