When a launch date for new product is announced, it is often the culmination of months or maybe even years of meticulous planning in order to get to this particular moment.
A successful product launch requires plenty of planning and a whole host of different actions, such as gaining some high PR authority backlinks to boost your Google rankings and get you noticed, so that you can tell the world about your great new product.
Here is a look at some of the things that all have to be done and come together in alignment, if you are going to enjoy a successful product launch that is on schedule.
Plan to fail
Of course you don’t want your product launch to be a failure in any way, but that well-worn business advice definitely holds true, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
It goes without saying that a well-managed and successful product launch can literally be the difference between success and failure, which is why there has to be meticulous planning and attention to detail at every step of the way, so that when the curtain come back and your product is revealed, everything has been done to ensure that the focus is on what you are offering rather than anything else.
Spreading the word
One of the key strategies to focus on, and one of the most important aspects surrounding any product launch, is how adept you manage to be in delivering a coordinated and coherent message across through multiple channels.
Good PR and successful marketing is often about gaining good traction and building momentum, so you might want to try and plan the marketing aspect of your launch so that everything builds towards your chosen launch date, and then the first few days immediately afterwards, while there is strong media and customer interest.
You will want to be reaching out to media sites, bloggers and anyone who would be interested in reviewing your product and talking about it. Give them early access to your product in advance of the launch date if possible, so that they can be talking about it and publicizing when it is being released.
The deadline matters
Think very carefully about your chosen launch date, so that you know when it is announced that you can stick to it.
It can often be the case that as the date draws ever closer, it might feel that you have chosen to launch too soon and before you are truly ready. This is a perfectly normal scenario and everything might seem like it is going a bit crazy as the deadline date looms on the horizon, but despite the pressures, if you have planned your product launch with care, there should be no need to abort and move the launch date.
Public and media perceptions can change if you delay an announced product launch, so do everything you can to make sure you meet the chosen launch deadline, as it definitely matters in a number of ways.
Develop a marketing strategy
All of the technical checks and balances need to be carried out for your new product and once you are perfectly happy with everything, the focus of your attention will then need to shift more towards building a marketing strategy.
When you are a building a go-to marketing strategy there are numerous different aspects that need to be considered and addressed. Getting PR coverage is certainly important, but so to is the need to get your advertising in place and everything sorted into a coordinated strategy that allows you to hit the ground running with your launch.
Plan B
You obviously hope that nothing goes wrong with your plans, but things can and do sometimes fall apart or fail to work as expected, which is why you need a plan B and are prepared for something to go wrong.
The basic advice is always to launch as planned and the put any required clear-up operation or adjustment into place afterwards. A good PR team and a knowledgeable product team can often help to smooth over any cracks that appear in your product shortly after launch and sometimes you can end up with a better product at the end of the day, even if you learn from a few mistakes along the way.
This post was written by Jacob Austin. Jacob enjoys writing articles for his growing online audience. A business consultant who focuses on branding and marketing, Jacob works with start-up’s and small/medium businesses. Look out for his insightful articles online at a selection of business blogs.