Organizing a Successful New Product Launch

You've spent years perfecting your product, and you're ready to reveal it to the world.

Want to make a great impression, build your brand reputation, and grow your bottom line? A successful new product launch hinges on strategic planning.

You can't exactly debut your new item without any fanfare and expect clients to find it on their own. Even the most high-profile companies invest heavily in hyping up their new promotions!

Today, we're sharing a step-by-step guide to help your next launch go off without a hitch. Along the way, we'll share how our products can help you achieve the visibility, organization and brand buzz you need to start off on the right foot.

Ready to learn more? Let's get started.

Why Work on a Product Launch?

Your product is incredible. It should speak for itself, right?

Not quite.

Expecting everyone to find your product, buy it, and talk about it to others while your brand stays silent isn't an ideal approach. With so many resources and technologies at your fingertips today, it's smart to get the word out first.

From a simple press release to a lavish party, there are many ways you could choose to launch your new offering. Regardless of the method you choose, there are myriad benefits to this step. A product launch can help you:

• Gain attention for your company
• Drive traffic to your website and social media channels
• Build a solid company reputation
• Establish consumer trust
• Create new business relationships

Especially if you're a startup or small business, it can feel overwhelming to pour money into a product launch. Yet, the long-term results defined above make this step more than worth it.

Steps to a Successful Launch

The key to a great product launch is organization. As you get further into the campaign, you'll have many elements floating around and staying organized can help you make sense of it all and still come out on top.

Before you dive into planning your event, go ahead and buy silicone wristbands for everyone on your planning team. This way, you know which people are working on the details so you always know who to ask for help or go to with ideas.

Got your crew covered? Great! Now, let's take a look at the steps to take when you're ready to roll out your next best-seller.

1. Find Your Venue

First, you'll need to find the perfect venue. While it can be tempting to go all out and book the most lavish event centre in town, don't be afraid to get a little creative here. After all, you want the venue to complement your new product, but you don't necessarily want it to outshine it.

Consider how many people you plan to invite and roughly how much space you'll need. Then, look for an awesome local spot that will create the ideal attendee experience.

Are you launching a tech product? Look into modern coworking spaces. Open-concept and sleek, these often feature top-notch architectural details and plenty of floor space. Showcasing your new cupcake stand? Book a back room at the best bakery in town and give guests something sweet to look forward to.

In other words, let the product itself provide you with plenty of venue inspiration. One rule of thumb? Keep it close by, especially if you cater to a local demographic. Don't expect guests to drive an hour out of the way just because there's a venue two cities over that's all the rage.

2. Create a Theme

The idea behind a product launch is to give your guests the opportunity to see your new product up close. They should be able to touch it, play with it and learn more about it, right from the creators themselves.

Yet, you can't exactly put it on a table and call it a day. You need to put it on display in a way that encourages exploration and generates excitement. After all, you want these attendees to actually buy your product once it hits the shelves! The more they know about it, the more they can talk it up and become the advocates you need to help generate sales.

This is where an event theme comes in!

Think about your product, and discuss ways to create an entire event around it.

Debuting a new form of marketing software? Make the theme online advertising! Provide SEO breakout sessions, pass out postcards with social media marketing tips, and serve tech-themed drinks to round out the evening!

3. Bring in Entertainment

You don't exactly need to hire a mime or book a magician. Still, you don't want people leaving after an hour because your product launch party fell flat.

While the goal of your event is to inform and educate, it never hurts to entertain a little, too. When you're planning the details and setting your budget, consider any way you can inject a little fun and personality into the evening.

One place to start? Think about the features that are already available at your venue. If you're hosting the event at a country club, can you book the ballroom, hire a DJ and end the party with a fun dance-off!

You can also allow the guests to help guide the activities. Consider setting up a few centres around the room, where attendees can participate in games and contests that all centre on your new product.

If you don't have the space for physical challenges, don't sweat it. You can always host virtual ones! The guest whose Facebook post about your new product garners the most "likes" gets to win the raffle!

One point to note?

With so much excitement built into your event, you want to make sure security is top-notch. Issue every attendee a custom event wristband as soon as they give their name or show a ticket, so you can stick closely to the guest list. Our lightweight Tyvek paper wristbands also work well!

4. Set the Date

With most of the preliminary details taken care of, you can start being strategic about setting a date for your product launch.

In general, you'll have two options. You can choose to host the event on the actual day that the product is released. Or, you can host it a few days beforehand to tease the upcoming reveal.

While there's no rule about timing, try to hold the event no more than two weeks before the official product launch. This way, anticipation will be at its highest and isn't likely to wane.

Either way, think about the time and day that your target audience would be most likely to attend. Catering to working moms? A lunch-and-learn might not work in their schedule, but an evening event would give them the chance to book a babysitter and enjoy a night out.

On a more general level, think about the time of year that would be ideal for your launch.

Will your new product make a great Christmas gift? Host it in December! Is it designed to make school life easier? Schedule it for late August, when kids are gearing up to go back to school.

You can even explore certain holidays and peak times of the year that apply to the industry you're appealing to. New tax software for accountants will earn more interest right before tax season than in the middle of the summer.

5. Ramp Up Interest

You've made it through the planning stages and you're ready to start spreading the word! A few weeks before your event, hop online and get the news out via social media.

While the goal is to market your product, you have to actively market your event beforehand.

Often, it's easiest (and smartest) to create a comprehensive digital marketing strategy centered around your big launch. In addition to social media posts, you can also send out email newsletters, press releases, and even direct mail marketing pieces to let everyone in your community know what to expect.

Want to really get people talking? Add a little surprise inside your direct mail! For instance, you can include sleek and simple binder bands with your event details and company colours on them! You can also tuck a custom silicone keychain keyring into each mailer!

While it might feel counterintuitive, remember to keep the product details minimal. Instead, hype up your event and encourage everyone to attend and check out the details for themselves! If you give everything away in your marketing campaign, why would they need to leave home at all?

Need to drive up ticket sales? Host an online contest or giveaway! For instance, you can explain that the person who shares your post the most times gets a free event ticket or one of the first copies of the product itself!

Once you have guests through the door, don't forget to send them home with plenty of promotional products and fun gear that will keep your brand top of mind for days to come! We love these custom, aluminium dog tags that offer a creative spin on the traditional lanyard.

Ace Your New Product Launch and Take Off

You know your product is stellar, and it's time to let everyone else know it too.

A successful new product launch doesn't have to be daunting or feel impossible. With the right team by your side, you can throw a memorable event that brings plenty of attention and anticipation to your upcoming release!

Looking for silicone wristbands or other promotional products to help you organize the perfect debut? We've got you covered. Contact us today to learn more about our products and how they can transform your marketing efforts, starting today.