You’re launching a new product online and you’re expecting success. You’re excited and happy. But, unless you’ve done some preliminary planning, you may fail, even though your product is a strong one. Here are five things you must do before you launch.
1. Don’t launch before your messaging is ready
I know you are eager to get the product out there, but if your messaging isn’t clear, your customers won’t buy. Ask yourself whether your website headlines support the product’s main benefits. Does your new product make the process faster or easier? Does it help simplify a complex process? What are you really offering your customer that they don’t have now? If you don’t present the message clearly, they won’t search for it and you’ve missed an opportunity.
2. Don’t launch before you have checked your shopping cart
This sounds simple doesn’t it? I assure you that after working with businesses on the internet for over 12 years, it’s not. It’s probably the single biggest reason products fail. Shopping carts are hard, sometimes impossible to buy from. Make it easy! Not only do you need to make sure the cart process is simple to understand, make sure it WORKS. You know this is a problem because you shop on the internet yourself. Make sure this is perfect before you launch. Hit or miss isn’t good enough.
3. Don’t launch before you’ve planned your advertising and PR
Oops, this one can be very challenging. That doesn’t mean you can skip it. You need to have the basics in place. Are you buying an ad in a newsletter? Are you writing an article to submit to content websites? If your budget is limited, it’s ok to start small, but you can’t ignore this completely or you won’t stand a chance.
4. Don’t launch without explaining to your employees what you are selling
This is important. Don’t assume they will know what you have in mind for the product unless you tell them. They are ambassadors to your customers. If they don’t understand the marketing pitch, they can’t explain it to your customers. Don’t assume they’ll read the materials you hand out. Meet with them and discuss it.
5. Don’t launch without planning to send discounts to current customers
Did you forget your current customers? They need to receive special treatment. They are predisposed to buying from you and they could provide good word of mouth. This entitles them to a discount, or special offer. Send them an email or special newsletter with the offer. Make sure you track the results so see how well your message worked with your current customers.
Stephanie Diamond is a 25+ year marketing professional experienced in building profits for online businesses. As Marketing Director for AOL she created a line of products that generated millions of dollars. She founded Digital Media Works, Inc. DigMediaWorksdotcom a marketing and design firm.
