How do you create a marketing plan to promote your brand's new service (Checklist) |
The strategy you choose for your marketing can be what the difference is between great sales and a disappointing launch. Create a marketing plan for your product launch with this list.
One wise man once stated, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
When it comes to launching an innovative digital product we couldn't agree more.
For help in setting yourself to be successful, we put together a six-point checklist for building your marketing strategy. Follow these steps to create your own marketing strategy that you can use for every new product release.
Product launch marketing plan checklist
You can download a PDF version of the checklist here .
First, set expectations for your launch
It is possible to have the largest marketing budget and the fanciest devices, but until you establish goals your plan for marketing will be like a boat that has no rudder, i.e. directionless.
Marketers tend to have a bad habit of setting broad objectives. We say things like "make greater revenue" and "drive engagement" but we don't really think about the way to achieve those goals as in actual practice.
What is the reason we do this? One reason is that it's not easy to establish global marketing goals, or even ways to gauge performance. Every artist has their own set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) depending on their objectives.
Setting goals that are specific to your business, brand as well as your product may aid in deciding what metrics to keep track of prior to the launch.
As an example, if you are trying to gather the sign-ups to your pre-launch for your brand new online class, you could monitor the amount of website visitors who sign up for your pre-launch email updates.
In contrast If your aim is to attract new customers via social media ads, you would track how many people click on your Facebook ads, and the percentage of visitors then purchase your product.
To set the right objectives for your business plan The Goal framework SMART.
By using the SMART goal framework, you set your goals so that they meet five criteria:
Particular: Set detailed goals that narrow in on specific areas of your enterprise.
Measurable: Make sure that you can quantify your goal and track the progress you make.
Achievable:It's fun to dream about the future, but goals that seem impossible are often a source of discouragement. Be sure to make your goals ambitious and achievable.
Related: Check that your goal aligns with your company's values, branding, and overall business goals.
Timing-boundGive yourself a realistic date to meet your goals. Deadlines hold us accountable and give us a timeline to work towards.
It could be: "By adding a pre-launch landing page on my site I'll collect 100 pre-launch email signups before launch day the month following."
If you have specific goals to consider, a realistic goal, and an action plan for achieving it then you are up for a successful launch. What that action plan looks as will depend on a range of elements, including your target audience.
Step 2: Define your target audience
The answer is as valuable when planning for the introduction of a brand new product.
This is why you shouldn't promote your product effectively if you don't know who you're marketing to.
Your target audience is the prospective customers you plan to sell your services or products to. To ensure that your marketing is most effective it is essential to be aware of your potential customers as people, not just demographics.
This is where buyer personas step into.
Content marketing consultant Amy Wright explains : "Buyer personas describe who your ideal customers are who they are, what their lives look similar to, what challenges they confront, and the way they come to their decisions."
A buyer persona might look similar to this image of one of Spotify's target customers:
Look at forums, communities on the internet, and reviews for products in your area of expertise. Consider:
What do my potential clients talking about on the internet?
What are the challenges they have to face?
What are their intentions?
What are they looking for?
Which language are they using?
If you understand the way your customer speaks and thinks, you will be able to better present the reason why your latest product is a great fit for your audience.
Your customers wants to share their feedback and ideas with you. 60% of consumers are looking for brands to engage with them. 90percent of customers have a more favorable opinion of companies that ask them for feedback.
When you create discussions in your community of brands You can create connections and bond over shared values. You will get to know your customers more intimately, which can help in creating marketing content that resonates with them.
One great example of learning about your customers is directly from Tiffany Williams, founder of Rich Girl Collective .
( allows creators such as Tiffany to establish brand communities, communicate to their fans and even sell digital goods through one single platform. Try it out for yourself with a free 14 day trial. )
Overall, the better you get to know your audience's needs, the more you can customize your marketing strategy to meet their needs and show them the ways your product will assist them in achieving their goals. It's important to know this information in this next step.
Step 3: Establish your unique selling proposition (USP)
When you have a complete understanding of your target audience's pain points requirements, goals, and needs, you can identify your own unique selling proposition (USP).
Begin with what you wish to provide your customers, then move in reverse to figure out what your product does to achieve that outcome. It's your USP.
Your USP, also called your value proposition , answers two questions:
What problem does my product will solve for my clients?
What is it that differentiates my offering in comparison to my competition?
