In this debut issue, we will focus on using social media for product launches. A common misconception about social media is that it can work as a stand-alone campaign.  In reality, it must be integrated with traditional PR and marketing to achieve the best results.

With traditional product launches it used to be that such a campaign followed a familiar template – you create your message, build your media list, and go through the routine traditional PR steps.  The introduction of social media has opened countless other channels to spread launch messages, but how do you best utilize them?

With an integrated social media and traditional marketing campaign, you need to execute many of the same steps and weave in these new social media channels.

One of the integrated campaigns we created for a client’s product launch resulted in a 3,500% increase in web traffic in just one day and over 10,000 downloads of the product.  From this campaign and dozens of others, we’ve identified the following nine steps of a successful product launch that integrates social media with traditional PR:

1. Create a message matrix. Identify the target audience, craft key message points, prioritize communication channels for each message.
2. Write and distribute a traditional press release. Even in this age of new media a press release is still important to convey the vision of the launch.
3. Build a media and analyst list. Your list should include print and online pubs but also top tier and niche blogs.
4. Consider creating a vision video. Online influencer’s time is decreasing rapidly – a short video helps get the main messages across quickly.
5. Produce screencast videos of the product.  Visually show your target audience how they would use your product.
6. Promote the videos.  For every minute of the day, ten hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube – you must promote your content to raise above the fray.
7. Corporate blog. Give a voice to your company outside of the traditional press release fluff and shed some light on the background for the announcement or the greater technical vision.
8. Twitter management. Target, engage and monitor what people are saying about your product before, during, and after the launch.
9. Direct email. Get in contact with the influencers that already have expressed interest about your company.

We dive into more technical details on how to approach each step in this 9-part process here.

For a social media style product launch case study, click here.