Lift-Off: 6 Tips For A Successful Product Launch

You’ve done the mind mapping, the user research, the sketching, the prototyping, the sample testing… But before you can breathe a huge sigh of relief, it’s time for the moment of truth: the product launch.

It goes without saying that you’re excited about your new product. But your consumers don’t have the same stake in it. You need to ask yourself, what’s in it for them? Why should they choose your product over competitors’ offerings? 

We’ve worked on our fair share of product launches, so we know a thing or two about star power. Fundamentally, you’ll need a robust, multi-channel approach to stand out from the crowd. Not sure where to start? Read on for our top tips on crafting a stellar marketing strategy.

1. Create audience personas 

Before you determine what your audience stands to gain from your product, you need to establish who they are. Ardath Albee, B2B marketing strategist and all-round content marketing expert, defines audience personas as “a composite sketch of a key segment of your audience.” By making an audience persona at the very beginning, you’ll be able to identify the specific pros and cons of your product and, therefore, how to pitch it.

An audience persona would include a name, career, demographic, hopes and dreams, values and fears, hobbies, and the problem you’re solving for them. You may even need more than one persona – in fact, we recommend drafting between three and five for an accurate representation of your target market. For example:

• Tom – Software developer. Aged 25. Loves the latest gadgets and tech innovations, values cutting-edge features, spends downtime on Reddit and GitHub.
• Steven – Startup founder. Aged 35. Always on the lookout for tools that enhance productivity and scalability, values cost-efficiency and integration capabilities. Spends downtime on LinkedIn and TechCrunch.
• Amelia – Tech reviewer and blogger. Aged 40. Interested in unique, standout products that she can feature on her platforms, values quality and innovation. Active on X and YouTube.

2. Find your audience’s platform

Once you’ve pinpointed who your audience is, your next step is to work out where they are. Luckily, this is pretty easy to do once you’ve already discovered things like their age and hobbies, but you’ll need to ask yourself a couple of questions to narrow down a list of marketing platforms.

Does your audience engage with brands on social media? Or are you more likely to access them via forums, online communities, or industry-specific events? To give you an idea, consider our above personas and their preferred platforms:

• Tom – Engages with brands on Twitter, Reddit, and specialised forums like Stack Overflow.
• Steven – Connects through LinkedIn, Medium, and business-centric podcasts.
• Amelia – Active on YouTube, Twitter, and tech review sites like CNET.

By stepping into the shoes of your target audience like this, you can see what makes them tick and ultimately engage with them in a way that’s both personal and persuasive.

3. Invest in your ad spend 

You know what they say, what you put in is what you get out. And in this sense, your product is no different from, say, a nice holiday. Making the most of it all comes down to budget. From building brand awareness and credibility to increasing sales, a lot can be accomplished by dedicating some of your budget to ad spend. What’s more, by meaningfully targeting your ads, you can reach people more effectively.

In terms of the size of your ad spend, there’s no fixed price for the cost of advertising on a platform. It depends on where your audience is, the format of your ad, and how long you want to run it for. For instance, companies often see great returns from targeted LinkedIn ads or promoted content on industry-specific blogs and websites. Once you begin to see results, you can then go on to boost your budget for one platform while scaling back your spend on another.

4. Make use of industry influencers

Influencer marketing works wonders for a product launch. Consumers value relatability and authenticity, which is something that your business can’t necessarily offer on its own. So, explore your own brand’s channels and those of your competitors to get a read on who your biggest industry influencers (or micro-influencers) are, and then reach out to them.

This might mean partnering with well-known reviewers or influential bloggers. You could offer your product for them to try or a code they can use to promote it where they get paid on a sliding scale. Alternatively, if you don’t have the budget for this, engage with prominent influencers’ posts to boost your account’s visibility.

Another great way to level up your brand’s authenticity is by encouraging user-generated content. You could organise a competition based on consumer testimonials or pictures of them using your product. You don’t need expensive prizes, either – try running a giveaway of your product. By making follows, shares, and likes a competition requirement, you can increase your follower count and visibility too. 

5. Don’t be afraid to be disruptive 

There’s one place you’re guaranteed to find consumers, and that’s at the cutting edge. People like to be the first – it’s why we stuck a flag on the moon and why gamers queue overnight for new console releases. They’re looking for something fresh. So, if your concept’s already been done before, think about how you can spin it differently.

For instance, consider Google’s ‘Switching. It’s not so scary.’ 2023 campaign, bold ads which encouraged users to switch to the Pixel phone from other brands – particularly targeted at Apple users. Ads featured a series of genuine scary scenarios as well as highlighted the fact that plenty of people already use Google products but not the Google phone. It adopted a playful tone, mocking the anxiety of switching devices while highlighting the simplicity of transitioning to Pixel. The takeaway? Don’t be afraid to challenge consumers. You may even manage to steal customers away from competitors who still have stale marketing strategies.

6. Get your friends and family involved

It doesn’t hurt to get your nearest and dearest on board with your product launch. You probably already sought them out for first-hand feedback during the development stage, so make sure they’re shouting about the results. There are plenty of brands out there that already encourage selling to family and friends – consider how startups often rely on early adopters, who are typically close contacts.

One thing that’s important to bear in mind, however – and this ties in nicely with those personas we discussed at the very beginning – is that your target audience trumps all. Put simply, if you’re marketing a state-of-the-art surfboard refined by aerospace technology, people probably won’t buy into Great-Uncle Bernard raving about it on Facebook (unless he’s a regular in the line-up, of course!). 

Looking to launch your new product?

The MYC team has the knowledge and expertise to send your new product skyward. See the difference a strategy makes, and get in touch with us today.