Too many new businesses make a big mistake when it comes to marketing. They wait until their product or service is already launched to really get started.
Think instead about how Apple does it. They build as much buzz and publicity as possible for months or more leading up to the release of a new product, and it obviously works.
Marketing and buzz-building strategies need to happen well before you’re ready for launch, and the following are some tips to make it happen.
Create An Explainer Video
Explainer videos are a great all-around marketing too, particularly for new businesses. With an explainer video, you can let your targeted audience know what your product is and how it can potentially benefit them.
Explainer videos are short, simple and to-the-point, and they’re an ideal way to explain even complex concepts.
You can include your video on your homepage or your social media profiles well before you launch so that people are ready and waiting once you do.
Focus on People
This was touched on a bit above with explainer videos, but it’s a concept worth detailing on its own. You want to be selling people on what your product will bring to their lives and how it will solve real problems they have.
You don’t want your pre-launch marketing to be all about your product and your company.
It has to be about your company within the framework of your targeted customer’s life. One way to accomplish this is to make sure you’re focusing on benefits with all of your marketing, rather than features. Your audience doesn’t care about features. They care about the benefit and value what you’re selling will offer them.
Paint a clear picture of how your product will improve their lives when you’re marketing.
Get the Right Influencers Talking
One of the top spots to look when you’re in the pre-launch phase of marketing is to influencers, such as bloggers, journalists, people with big followings on social media, and experts in your industry.
You want to reach out to these people not only in hopes they’ll share your product and promote it, but you should also ask them for their feedback.
Pre-launch is a great time to ask these people their opinions about how you should be marketing later on down the road and get their suggestions.
You want to engage with influencers early and often. If you start this early enough you can even get their feedback on the actual product or service, along with your marketing strategy.
Create Some Suspense
Finally, have some fun with pre-launch buzz. This is a good time to get creative, and you can work on building a little mystery and suspense or making things seem very time-sensitive. You can offer small sneak peaks over time in exchange for email addresses, or create a series of teaser videos. You can also start a social media countdown to the release of your product or service.
Just don’t be afraid to have fun but also be serious about your marketing strategy as early as possible.