Everyone knows that when it comes to product launches, Apple is a legend. No one does it better than them. The proof is in the sales. On launch day, the iPad sold 300,000+ WiFi units. The iPhone 4 sold 1.7 million units within three days of launch.
There is something to learn from their launch that maximizes sales. Can you capture a little bit of the Apple magic to kickstart your product launch? Check out which strategies you can employ to make your product launch a roaring success.
Concentrate on People, Not Just the Product
Rarely will you see great product launchers talking only about the product and its various features? Most people do not care about the specifics. The ones who do can easily find the information available either on the product’s website or may have to printed literature. What concerns people is how the product will impact their lives, and that is precisely what the focus of your product launch should be.
To achieve this, it takes a lot of discipline. In all probability, everyone at the company end is excited about the product specs. They are keen to talk about how the product pushes the envelope. And you may think that your customers feel the same way – quite the opposite in fact. Your customers are concerned with their problems and are eager to see how your product fits into their lives.
To capitalize on the marketing angle, talking about product superiority is a no-no. Draw a compelling picture of how the product can transform the lives of your consumers. That is what is going to get them super excited.
Opinion Leaders Can Change the Game
Before you launch the product, get influential opinion leaders to write about your product. You should ideally start a few months before your intended launch date. Fit in a demo that piques customer curiosity. The idea is not to generate talking points about what the product does but speculate about what it might do.
Having a successful product history helps as your customers already have some inclination of what standards and quality of product to expect. Try and work the media in advance. While it may not always get the coverage that you’d hoped for, it will give you a platform to start building credibility and genuineness. The media gets to know and come launch day; they will be there, so you are not starting from point zero.
Ensure That Your Product Has Some Level of Innovation
When you are launching a product, you expect your customers to be active participants. But what is it that is going to pull them towards this? It is not going to be because you may be a million or a billion dollar company or that you a fantastic speaker on stage.
It will be because your product will make the world a slightly better place. With an element of innovation and a way to revolutionize the business is what will get you across the finishing line. Think of something that none of your competitors has thought of. Adopt a position that is imaginative and bold. Make your customers believe that the future with you is a vision to aspire towards.
This is the kind of thing that customers at product launches are inspired by. And remember, the world loves companies and products that set themselves as visionaries. You want the world to chase you and not the other way around.
Consider Taking Pre-Orders
Many tend to overlook this key launch strategy. Most of the consumers who know a brand or follow the brand are company loyalists who will buy anything that comes out of their doors. So why not leverage this brand awareness and loyalty to let them in on the sales process before the product launches. By doing this, you ensure that you sell hundreds and thousands of units on launch day or week.
Make an Event Out of Your Product Launch
Create an event around your product launch, the effects of which should be able to penetrate far and wide. You need to attract your customer’s attention. Whoever chooses to take the center stage, make sure that he or she keeps the audience engrossed.
Ensure that you have ample press to cover the event if you have the budget to accommodate it. If a physical event is not on the cards, then make a lot of noise with an online launch instead. If you make the right noises, the media and your customers are sure to catch on to the trend soon enough. This should ideally reflect in your sales figures.
Surveys are Important
How do you figure that your product launch as achieved what it should have? The sales numbers are one way of calculation success. The other can be about meeting customer expectations.
While the iron is still hot, create a free online survey that you can circulate amongst your customers and launch invitees. A survey maker can get this job done quite quickly. Keep the questions short, relevant, and straightforward. The outcome should be analyzed to understand the positives and negatives of your product launch event.
The bottom line is that every product launch needs to be thought through carefully. Think about the information that you are going to release and pre and post-launch, what you want people to be talking about, etc. You need to launch a product that is going to impress.
