Increasing Product Launch Results with Social Media:
9 Steps to a Successful Product Launch
Social media is now a central component of any successful integrated marketing strategy.
Here’s a simple nine-part process of a Silicon Valley product launch that will dramatically increase your marketing results within eight weeks of the launch. Approximately 200 hours are required from start to finish, including the time for video production, message creation, and media interaction. Any company can do this.
Message Matrix – Identify target audience groups and develop a set of message points for each target audience. Attach each set of message points and audience to prioritized communication channels. For example, to reach web application developers a company could focus on Twitter and blogs instead of IT trade and software developer magazines. To reach a potential buyer of an inexpensive consumer product, a company could focus on Facebook and YouTube.
Press Release – Write a traditional press release and put it to the wire on the day of the product launch. The format of the press release and the type of wire service will not make a big difference. A social media press release format will not automatically get you more online coverage and may be less appealing to traditional media reporters. Adding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques to a single press release will also not alter the organic or Pay Per Click (PPC) Google search results. Page One has experimented with social media release format and SEO techniques for the past year. Our advice is to focus on the basics of writing a good press release. Keep it accurate, easy to understand, and make sure it contains your main message points. Don’t lard it with jargon and product marketing fluff.
Media and Analyst List – Create a traditional media list that includes print and online reporters, bloggers, industry analysts, and other influencers. Page One uses a combination of Excel spreadsheets and Google Docs. We have experimented extensively with Cision and other services and found them generally lacking. Since we contact select media individually with customized information, the automated mailing lists do not match our requirements.
Vision Video – Produce a single three-minute video of the top two executives explaining the vision behind the product. Create a script for the video ahead of time using the message matrix to cover the major message points. The simplest and quickest way to create a script for the video is to focus on three to five key questions. Show each question as text frames in the video. If you take the video yourself, use a tripod and consider buying inexpensive studio lights. Use a microphone, too (clip-on or boom). You must provide onsite direction of the video. It will take two to four hours to shoot a three-minute video and an equivalent amount of time to edit the video. You must also budget additional time to write the script, distribute and promote the video. Here is an example video that Page One recently produced for a client at their office in Mountain View.
Product Screencast Videos – Produce multiple videos of the product that vary between 15 seconds and five minutes. The simplest video shows the product manager or an executive providing a demonstration of key product features. The features should match up with the message matrix. If the product is software, the product demo can be done on a computer and recorded directly with TechSmith Camtasia on Windows or Telestream ScreenFlow on the Mac. Another option is to use the free product Jing. Due to the low cost of Camtasia and ScreenFlow, we use the commercial products.
Promote Videos – The simplest technique we’ve developed to date is to release all the videos to the public on the day of the launch and to promote the links to the video. We rely heavily on blogs, Twitter, web site, press release, and direct email to the existing customer base or opt-in newsletter list for promotion. Although we continually adjust this strategy and actually release some of the content ahead of time to select groups of people, this strategy is more complex and riskier. The simplest strategy to release content on the day of the launch will be effective and will not pop the buzz bubble you are building for the launch day.
Corporate Blog – Produce two different blog posts for the corporate blog that go live on the day of the launch. One blog post should focus on technical details and the other blog should focus on the vision of the product. The two bloggers are usually the CTO and the CEO in smaller companies or the lead engineer and the product manager in larger organizations. Cross-promote the blogs in the standard areas – web site, direct email newsletter, Twitter. Monitor the blogosphere on the day of the launch and encourage your corporate bloggers to engage in public online discussion in online hotspots you identify. A riskier strategy is to send some of the content to key influencers ahead of the launch. If concerned about potential information leaks, save the blogs for the day of the launch.
Twitter Management – Build up the Twitter following prior to the launch day by defining a voice for the Twitter feed in your internal planning document, assigning a single person or persona to manage the feed, and engaging in interactive discussion on Twitter. Prior to the launch push out valuable content that other people will want to re-tweet. Remember that if you’re not getting any re-tweets, then what you have to say on Twitter does not interest your target audience. Reserve 15 hours per month to build up the Twitter feed prior to the launch. Plan for more than six hours of combined Twitter, blogger and media interaction on the day of the launch, not including media interviews. The six hours is usually spread across multiple people.
Direct Email – Time direct email campaigns with the press release. Include all relevant links to social media content and channels. If you are using an opt-in list of your customers, we suggest you provide them with unique information or privileges such as access to special videos before the general public. A riskier approach is to send out the direct email to your list at midnight prior to the press release on launch day. You can also push it out earlier, depending on how you interact with the community. If you have any doubts, trigger the direct email to go out at the same time as the press release.
Other Programs – Standard launch campaigns generally include updates to Facebook, LinkedIn and may include monitoring of message boards, Forums and Internet Relay Chat (IRC).
The key to getting results in a Silicon Valley product launch campaign is to use all the components together, linking to each other, and using a common set of messages.
Social media is not a cure all for marketing problems. It must be used with traditional marketing techniques. Social media is not something that can be ignored. Next time you work on a product launch, consider integrating more social media techniques into the launch.
