When you develop and launch a new product, it might feel like going into the open space. And that’s just the beginning because your next move is to land on the Moon and take that first step to accomplish your mission. Guess what? Promoting your new product or service is that next essential step you can’t do without.
In our article, we’re going to talk about the ways you can promote your product to loyal clients, existing customers, and a new audience. But first, let’s discuss why you should always tell a story about your product, not just sell it.
Tell Your Product Story
Storytelling is both science and art—our brains are hardwired for it, and we’ve been communicating via stories since the dawn of time. There’s a reason why stories are passed down from one generation to another—it’s because they’re memorable.
So the best way to communicate your product’s benefits in a memorable way is through storytelling. Focus on the values of the audience, problems your product can help solve, and how people can relate to the product.
Remember, your audience isn’t necessarily moved by facts, data, and specs. It doesn’t matter whether you’re presenting a product to your loyal clients, potential users, or audiences who aren’t familiar with you—they’ll all be more likely to remember the story you tell. Take them on a journey, make them care.
For instance, look at Groove. The product they offer is attractive but what caught everyone’s attention is their blog where they share their startup journey. This business storytelling strategy generated a huge amount of hype in the startup space and was part of the reason they ended up reaching their revenue goal in 14 months.
Loyal Clients
#1 Create a Loyalty Program
A customer loyalty program or rewards program is a marketing strategy that rewards loyal customers that frequently engage with a brand. Customer loyalty programs help build a more engaging customer experience. And 75 percent of customers base purchasing decisions on their experience, according to the 2021 Customer Experience Trends Report by Zendesk.
Such loyalty programs can also be used to promote new products and services. Here are a few ways to do that:
- Reach out to your most loyal customers with special product promotions.
- Showcase a discount on your product page specific to loyalty program participants.
- Send program members an email that encourages them to use their points on a new product. (The points system focuses on the principle that the more you spend, the more points you get in return.)
- Offer double point value on redemption for a new product purchase.
- Offer double point gains when purchasing a promoted product.
And if you don’t have a loyalty program, you can introduce it alongside the product you want to promote. For instance, offer double points or other perks when people sign up for your program and purchase a new product.
#2 Make an Exclusive Preview
Your loyal customers are a key part of your product promotion as they are most likely to both buy and promote it to their own networks. This is where an exclusive preview comes into place. It can take the form of a private, in-person, or virtual pre-launch party: an online tour, preview, or demo. Or, it could even be a special invitation to test the new product out and give feedback. These exclusive offerings to loyal customers show how much you value them and also help retain their loyalty. Also, before inviting people to test the product, don't forget about the importance of accessibility testing to ensure that your product is inclusive for people with disabilities and can reach a wider audience.
#3 Share Customer Reviews
If you make an exclusive preview for your product, you can also ask the participants to write an online review of the new service or provide material for a testimonial.
Your loyal clients can be natural brand ambassadors that help you promote a product in spaces you couldn’t reach on your own: their networks and social media.
Asking for reviews is also a great way to connect and get new content for promoting your product. Don’t forget to repost user-generated content on your own social media channels.
At FlippingBook, we share our customers’ reviews in a short video format via our social media. Both our clients and our team love crafting these engaging videos.
Source: FlippingBook Twitter
Existing Audience
#1 Expand Your Product Line
If you create a new product in the line of existing products, then you can promote it to your current and potential customers. Let’s look at the benefits that this approach brings you:
- Reach new customers and conquer new markets: Offering more products gives your business the potential to appeal to a larger audience. When you reach out to more prospective customers, you create an opportunity to promote and sell on more channels.
- Diversify your products and services: It’s easy for one product to get lost in the sea of similar ones. Having various products creates a recognizable established brand as opposed to a seller of a one-off product. Creating new products also enables you to fill in any existing gaps in the needs of your target audience.
- Respond to customer demands: No matter what your product or service is, whether it's a physical good or a digital product, novelty is what keeps customers interested. If you’re seeing multiple requests for a particular product or variant, it’s high time to expand your product line. You already have validation that it will sell.
For instance, here at FlippingBook, we’ve developed our own mobile app FlippingBook Salespal, along with other products. This way, we’ve met the needs of a wider audience that wanted to have a convenient app for their sales teams. Keep in mind that before developing your app, you need to determine app development costs for your company or consider hiring a development company.
