What to do to plan a successful Digital Product Launch

 Last updated: September 1 20, 2022

Launching a product is an occasion ... as an art exhibit or big "open house" which makes a statement: "Hello world, here I am. Stop by and discover what I'm all about." A launch is an chance to "wow" your audience.

To your customers, it's an exploration. Does this product do something that pleases me, solve an issue, or perform better than a similar product I already have? Your product's introduction to the marketplace is when you are able to see how well you meet the customers' needs and needs.

As a digital item isn't a physical product - it doesn't take up space in the physical world at least - what should the introduction of your new product be like? How do you design one? How will you make it reachable to people and how do you ensure that the effort you put into it result in a profit?

Make the Goals for Launch

An event like a launch can be an opportunity to evaluate the goals you have set and evaluate your success at reaching these goals. Do you have a target number that you're thinking of for the revenue you'd like to make in a specified length of time? Are you more interested in finding out about who your buyers are and their purchasing habits? What sort of habits are your customers following? What are their locations? How do they connect to your brand?

You must ensure that you have the necessary tools and procedures set up to record all the data you decide to count. If you're trying to get 10,000 downloads in the initial 30 days following the launch date, do you have the right mechanisms in place to capture the download count? Are you able to easily collect data on where they come from geographically? Do you have the tools to collect their comments?

Make use of timing strategically

The timing for a product's debut into the market is one of the most important aspects in a marketing plan. Find out the time of the year, and also those locations where it is likely to maximize exposure and leverage:

• Beware of dates that people all over the world usually go on holiday. These are usually the summer months of July and August, and public holidays such as New Year's Day, Christmas New Years, Good Friday Thanksgiving, Easter, Labour Day, Bastille Day, Yom Kipper, Boxing Day, and so on.

• Follow the coattails of an important trade show that is in your sector or similar event that is major, like an event or announcement of a brand new release or new technology that dovetails with your product. Examples: a large training workshop or seminar that trains individuals to utilize technology, who are likely to be customers of your product or the release of a new app or operating system that supports your product or enhances some aspect of its usage.

• Avoid launches that you might know about that occur after competitors launch. Your goal is to get ahead of your competition and not be behind or else you could find prospective customers aren't interested anymore. Be first out of the gate, if possible.

• Do not delay your launch. Competitors could take advantage of that chance to launch their products earlier or worse, stir up negativity. Be prepared and have customers eagerly anticipating your product, and the media ready to look over the reaction and write about the event.

Make a checklist for launching

The process of launching a new product requires many planning activities, announcements prior to the launch, post-announcements as well as follow-ups. Be sure that your clients can access the product, understand the best way to use it and are happy with the purchase. There isn't always a strict procedure, but you should ensure that you do them in a way that is logical. It is important to stay in the know about those which are sensitive to time and also make the most of ones that are flexible. And you don't want to miss the crucial ones. Use a checklist.

Create the Big Announcement

Create and implement every activity you can in order to generate excitement and the demand for your product prior to it is made available to consumers. It can be accomplished using small or large budgets and any company size. Begin by identifying and informing the partners. Involve them as early as possible so that they will be able to inform the customers they serve. Sales managers can be the most effective evangelists for your company. Make use of LinkedIn connections as well as all the other contacts and networking groups to reach them.

Create a press release for bloggers and journalists ahead of time to give them an opportunity to see a preview (like a pre-screening of an upcoming film for an exclusive public). Make sure they know they've been selected for this privileged view. This is more than just courtesy. The potential is for bringing visitors to your websites as a cowboy drives cattle for a pasture.

Industry analysts can also generate buzz. You can reach them on business networks like LinkedIn and your professional networks , and even in the group discussions that are on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Brief them, get their feedback and keep them up-to-date on the latest developments.

Sometimes, playing with words or creating an atmosphere of secrecy before a launch may create excitement and curiosity. Let a few people know information about the launch. It can help feed a frenzy, get buyers engaged, and increase urgency and anticipation among potential clients. Release the date for the launch months in advance and tell the world that something important is on the way.