When you identify your USP by stating that your product will help your audience meet their goals or overcome a real obstacle. And that's a key piece of launching a product successfully. 35% of startups are unsuccessful due to a lack of need for their products or products or.
In other words, there's no fit between your product and market. Your product-market fit refers to what you can do to ensure that your product will meet demands of the customer. Your USP determines the product-market fit, and describes what makes you apart from the competition and entices potential buyers to decide to choose the company.
If you're unsure of what makes your product stand in the market, do some market research to learn more about your competition.
Do you have any issues that your competitors don't address? What does your product do different? Your course may be unique with more visual lessons than other courses on similar topics Perhaps your expertise provides you with a new view of other artists in your niche.
Your USP also helps you figure out how you can market your product.
Consider Death Wish Coffee as an example. Many coffee companies highlight characteristics like smoothness or flavor, but Death Wish takes a unique method of describing "the world's strongest coffee".
Death Wish knows that their ideal customer wants extra-strong and a kick in the pants coffee. Therefore, their advertising messages highlight this distinct feature. Their USP may not be appealing to all coffee lovers However, they highlight why they are unique and is relevant to the market they are targeting.
In the end, if you know what makes your product special, you can highlight that in your advertising. Make use of the same language the people you are targeting use in discussing their issues points. Your message will be a hit with the appropriate customers.
You're nearly ready to share your message across the globe However take a look to ensure you're able to do so without costing you a fortune.
Step 4: Determine your marketing budget
If you're a designer, you probably don't have the budget to hire an outside sales force or in-house marketing personnel which is fine. You must figure out the amount you could afford to spend on marketing before you start running advertisements or commissioning design.
The good news is that you don't need an investment of six figures to execute a successful strategy. Actually, more than one-third of small companies are spending less than $30,000 on marketing each year.
As you figure out your budget, you might be able to delegate money to expenses like
Tools and software to make contents, connect to your target audience and oversee campaigns.
Freelancers include writers, graphic artists, video editors, as well as web designers.
Paid ads, for example sponsored content, paid search ads, as well as social media advertisements. (We'll talk more about social media ads that are paid in the next section.)
If you've got your budget now you're able to take the next step five and pick the most appropriate marketing platform for your product launch.
Step 5: Choose your marketing channels
Different approaches appeal to different types of audiences Not every approach can be used by every designer, budget, or product.
Plus, there are more online marketing channels available than individual creator can tackle on their own, so it's crucial to choose the right ones for you as well as your clients.
Here are some of the most popular channels to think about including in your marketing plan.
Email marketing
It is essential to include email marketing for any strategy of digital marketing. It is estimated that over four billion people use email each year. They will send around 320 billion emails per day.
Marketers and customers alike love customers and marketers alike love email. 73% of customers rate email as the most effective channel to send marketing messages, and 59% of marketers have cited emails as their primary source of return on investment in the year 2018.
Email is also a reasonable choice for small companies with a tight marketing budget. It costs around $42 for every $1 spent , email has one of the best returns on investment (ROI) that any marketing channel.
These are some helpful resources to assist you in growing your email lists, pick an email service, and make the most of your email marketing:
Marketing via social media
Marketing on social media is most effective when you combine organic and paid initiatives. The organic approach to social media marketing lets you engage with your community and potential customers, while paid advertisements on social networks help you gain the attention of your customers.
In order to generate buzz about your product launch, Twitter is a solid choice. For example, marketer and designer John D Saunders used a YouTube video Twitter to announce an online course that was launched:
John's YouTube video was a way to let the audience understand what to expect from the course and saw high engagement by retweeting 30+ times and more than 200 likes.
For paid social the ultra-specific targeting tools will enable you to connect with the appropriate people more quickly than organic will. More than 60 percent of marketers affirm that advertisements on social media have proved at least somewhat successful for their business.
Facebook advertisements are a low-cost alternative for small companies and solopreneurs looking to promote their newest products placed in front of a bigger public. As an example, business trainer Melyssa Griffin made use of this video advertisement to advertise her Pinterest workshop for bloggers.
When the correct audience segmentation put in place, Facebook ads like Melyssa's convert into digital product revenue for creators.
Below are some other sources to assist you in mastering social media marketing
Content marketing
Content marketing is 62% cheaper and can generate greater than three times as many leads than traditional marketing. It's an economical way to reach your audience build your reputation, increase your experience, and establish relationships with potential clients.
The ideal readers will find your blog content through search engines or other channels for distribution.
Your articles help them learn and then begin to trust your expertise.
