Innovators around the world will always believe that they have the next big thing in terms of life changing products – and so should they. Belief and passion in new technologies are what drives progress and such energy should be embraced.
Unfortunately, even the most brilliant of inventive minds may not be the most brilliant of business minds, and guidance in this area may be the difference between success and failure. The following checklist is designed to place a framework around building up to launching a product to market. It is not a definitive guide, but designed to start an innovator thinking towards the steps they need to integrate into a launch.
1 – ALWAYS CARRY OUT A ‘SOFT’ LAUNCH FIRST
When developing a new product you will go through several versions of a product before you even contemplate bringing it to market. A beta version will ensure that you have the right configurations in place, that the bespoke battery packs deploy the correct amount of energy, that the design is ergonomic and fit for purpose. A ‘soft launch’ is an extension of this beta version, and is designed to ensure that all the parts of moving and working as they should, that processes are smooth and seamless, and that all links and connections are functioning as required.
To carry out a soft launch, set everything up as you intend to for the main launch, but faction down the target audience to a select number.
2 – DRILL DOWN INTO YOUR TARGET MARKET
In any marketing drive it is imperative to know and understand what your ROI Return on Investment is going to be – and a key way of improving ROI rates is by really drilling down and understanding your target market. While it is tempting to approach with a wider perspective on your target markets, to capture as many potential engaged views as possible, this scatter gum approach can work out to be counter intuitive.
Instead, drill down into the exact person or business who could benefit from your product, map out their lifestyle, their likes and dislikes, their profession, their education status, what books they read, what TV programmes they watch – create an entire avatar around your ideal customer as though they are a real person. Social media advertising today is so intuitive that you will be able to create marketing campaigns so specific that your ROI will go through the roof.
3 – DO YOUR KEYWORD RESEARCH
Has your approach to keywords to date been based on guestimates and surmising? Keyword search is a skillset that you need to develop and hone (or pay a professional to do it for you!). Investigate what keywords your competitors are ranking for – these are probably highly competitive but you can find alternatives that you can adopt for your own ascendancy up the rankings. Make sure that your online presence is optimised, and create a strategy for improving your domain rating through a quality SEO strategy.
4 – CONSTRUCT THE STORY AROUND YOUR PRODUCT
Branding is not just about a pretty logo in your favourite colours. Branding is about selling a story. It takes your ideal customer on a journey, it harnesses emotions, it carries them from one place to a better place, it establishes their position and role in the community, it speaks to their dreams and aspirations, it responds to their values.
5 – HAVE USER TESTIMONIALS
Through beta testing build up a good stock of customer testimonials and user stories who illustrate what your product and brand are all about. Make sure they are representative of their demographic you are targeting, that they speak the same language, use the same vocabulary, adopt the same trends. The more relatable your case studies, the more potential customers place themselves in the position of using your product – the more likely they will not just buy from you but will become raving fans and tell all their social media followers to buy too!