Alarm the Press En Masse

Expose your product to appropriate journalists who might be interested, excited enough to want to write about your product. Invest into a subscription to an online news release platform. A few that are best made for small-sized businesses include: E-Releases, PRWeb and PR Newswire are a few best-rated providers. Pricing for the middle tier of these three is between $300 and $250. PRWeb, for instance, can assist you in creating the message you want to convey, and then send it to each major news and search engine (30,000 journalists and bloggers , and more than 250,000 PRWeb news members) and then track it (detailed analysis will show how many people have saw the announcement, the places it was picked up as well as how often it was shared).

Can a press release increase the traffic on your website and increase SEO? It is certainly true that a press release can increase traffic to websites; but a press release's capability to improve SEO has changed in the last few years due changes to Google's algorithm. The press release you send out is more likely to appear in results if users would type specific keywords within the press release. It's unclear how many times more likely.

Develop and Make Use of Your Emails

Mailing lists are like gold. You're not only communicating about your new product, these are potential buyers who are the source of your revenue being earned. It is important to nurture them like precious gems to bring in sales into the in the future. These emails will continue to grow because customers will share your emails. It's a way to build relationships with the customers. Be sure to keep them satisfied and they'll become your advocates. It is your goal to make them frequent visitors to your website and purchasers of your product, fans who will transport the message of your brand and help the message grow exponentially on social media.

Are you launching a new project starting from scratch? Most likely, you don't have a mailing list. You may also already have one from an earlier product that you've promoted. In either case, you want to encourage visitors to your site to opt-in on emails from you. If you can begin this process, the larger your list of subscribers. Create incentives and rewards. Customers will likely require an incentive to test your product.

If you're starting only sending a handful of emails Use social media for building them up. Boost posts through Facebook. Join friends. Follow companies and people on Twitter. Retweet and tweet items that are relevant to you. Create followers on Instagram as well as Pinterest using your brand's pictures including blogs, images as well as pitch decks and instructions. Ask people to fill out a short survey. Here's one that's been hitting email boxes:

Make use of your site or sales platform as well as social media to attract people to your site and encourage them to sign up for your email list. This allows you to reach out to your customers anytime in the future, with any kind of messaging you'd like; plus, you're not bound by the search engine results or algorithms for social media.

As early as possible start making names to be included in a mailing list using your website. Request that visitors leave their email address so that they will be first to get updates. Provide them with a preview of the book's first chapter (like Amazon's "Look inside" feature), or the PDF that contains helpful tips or information. Make and distribute incentives such as prizes, promotions, and discounts to early purchasers.

Sign up with the email provider (ESP), especially if you're starting from ground to. There are several companies that have been rated highly with prices ranging from free to $15 per monthly: Campaign Monitor, iContact, MailChimp, and Constant Contact. A good ESP can provide users with the tools as well as templates and the services required to attract customers, evaluate your campaigns, meet the daily requirements of your emails, and generate analytics.

Be Ready to Provide Help

Be ready to provide fast and professional support, especially when launching a new feature. Troubleshooting guides and user manuals are helpful when your support staff are not available to help customers solve issues or provide answers to questions regarding the use of your product.

Provide online chat, telephone support , or email support if you are able to. Sometimes, phone support is more effective for technical issues related to software. If you have a question about lost security code, credit card issues or the non-delivery of the item, online chat or an email may suffice.

Make sure you have your Customer Relations Management (CRM) set up. Avoid handling your support on your own. It can consume the time of others and hinder you from doing the work of an entrepreneur - developing production and sales and new and improved solutions. You can use the CRM software to handle all of your relationships with customers in one place.

Search online for virtual assistants or others looking for part-time work you can work remotely at their homes. Consider going digital with a software provider who acts as your online help desk or chat service online.

Failures breed success

Following the launch, you should learn how your products can be marketed to a global audience. You can continue testing, tweaking and making changes, if needed. If you're not satisfied with your response or sales weren't up to your initial goals, remember, it's only chapter one of the story. Do not be scared of making errors or failures. Learn more from your mistakes than you will from the successes. By doing this, you can turn a good product into a highly successful one.