Five Rules for Product Launches on Social Media
As well as being an excellent way to keep in touch with friends and family, social media is an incredible marketing platform. From major brands to micro-businesses and power users, thousands of social media presences have been born out of intelligent marketing. These presences have gradually been used to market products and services online.
As the medium gained more traction and influence, a new wave of marketers has moved onto social media platforms. Looking to gain influence before product launches and business promotions, these marketers have rapidly gained online marketing power. Additionally, they are quickly building powerful audiences.
If you want your online product launch to be a success, it is necessary to invest in good social media tactics and strategies. To launch products successfully on social networks like Facebook and Instagram, follow these five basic rules:
1. Create special offers for social media followers.
Social media users–particularly users that are also your followers–need to feel special. They love receiving products as a hot deal or at an insider discount. Whether you make use of a special coupon code or offer the product at a limited-time discount, make sure you reward your loyal social media followers with a product discount or special bonus.
2. Give brand advocates rewards and online publicity.
There are going to be social media followers that are passionate about your launch. These are the ones worth reaching out to. Sometimes, a single user can become a huge promotional outlet, and that is worth rewarding. By running a simple promotion or referral contest, you can empower and reward your most active brand advocates. This also enables you to create a compelling incentive for people to promote your new product.
3. Create an affiliate program for social media users.
Rather than focusing on just your staunch supporters, why not create a long-term promotional program for all your followers and fans? By distributing your product through a simple affiliate network, you can reward your best promoters with an independent commission and recurring sales bonuses. Affiliate programs are perfect for boosting social media returns, as they give your top followers a real reason to keep promoting your products and services.
4. Make sure you only use one account and have a human behind it.
Some might think it might make sense to spread different aspects of your business across multiple social media profiles. However, doesn\’t make sense to split your marketing message across multiple accounts. For anything launch-related, make sure that you\’re using your most influential marketing voice. If you\’ve got a Twitter or Facebook named after your product or company, use that. Otherwise, create a new one and build your following before the launch.
Also, make sure there is a human manning the account. Nothing is worse than reaching out to a company because you are inspired to purchase and or interact as an ambassador or client and get a bot response. Use a human with good manners, good grammar and good judgement and you and your business will reap rewards.
5. Use pre-release testimonials and press to build your reputation.
Ideally around six months before you release your product, get in touch with your top followers and social media fans. Encourage them to participate in launching your product. For example, offer pre-release access to your product in exchange for getting some mileage with their own followings. This simple social media gesture is often much more effective than a traditional PR-based launch. This is especially true these days when digital consumers turn to social media influencers for product recommendations.
These five rules for launching products on social media platforms will help you minimize launch difficulties. Additionally, you will maximize your initial income and create a long-term customer base. Ultimately, a good social media product launch won\’t just contribute to a successful new product. It will also strengthen your brand and boost customer loyalty. Being a savvy social player and really understanding how to plug into your audience brings great rewards
