When creating a new product, the actual development process is only half of the job. The other half involves the promotion and launch of the product. Having a successful product promotion that creates excitement requires having well-executed ideas for a product launch. Successful product promotion will boost your sales and guarantee the success of your launch.
A product launch is often a make or break moment for a company. You cannot treat your product launch process like an afterthought which is why you need to have new product launch ideas for every new creation you put out. No matter how many products you are putting out, there are a lot of variables you need to consider for a successful launch.
How do you make sure people find out about your product? How do you get your message across the right way? How do you get the messaging and positioning right for your target customers? What if the research you did prior to the launch does not reflect the right insights? How do you know this is the right idea for launching a new product? There will be hundreds of questions that will go through your mind.
1. Collaborate with Influencers
Influencer marketing is a great way for your brand to boost your marketing efforts when trying to decide the best idea for a product launch. The popularity of influencers is on the rise. 66% of marketers leveraged influencers for three or more campaigns. And 57% saw influencer content outperforming brand-created content.
You can identify the right influencers based on parameters like reach, domain, and engagement rates with the help of influencer marketing software like GRIN. Find the ones whose personalities align with your brand.
When Clinique, the iconic skincare brand launched a new line of products for men, they worked with influencers like Justin Livingston. He posted images featuring the new products with the hashtag #CliniqueForMen. In the post above, he talked about how he was ready for the weekend with his essentials. The brand generated 2.4 million impressions and more than 67,000 interactions for the product launch.
2. Build a Story Around Your Product
If you are able to weave a story in your product launch idea, it will help create more buzz. With a story, you can tell your target customers about the problem your product solves.
Warby Parker, an American online retailer of prescription glasses and sunglasses wove their personal story into their product launch idea. They talked about how four guys who met at a college and one of them lost his costly glasses on a backpacking trip. He spent the rest of the first semester at the college squinting and complaining. This brought them together, and they launched Warby Parker with the aim of offering affordable eyewear.
People related to the story, and the brand took off. The company donates a portion of its profits to non-profit partners to make basic eye care available to underprivileged communities. They positioned themselves as a socially conscious brand with the help of their brand’s story.
3. Leverage Social Media Platforms
If you want to amplify the launch message of your product, you have to be on social media. You can choose the channels that your target audience is most active on. Keep your messaging and content across different social media channels consistent when choosing this style of product launch idea marketing. Consumers love familiarity and consistency.
When Mercedes Benz created the Mercedes Benz G-Class, they collaborated with a group of German photographers – German roamers for their new product launch idea. The photographers took pictures while they explored the Dolomites and posted them with the hashtag “#MBdolomates” as shown in the Twitter post above.
The campaign was on different social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, all with the hashtag #MBdolomates.
The picture shown above is an Instagram post with the same “#MBdolomates” hashtag.
You can use a hashtag campaign as part of your product launch idea as well to help bring consistency of messaging and to create buzz across all channels during your launch.
4. Create Entertaining and Educational Videos
You can also include an entertaining and educational video about your product as the idea for your product launch. A video gives you the bandwidth to tell your target customers all about your product or service. Especially for new products, it’s important to educate consumers about them and how to use them correctly.
Flowater is an innovative system of filtering water. It aims to get rid of plastic water bottles. It can provide high-quality filtered water in public spaces. Using high-end technology, the manufacturers are able to provide high-quality water that tastes and hydrates better than other bottled options. In order to raise interest, they created a short, educational video explaining the product.
5. Launch a Giveaway Contest
Giveaway contests is another idea for a product launch that is one of the best ways to create a buzz about your product. They help you achieve several goals. They increase brand awareness, and they grow your following on your social media accounts. They can connect you with curious consumers who are interested in freebies, and who could be your future customers.
You can also count on some of the participants to talk about it on different social media channels and to encourage their friends and family to also enter. Contests are also a great way to get people talking about your new product through user-generated content.
KeVita had a giveaway contest with the help of social media users during their product launch. The product launch idea was to make more people aware of the benefits of the drink and to get more people to try it. Users could get a case of KeVita drink and a $50 Amazon gift card by following the @kevitadrinks Instagram account and commenting on the influencer’s account about their favorite flavor. In order to enter the contest, they also needed to tag a friend.
6. Release Pre-Launch Videos
Releasing a pre-launch behind-the-scenes video is another excellent idea for a product launch. It can help you build excitement for the actual event. It will help you get people talking about the pre-launch events while creating a buzz.
Wendy Nguyen, a fashion blogger, and YouTuber, covered the launch of Marissa Webb’s Fall 2017 Collection during New York Fashion Week. As a part of Webb’s team, she posted pre-launch behind-the-scenes videos. The videos were popular and, as you can see in the screenshot above, they got tens of thousands of views. These videos helped make the launch of Marissa Webb’s fall collection successful.
Conclusion
A successful product launch is one of the most important aspects of product marketing. Making sure that everyone knows the name of your brand is not enough. You have to make sure people are able to connect with your brand and your new product on some level. Choosing the most effective idea for your product launch is crucial.
You can achieve that connectivity by collaborating with influencers, sharing your story, building relationships through influencers on social media, or having a giveaway contest.
Learn more about influencer marketing: Influencer Marketing 101