FlippingBook Salespal enhances your sales collateral as well as gives you a set of powerful features to simplify all sales processes— from the first chat with a lead and the beautiful online presentation, down to the informed follow-up and the eventual sale.
Check out how engaging your sales collateral can look.
Learn more
#2 Spread the Word via Email
Email is an amazing channel for getting the word out about your new product or service. Plus, it can become a great incentive to get subscriber signups in the first place.
You can run an email campaign specifically about this new offering—perhaps even as a series of emails building up to the day of the launch. Or you may want to announce it as the focus piece of your next email newsletter. This email could go out to your general audience, or it could be a subscriber or customer exclusive offer.
#3 Run a Social Media Contest
Social media contests are a fun and easy way to connect with your audience, increase engagement, and bring in more followers and prospects for your business.
Here are just a few contest ideas to get you inspired:
- Comment to win
- Simple photo contest
- Photo voting contest
- Simple trivia contest
- Guessing game contest
- Fun caption contest
- Seasonal holiday contest
- Selfie contest
The workaround is easy—the winner(s) of your giveaway will gain the opportunity to be the first to try out your new product and get it for free or at a discounted rate.
Check out this giveaway idea from Sixthreezero. Before entering a giveaway, people are likely to visit the product website and browse the opportunities on offer, resulting in more traffic.
Source: Sixthreezero Instagram
#4 Write a Blog Post
When promoting your new product or service, you may not have a landing page for customers or subscribers to go to. After all, your new offer could just be an upgrade to an existing product. In this case, your goal may not be to get more customers but to reengage the existing ones.
Writing a blog post on the newly launched item allows you to go into depth on all of the details, features, and benefits you would otherwise include on a landing page, and you can share the link to the blog post via your newsletter or social media channels.
#5 Remember Your Notifications
In-app/product notifications are often taken for granted, but they work really well in promoting new features and products. You can also include them on your website and clients’ accounts. This way, you instantly let those who opted for notifications know about your new products. Don’t forget to add a link to your product page to make it convenient for your audience to purchase right away.
New Audience
#1 Use a Special Introductory Offer
Announcing your new product or service is great, but making it available as a part of a special introductory deal is even better. This deal can take many forms, including:
- Discount pricing
- Reduced-rate bundle or package
- Voucher or coupon with purchase
- Buy one get one free deal
- Double the points if you have a loyalty program
- Gift for every referral
Regardless of the promotion that you choose, be sure to emphasize that it won’t last forever. Limited offers encourage your clients to visit your website, increase social media mentions and engagement, and help you reach larger audiences.
#2 Host an Event
Even the greatest products won’t sell themselves, they need a noteworthy event to create buzz and drive interest to the launch of your product.
Just because in-person events aren’t currently the go-to option, doesn’t mean your options are limited. Virtual events still serve as an effective promotion tool. Here are a few ideas for you:
- Host a live webinar talking about the product and highlighting its features.
- Run a live or recorded Q&A on the product itself.
- Center the event around an influencer who has expertise around your new product or service, with the promise to unveil the new offering at the end.
For example, Wistia always hosts live webinars when the new features are out.
Source: Wistia Twitter
#3 Launch on Product Hunt
Product Hunt is a community-based website that allows makers and marketers to launch their products or services and get in touch with their first real users. The community can jump-start products through votes and (honest) reviews, which are essential in the early stages of campaigns.
That’s how Product Hunt works, in simple terms. Product Hunt has ‘hunters’, which basically means ‘people who post products’. There are also ‘makers’, the roles reserved for people who created the products. You can be both a hunter and a maker.
Timing is Everything
Timing can make or break any new product release. That’s why it’s essential to create a product release timeline and get all your departments up to speed on the promotion schedule. Here’s what you can do:
- Make your new product announcement early, but not too early. You want the world to know about your product before its release, but you don’t want the news to grow stale.
- Choose the day of your product’s release carefully. Don’t decide to release a product around a major holiday or after major shopping days, like Black Friday. Choose a day that will optimize sales.
- Prepare your customer service team for the increased amount of queries. Make sure they’re equipped with all the info on the new product and how it works.
- Also, have a plan for the after-release day. Carry out the promotion on your products after they are available as well. It will boost sales and keep the release fresh in the minds of people who haven’t made a purchase yet.
Wrap-Up
We hope that using some of the tips we mention will ensure that your product gets the maximum amount of exposure. Just remember to aim for a win-win situation where your product receives the appreciation it deserves and your clients discover a valuable solution for their problems. Good luck to you!
