How do you launch a product on social media, you ask.
Well, a better question might be how do you not use social media to launch a product? Social media has become so engrained in society and the subsequently marketing that it’s hard to imagine not using it to launch a product.
Clearly it’s easy to do, but a little harder to do right. So here’s how you do it the right way.
Step 1: Be a tease
You know far in advance that you’re going to launch a product, so why wait until it’s launched to tell people about it? That doesn’t make any sense.
Create a teaser campaign in the run-up to your launch day and, by all means, be as creative as possible. Post photos that don’t reveal the product but rather allude to it. Blur the photo or take an extreme close-up shot. You’ll have people staring at your photo trying to figure it out what it is, and maybe even making guesses in the comments or sharing with their friends for help (read: audience engagement.)
Step 2: A chance to be “in the know”
Maybe it’s fallout from our days in high school, but everyone wants to be part of the “in crowd.” They also want to know what’s happening before everyone else does. So, give them an opportunity for both!
Invite people to join an email list for exclusive details about what’s coming. These people, if all goes to plan, will be the ones leading the way on getting the word out about your product when you do finally launch it.
Step 3: Use the tools in front of you
Sometimes we forget to look past the obvious options to post or tweet, etc. There are many more ways to get your message out on social media than that. Change your cover photo to an image that promotes the impending launch. Change your Twitter background. Put a banner ad on your blog. Splash the message everywhere you can (that doesn’t look tacky, of course).
Make it hard to miss that you’re about to launch a product. And, by all means, don’t forget to add the images to your homepage while you’re at it.
Step 4: Follow through
So, once you’ve made your launch and finally revealed your new awesomeness, go back to those fans you cultivated early on. Presumably, you’ve given them really cool behind-the-scenes access to your launch and now they think your new product is awesome. So, funnel their enthusiasm by asking them to share the news of your new product with others.
Most people will listen to their friends long before they’ll listen to a marketing guy.
A final word
These are just a few of the things you can do to pull off a successful product launch using social media. When you sit down to make plans for your own product launch, think about who your product would attract and how to get their attention. You should always know who you’re talking to before you start talking.
