In our business, we are part of product launch teams all the time. Well planned launches tend to meet expectations while poorly planned launches struggle to gain traction.
In this post, we are not talking about the customer-facing activities that can make or break a new product launch. We are focusing on what goes on internally, behind the scenes, that can sabotage even the best launch.
Our clients ask this question all the time.
You have a new product in development. Sales is chomping at the bit…marketing is preparing for the launch…and the executive team wants to talk about the product to anyone and everyone.
When is the right time to begin publicly talk about a new product?
Storytelling plays a huge role in establishing disruptive technology as a market force. Good storytelling is important when introducing a complex and disruptive offering in the marketplace whose value is not well understood. But storytelling is only the beginning. It takes a village to launch and drive adoption.
Launching a new product is both exciting and risky. Getting it right is no easy feat and there is no such thing as a marketing silver bullet when it comes to launching a product. Launching a product is a process, not a single event. It is 90 to 120 days of sequenced activities that lead up to building momentum and awareness in the market. Here are nine tips to make sure your launch does not crash and burn.
Successful launches boil down to one principle: Planning.
It is that time of year again when companies are preparing for product launches in the New Year. There are a number of things that could go wrong that could make your launch crash and burn.
Let’s take a closer look.
There has been quite a bit written about product launches. Getting “ink” might be easy but rising above the noise and getting attention is much harder these days. Today, it takes more creativity and more effort to successfully launch a product.
Launching a product is a process, not a single event. There are many signs along the way that indicate growing interest. The most obvious sign that your launch was successful is that orders for your new product are pouring in and you are hiring more sales people to keep up with the demand. How do you know that the new product introduction is generating that “surround sound” effect needed to generate buzz and momentum for your company?
The primary purpose of a new product launch is to generate awareness and leads for your products and services. We have found that many executives are not aware of how complex a product launch is to be successful. In many cases, they beleive that putting out a press release will just do the trick. Companies that do just that soon realize their mistake becasue the phones are not ringing off the hook and the sales funnel is slow to fill up.
Sounds dramatic. But it is true.
You can tell quite a bit about a company when you analyze their communications program. You can see where it has been, what it is doing today, and where it is going in the future just by taking a close look at their program.
