Three (FREE) Powerful Tools to Implement When You Launch
I recently launched my Fall product line and it was the most successful launch I’ve ever had. I don’t say this to toot my horn AT ALL. I don’t want you to read that or feel threatened by it or discouraged by your launch. I say it as a reminder that whatever goal you’re chasing, it is possible. It just takes time. And effort. This successful launch was a result of failed launches, learning about my audience, and spending a lot of time creating and crafting my products.
I know that you might be reading this and can’t afford to hire an expensive coach to help you through your next launch or pay for an advertising agency, so I want to tell you about three FREE things you can do that will help you have successful launches. These three things can be done over and over again with every launch.
Three FREE Powerful Launching Tools:
Talk about it too much: I tell this to ALL my clients. You want to feel like you are annoying your audience with how much you talk about your upcoming product launch. You want to talk about it every single day and show sneak peeks. You want to remind people of the date it’s coming and how excited you are. You want people to wake up on your launch day and the first thing they think about is YOU.
This doesn’t happen overnight and you have to learn how to do this better with every launch, but it works. I promise. Humans don’t like to miss out on anything that’s important or cool. So, it’s your job to make your launch feel like a sublime experience that they do not want to miss out on!
I like to share about a new product launch at least a month in advance. I give a date for the launch and show behind the scenes sneak peeks the month leading up to the launch. If I order new packaging slips, I like to show those. If I have packages arrive on the doorstep, I show my audience that new products have arrived. I make them feel a part of the ENTIRE narrative of my launch. This makes them more likely to shop the products when the launch day actually rolls around.
2. Train your audience: You have the responsibility and privilege to teach your audience what to expect from you. So often I hear small business complaining about things that aren’t happening in their business. And I ask them: “have you trained your audience to do what you’re expecting from them?” Most of the time, the answer is “no.” Just like we “train” dogs or babies to do something, you have to do the same for your audience. In a way, you have to reward them for their behavior. I know that seems silly, or even weird, but it works. You can’t expect a certain behavior from your audience if you haven’t taken the time to train them to do it differently. It might take a few launches, but your audience will learn what to do and how to act quickly.
I have a very specific launch day strategy and sale, and my audience knows they have to set an alarm to make sure they get what they want. It took two launches to teach them this. But they know. And now I have incredibly fast-selling products. I’ve trained my audience, and you can too.
3. Be willing to start over: I know this seems a little silly, but I believe that the biggest reason I’ve had the most success with my products recently is because for one FINAL design I created, there were 3 or 4 that were thrown out. I didn’t really used to do this before. I was in such a hurry to get the design finished, that I didn’t take time to make it perfect. If it was “good enough”, then I made it final. Not anymore. Now that I start planning my launches months in advance, I have time to perfect my designs and make sure they are the best they can be.
This means that I start over and over again. I throw out designs that are pretty because I know they can be better. This takes more time, but it will make you better at your craft--whether it be coaching or photography education or a physical product. Starting over is not failure. It’s acknowledging that there is greatness within you and you are pushing yourself to discover it.
These three “tools” are some of the most valuable things you can do to build a sustainable and lasting launching strategy AND business. They work together to build a tribe and audience that knows, likes, and trusts you. And that’s one of the most important things you can do as a small business owner.