Learning how to launch your product is one of the most exciting, yet equally unnerving prospects for every business owner. This is where we learn how to take off with your digital product with a strong start in the market and acquire a competitive edge over your competitors right away.
How to launch your product?
Even though every marketing strategy like paid advertising, content marketing, social media, email marketing, etc. has its own product launch funnels. But in this post, we’ll be focusing on a holistic discussion on a comprehensive product launch checklist that should help you get started.
How about the idea of launching your product without making a noise? Will anyone notice? Or will anyone ever want to buy it?
Apparently not! It doesn’t matter if you’re one of the best iPhone app development companies making a mobile tool, or doing slight alterations in an existing product, you need to start preparing well before the actual launch date.
Related content: How to create an app when you can’t code
The process includes deciding your positioning, communicating with the key stakeholders and development personnel, organizing all the launch proceedings, creating relevant content and related assets, and asking everyone to get ready for the big day.
As there are a number of factors and considerations to be taken into account, how to launch your product can be a tricky exercise.
Still, we have a step-by-step guide to help your business in terms of preliminary considerations in the app launch checklist.
Share early, and frequently with a small group of users
After your product is completed, it’s not that you launch it in the market right away. But testing its usability and feasibility with a small group of users is important.
The idea is to acquire valuable feedback and make according iterations to make the product better. Remember, this process could take weeks, or even months, before the actual launch.
If you’re selling a B2B product, a group of 20 to 30 users will be sufficient to test your product. In doing so, you’re accruing valuable feedback on the product’s performance, audience’s perception, and suggestions for improvement.
Apparently, your group might consist of your teammates, friends, or business acquaintances. Moreover, if you wish to acquire a more neutral feedback, you can also use the Product Hint Ship tool that enables you to develop custom landing pages and create an audience base associated with product-based users only.
At times, developers or business owners give away the product for free, as they think that the early version isn’t entirely functional yet.
However, building an MVP is beneficial here, where you can see the people who are willing to not only use, but also pay for the tool. In doing so, you’re obtaining a more useful insights.
The entire purpose of getting valuable feedback is to prepare yourself about what you can expect when your product eventually hits the market.
Ask for not only product, but also marketing feedback
Apparently, feedback is the most important thing you acquire from any prelaunch event.
Besides the details surrounding the product bugs and UX-based issues, there is so much more you can get out of your audience. For instance:
- What language does your customers use to voice their experiences?
- What are their needs?
- At what point do they get the actual value from the product?
The sort of answers you get from these questions entails some valuable information right from the customers’ minds. In other words, you have an idea on how the customer walks, talks, and thinks about your product and his/her needs.
You can also use the information to tweak your landing pages and social media content. As a product developer or after sales specialist, ask your marketing personnel to dig deep into such kind of customer insights that could be embedded for further improvements.
Try to prove you’re wrong, and not right!
As a business owner, it is never right to put your ego in front of the priorities set for the business.
When selecting the test users, it might be easily convincing to choose your preferred people who you know will like your product. As blunt as it is, it’s better to seek raw, honest feedback from a neutral mindset.
Here are the questions you need to ask for your point.
Did you test your product with a group who were most likely to like it?
If you’re happy to test your product with a group of people or companies who are more likely to give it a “green signal”, then you’re falling under false traction. Seemingly, they’ll try and provide feedback to your product, but not necessarily buy.
Were you biased when pitching to your prospective audience?
Business owners or product developers are passionate folks, mostly carrying enough convincing power to tempt users with their presentations. Still, your product needs to carry enough prominence to stand on its own without you in the room.
If you’re only influencing people without providing them any real value, there is a danger of creating a distortion field in which you’re plunging your own product for doom.
Were you asking the right questions?
When talking to your target audience, go beyond the typical “did you like it inquiries”. Ask them if they’re using the product every day, are they acquiring the value promised, and how much they are willing to pay for the value.
Making customers happy isn’t sufficient, but making them successful is the real deal. Be confident enough to dig deep and obtain honest, blunt insights, no matter how bad or good it is.
Prior to launching your digital product, you need to be 100% sure of the value you’re creating for your audience.
This is why you should strive to prove yourself wrong rather than right, wherever possible. In doing so, you’re stuffing your analyses pool with as much valuable data as possible that will come handy for future use.
Remember, if your product fails to stand up to its claim in any way possible, it’s not ready for launch.
Final thoughts!
This concludes the 1st part of our series on how to launch your product.
Discussing the preliminary requirements and preparations to make, try to provide your product early to a small group of users, ask for product as well as marketing feedback, and aggressively try to prove yourself wrong, rather than right.
In the 2nd part, we’ll be talking more about the further steps related to keeping your guides, mentors and related stakeholders in the loop; what to do when in doubt; and what platform to pick to launch your product.
Imran Abdul Rauf is a Digital Marketing Strategist, employed at CMOLDS, and specializes in content marketing, email marketing campaigns, lead generation, and other aspects of digital marketing. A content enthusiast by the day, and hardcore gamer by night, Imran is also a regular guest contributor at some of the top tech and digital marketing platforms.