You can sign them up for your email newsletter or join you on social media.
They are kept informed of the launch of your product.
They're eager to purchase your latest product, help your business, and will continue to learn from you.
The key here is to write blog articles that provide real value, not just longform product ad copy.
Make sure to write your blog content in a way that is search engine optimized (SEO) with SEO in mind. SEO allows your target audience to find you when searching for appropriate keywords and phrases. That's why more than 64% of marketers spend time on SEO.
Below are a few resources that can assist you in establishing SEO and Content Marketing:
Website and landing pages
Imagine this: your launch marketing strategy is going as planned.
Visitors are flooding to your website, ready to find out more about your products and sign up to receive pre-launch updates, and eventually decide to purchase. Now, you need your landing page to help all the hard work be worth it.
Validating your product ideas.
Building your email list in the lead up the launch of your product.
On your pre-launch landing page Include a brief description of the new product and tell visitors why they should sign up to learn more and get alerted when the product is launched.
Have a look at Nicole Saidy's descriptions of products for her online course, Become a UI/UX Designer .
Nicole knows that the transition to user experience design can be overwhelming. However, she's here for help. She helps her audience decide if the solution will be beneficial for them, through direct communication with their issues.
Here are some additional tips for designing landing and product pages that generate sales
Once you've selected your marketing channels it's easy to think that you've finished your checklist. There's an additional process to ensure you get the most of your product launch marketing and set your self up for success- now and for many product launches to come.
Step 6: Keep track of your results and keep iterating
Our sixth and final step, tracking your results and iterating on your marketing, is more of an ongoing process than a checklist task.
During and after your launch, reevaluate the objectives you defined at the beginning of step. If you're not meeting your goals, you have the chance to gain knowledge and make changes for next time or even refresh your marketing strategies.
Let's take an example. For instance, suppose your email marketing campaigns haven't been as successful than you'd like. The click-through and open rates aren't as high as you'd prefer, but you still have time to make changes prior to the day of launch. Perhaps it's time to run some A/B tests .
Testing A/B (or split-testing) involves changing different elements of your emails one at a time, then observing how the changes impact the performance of your email.
If you were testing A/B various subject lines such as your clients get the same email with the exception of the subject line. By comparing the two opening rates you will discern which subject line does better and then apply the information to improve future email campaigns.
Remember that trying new things and being willing to make and make mistakes can help in your development as a designer.
You may discover that a certain marketing channel isn't the right fit for your business or audience. That's valuable information to bring to the next phase of your product launch plan.
"Experiment! It's challenging to figure out how to market online, and each group of possible clients is different. Therefore, you'll need to test to discover what's working (and which ones aren't). With everything you do take note, analyze, and then modify your techniques to improve them. There's no one magic bullet here!"
"To succeed in business, you have to be comfortable with managing a business that isn't successful, because most of the time the success will come later."
Within the Startup Curve , invented by Y Combinator founder Paul Graham Failure is an ordinary phase that happens right before your business starts heading upward toward scaling and growth.
Bottom line:
Don't be afraid to experiment on your marketing strategies to determine which strategy is most effective for you as a brand, your product, and your audience. With your goals in mind, and some patience, you'll be well on the way to establishing the most effective launch plan that you can use for several product launches that are to come.
Create a plan of attack for launch day success
It's been a long process to develop something that your customers will enjoy. A well-crafted marketing strategy will make all the efforts pay off when it comes to time for the launch.
To recap, here are the steps you need to take in creating an effective marketing strategy to launch your new product:
Create SMART goals for your product launch. Find out the meaning of a successful launch for you and the metrics you'll track.
Define your target audience and then get them to understand the people they are rather than just demographics. Conduct customer research and talk with them in order to find out about their issues and goals.
Establish your unique selling proposition (USP). What makes your product an ideal choice to your target customer? How can you differentiate yourself from the competition?
Determine your marketing budget. You don't need to spend an amount of money to make a marketing strategy that boosts sales.
Select your channels for marketing. Email marketing is a must-have, but there are many other options that you can choose from. Determine which platforms are compatible with your target audience and objectives.
Keep track of your progress and continue practicing your marketing plan. The more you know about your customers to better understand them, the more effective your next product launch marketing strategy will be.
Be aware that you may not succeed 100% at first, but that's okay. You may need to go through some trial and error but once you figure out the best way to serve your business and customers and your product, you'll soon be a marketer with launch day sales to show it.