I’ve been the steady hand guiding my clients through stressful launches for years. Needless to say, I’ve seen a thing or two. And while most people love to label launches as difficult, expensive and headache-producing, they can actually be a fun and dare I say exciting process — if you plan it well and approach it strategically.
Simple and costly mistakes are common, but you don’t have to fall victim to them. Below are eight common product launch mistakes I see the most and how to avoid them.
Improper Planning
One of the most essential steps of a product launch is the planning phase. Yet so many people don’t take the necessary time to do it.
At the beginning of your launch, map out the whole process, including a content calendar that lays out every task along the way. Do this before diving into any other product launch activities.
Setting The Launch Date Too Soon
Of course, you’re excited and you want to launch ASAP — but it’s important to be realistic.
Set your launch date no sooner than 3 months out. Once you get started, you’ll understand why. There is a great deal to do and launching prematurely can end in disaster.
Wasting Time On People Who Won’t Buy
How well do you know your customers? If you’re still strangers with your ideal buyer, then you risk casting the net too wide and wasting time marketing to people who won’t buy.
Instead, create a detailed customer profile and make sure you’re targeting just the right people who want and need your product.
Focusing Only On Features
Your product is like your baby. So naturally, you feel that it has the best features and you want everyone to know. While it’s good to discuss the features included in your product, make sure you also emphasize the benefits.
People are enticed by how their lives will be improved and their problems solved by your product. Cultivate the image of a better life using your product because THAT is what will sell.
Spending A Fortune On Ads
Things add up quickly when you’re running advertisements. Do it all without spending a dime by taking advantage of content marketing.
Create content that helps your audience and post this for free around the web. This will draw them in and then they’ll check out your website to see what you have to offer.
Working On Assumptions
You may think you know your audience well, but don’t base your decisions on assumptions alone. Obtain real objective data about your customers through metrics and feedback, and base your decisions on this.
Doing It All Alone
You don’t have to do your product launch all alone. Enlist people who can help and handle the tasks you don’t feel as confident undertaking. Leverage their unique skills. Hire a virtual assistant to help with regular routine tasks.
What you pay in employing others will save you a great deal of time.
Failure To Track Results
You may feel like your launch went well, but you need to monitor and get feedback to know for sure. Choose a few key metrics to measure your goals and evaluate these to see how it went. Reach out to your customers for feedback after purchase and see if there are any changes they’d like to see you make.
Each product launch offers lessons to learn. While you may avoid these mistakes on your first launch, there are still others you could make.
Try not to look at mistakes as things that went wrong but instead as learning opportunities for what to do next. Trust me, after a few launches, you’ll be a total pro.
Do you want to learn more about what motivates your customer to buy? Check out my Market Research Mastery System, which teaches you the A to Z of target market research and how to use it to price your products.
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