No public Twitter messages.
Increasing Product Launch Results with Social Media:
9 Steps to a Successful Product Launch
Social media is now a central component of any successful integrated marketing strategy.
Here’s a simple nine-part process of a Silicon Valley product launch that will dramatically increase your marketing results within eight weeks of the launch. Approximately 200 hours are required from start to finish, including the time for video production, message creation, and media interaction. Any company can do this.
Message Matrix – Identify target audience groups and develop a set of message points for each target audience. Attach each set of message points and audience to prioritized communication channels. For example, to reach web application developers a company could focus on Twitter and blogs instead of IT trade and software developer magazines. To reach a potential buyer of an inexpensive consumer product, a company could focus on Facebook and YouTube.
Press Release – Write a traditional press release and put it to the wire on the day of the product launch. The format of the press release and the type of wire service will not make a big difference. A social media press release format will not automatically get you more online coverage and may be less appealing to traditional media reporters. Adding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques to a single press release will also not alter the organic or Pay Per Click (PPC) Google search results. Page One has experimented with social media release format and SEO techniques for the past year. Our advice is to focus on the basics of writing a good press release. Keep it accurate, easy to understand, and make sure it contains your main message points. Don’t lard it with jargon and product marketing fluff.
Media and Analyst List – Create a traditional media list that includes print and online reporters, bloggers, industry analysts, and other influencers. Page One uses a combination of Excel spreadsheets and Google Docs. We have experimented extensively with Cision and other services and found them generally lacking. Since we contact select media individually with customized information, the automated mailing lists do not match our requirements.
Vision Video – Produce a single three-minute video of the top two executives explaining the vision behind the product. Create a script for the video ahead of time using the message matrix to cover the major message points. The simplest and quickest way to create a script for the video is to focus on three to five key questions. Show each question as text frames in the video. If you take the video yourself, use a tripod and consider buying inexpensive studio lights. Use a microphone, too (clip-on or boom). You must provide onsite direction of the video. It will take two to four hours to shoot a three-minute video and an equivalent amount of time to edit the video. You must also budget additional time to write the script, distribute and promote the video. Here is an example video that Page One recently produced for a client at their office in Mountain View.
Product Screencast Videos – Produce multiple videos of the product that vary between 15 seconds and five minutes. The simplest video shows the product manager or an executive providing a demonstration of key product features. The features should match up with the message matrix. If the product is software, the product demo can be done on a computer and recorded directly with TechSmith Camtasia on Windows or Telestream ScreenFlow on the Mac. Another option is to use the free product Jing. Due to the low cost of Camtasia and ScreenFlow, we use the commercial products.
Promote Videos – The simplest technique we’ve developed to date is to release all the videos to the public on the day of the launch and to promote the links to the video. We rely heavily on blogs, Twitter, web site, press release, and direct email to the existing customer base or opt-in newsletter list for promotion. Although we continually adjust this strategy and actually release some of the content ahead of time to select groups of people, this strategy is more complex and riskier. The simplest strategy to release content on the day of the launch will be effective and will not pop the buzz bubble you are building for the launch day.
Corporate Blog – Produce two different blog posts for the corporate blog that go live on the day of the launch. One blog post should focus on technical details and the other blog should focus on the vision of the product. The two bloggers are usually the CTO and the CEO in smaller companies or the lead engineer and the product manager in larger organizations. Cross-promote the blogs in the standard areas – web site, direct email newsletter, Twitter. Monitor the blogosphere on the day of the launch and encourage your corporate bloggers to engage in public online discussion in online hotspots you identify. A riskier strategy is to send some of the content to key influencers ahead of the launch. If concerned about potential information leaks, save the blogs for the day of the launch.
Twitter Management – Build up the Twitter following prior to the launch day by defining a voice for the Twitter feed in your internal planning document, assigning a single person or persona to manage the feed, and engaging in interactive discussion on Twitter. Prior to the launch push out valuable content that other people will want to re-tweet. Remember that if you’re not getting any re-tweets, then what you have to say on Twitter does not interest your target audience. Reserve 15 hours per month to build up the Twitter feed prior to the launch. Plan for more than six hours of combined Twitter, blogger and media interaction on the day of the launch, not including media interviews. The six hours is usually spread across multiple people.
Direct Email – Time direct email campaigns with the press release. Include all relevant links to social media content and channels. If you are using an opt-in list of your customers, we suggest you provide them with unique information or privileges such as access to special videos before the general public. A riskier approach is to send out the direct email to your list at midnight prior to the press release on launch day. You can also push it out earlier, depending on how you interact with the community. If you have any doubts, trigger the direct email to go out at the same time as the press release.
Other Programs – Standard launch campaigns generally include updates to Facebook, LinkedIn and may include monitoring of message boards, Forums and Internet Relay Chat (IRC).
The key to getting results in a Silicon Valley product launch campaign is to use all the components together, linking to each other, and using a common set of messages.
Social media is not a cure all for marketing problems. It must be used with traditional marketing techniques. Social media is not something that can be ignored. Next time you work on a product launch, consider integrating more social media techniques into the launch.