Business Tip

"Follow 5 Steps to a Powerful Product Launch"

By Ali Brown, WomenEntrepreneur

Often when I hear about a six-figure online product or program launch, there's the impression that the creator spent months holed up in a basement preparing for the big day, skipping social events and subsisting on takeout meals. That's not my kind of product launch. In the past seven years, I've created a simple model that can be easily duplicated and doesn't require months of painstaking preparation.

In fact, my best-selling online product launch last year brought in more than $600,000 in sales in the first week alone. My secret? Building up demand by communicating with my customers using low-cost to no-cost tools, such as a website, e-mail newsletter, social media, blog and group call or teleseminar. Follow these five steps to ensure a successful online product or program launch:

1. Design your website well. Your website is the foundation for all of your marketing. All marketing material should drive customers back to your website, where they can find information about your product, testimonials from people who have used your other products and a link to purchase your product. You should work with a designer who understands both sales and graphic design because you want your website to look professional but also to be simple and easily navigable. Too much content can cause your website to take a long time to load--time enough for your impatient customers to decide to do something else.

2. E-mail your customers. Once your website is complete, it's time to let customers know about your new product. Remember, people today are highly attuned to spam and unwanted solicitations, so your e-mails should always lead with useful content. The sale or offer should be secondary. For example, if you're a professional organizer, use your e-mail as an opportunity to give your customers a few tips about spring cleaning--then let them know that your new product expands upon this useful topic. When writing your e-mail copy, use colloquial language and talk to your customers with respect, avoiding excessive exclamation points or "sales speak." Last, be sure to give them a deadline. When I launch a product, I usually offer it at a generously discounted price for two weeks, emphasizing the date that the sale ends in all of my marketing communications. Be sure to remind your customers two to three times before your sale ends. Often, you will get the most sales the day before or the day of the deadline.

3. Harness the power of social media. Not only are social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter free, they are also among the best tools for selling without being salesy. Your primary goal on sites like Facebook or Twitter is to provide useful tips and to start discussions about common problems or issues that your product can solve--usually without literally saying so. You can and should link to your website in your tweets or Facebook status updates, but be careful about how often you sell directly. A good rule of thumb is 25 percent sales and 75 percent conversation or useful content. Once you generate excitement about your topic, your customers will welcome your offer or sale.

4. Blog about it. Your blog should be a mix of content-rich articles, links to pertinent news about your industry, and information about your products and services. You can even intersperse your blog posts with entertaining bits about your personal life. For example, I love to throw in the occasional blog post about my mom's cat, Bert. Remember, customers will buy from people they know, like and trust.

5. Host a group call. Group calls, or "teleseminars," are a great way to introduce a new product or program while providing valuable content to busy customers. Many of my customers are moms, so they love teleseminars because they can listen to a call while driving their kids to school or making dinner. Be sure to create an exciting topic for your teleseminar. Tell your customers why they need to know more about this topic, then give them the URL for your website and let them know when your sale will end.

Remember, multiple "touches" are key. Most customers will not take action to buy after one message but only after several--some experts say seven to nine.