Businesses of all sizes invest heavily in making sure they’re offering the products that their customers want – even if they didn’t know they wanted them. This research and development phase is often concluded with a ‘product launch,’ which serves as an introduction to the market.
Major Fortune 500 companies have the advantage of the press. Often times they’ll take care of a large percentage of the marketing responsibilities – a luxury smaller businesses aren’t able to enjoy. With that being said, the availability of digital marketing has given even the smallest operations the capability to reach large numbers of consumers in their target audience.
In this article, I’ll go over a step-by-step plan for businesses looking to spread the word about a new product or service.
1. Update the Website
Before you launch any type of marketing campaign, your website needs to be updated to accurately reflect the most current information. It should act as the definitive resource for anyone who is looking to become educated on who your business is and what your business sells.
Your site being out-of-date can have deeper implications when you consider its role in SEO, not to mention social media and display marketing campaigns. Algorithms recognize when the messaging on an advertisement isn’t reflected on the landing page. This can negatively impact your marketing effort, meaning lost dollars and missed impressions.
Any time you make a business change – new product or otherwise – make sure your website is the first place it’s announced.
2. Make a Video
What do TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube have in common? Two things: they’re the most dominant social media platforms, and they’re all video-first. Even Instagram, through features like stories, has shown that video drives attention and engagement at a rate which static imagery can’t compete.
When your business is in the process of revealing something new, create a short video explaining what it is, why it’s good, and post it everywhere you can. Whereas users are not as likely to go out of their way to read something, if a video is in their feed, there’s a good chance that they’ll spend 15 seconds or so passively watching what’s on the screen.
Don’t worry about making it Hollywood-standard in terms of production. The most important thing about a video announcement is that you have one.
3. Get Employees Involved on Social Media
Employees can be overlooked as a marketing resource, but if they’re on board with spreading the word about their company, an impressive number of people can be reached at an extremely low cost. Thousands of impressions can be gained just by having your team share a social media update from your business’s accounts.
Upon launching your product or service, incentivize employees to get involved with increasing awareness among their digital friends and followers. Not only will this create a buzz in their online communities, but they’ll also gain a sense of ownership as they represent the company to their online acquaintances.
4. Advertise on Social Media and Google
No matter your audience, there’s a social media platform that’s perfect for you. If you’re marketing a product to high school kids, there’s TikTok. If you’re looking to reach C-Suite decision makers at companies in your city, there’s LinkedIn. No B2C or B2B campaign should ever be struggling to find the right demographic. The same can be said for Google advertising. It goes without saying that Google has a wealth of data about each of its users, and thus has unparalleled capabilities to deliver your ad to the right people.
There’s no better bang-for-your-buck than a well-strategized social media marketing plan. Not only can you reach large numbers of users, but you can target based on interests and audience characteristics to a level that would be impossible on traditional platforms. The advantage that social media has on display or PPC (Google Products) is that a conversation can be generated around a specific product or brand. Most Google campaigns focus on driving traffic or getting phone calls, but social media provides advertisers an opportunity to focus on a number of objectives.
Some brands may event want to consider influencer marketing depending on their audience segment. These social media personalities promote products on their channels for a small fee. This is similar to the idea of a “spokesperson” – a marketing strategy that has been in use for decades. The main difference is that influencers are available for a wider range of industries, with built-in followings, and can be obtained a significantly cheaper price.
You don’t need to ‘go viral’ in order to have a successful digital campaign. Your goal should be to focus in on those who are most likely to become customers of your business, and then inspire them to act.
5. Email Campaigns Work
No matter how much data social media and search engine platforms get on their audiences, you simply can’t beat a good old fashioned email list. If you’ve been in business for awhile and have put some type of effort into your digital marketing strategy, you should have compiled a list of email addresses from previous customers, leads, etc.
There’s no better reason to reach out to this audience than when you’ve launched a new product that they might be interested in hearing about. Not only do you know that these users will have heard of your brand, but if you’re making an announcement your email will feel less spam-y, meaning open rates should be higher than usual.
Make sure to include the purpose of your email in the headline. Research has shown that this aspect of your email blast is the most important for delivering real results.
Wrapping Up
Much of the information included in this article might seem obvious for those who are well-versed in the world of digital marketing. However, if your organization doesn’t have a team member familiar with the best strategies for today’s digital marketplace, it might be in your best interest to bring on outside help.
If you could benefit from a partner who has experience running all types of digital marketing campaigns, get in touch today.