Product Launch Strategy: How to Approach Affiliates - Part 1

When I was working on the biggest launch (so far) of my career my first responsibility was to set up a nationwide network of promotional partners for our program launch. Earning the respect of promotional partners is complex, but there is a strategy to it.

My client at the time was a Fortune 500 company and required nationwide partnerships as a part of the launch plan. As an information marketer, you probably aren't looking to create such a large network all at once. More than likely you are trying to establish high quality, long-term relationships with a core group of promotional partners.

In this two-part article series, I used my experience to create a simple example of how to approach and excite promotional partners about your upcoming product launch.

Here is an example of an information product you might sell:

Let's say that you have created an awesome cookbook filled to the brim with one-of-a-kind southern style dessert recipes. Your friends and family love your recipe, you've catered a couple of corporate events, and you put all that yummy goodness in a cookbook that you know is going to sell like hotcakes. What kind of message do you use to get people to help you sell it?

Here is an example of a message you might present to promotional partners:

"I found some information that I think you will appreciate. I know you are one of five competitors in the specialty cookbooks niche online. I researched some current market trends and the sales of dessert cookbooks are going to increase with the upcoming holiday season. I also looked at your current inventory and all the dessert cookbooks you sell are out of date. It seems to me that you really need a cookbook that will catch the coming trend and update your inventory at the same time.

We are launching our new cookbook packed full of delicious southern style dessert recipes, and we are looking for promotional partners that would like to share in the launch success. It sounds like we should work together. Why don't we partner on this launch and share the sales?

What is the big lesson to learn?

Your potential promotional partner is less concerned about the recipes inside the cookbook and more concerned with how well the book will sell to customers. The fact that you understand the competition and latest market trends makes it clear that you understand how to sell cookbooks. You've also made it clear that you are conducting your own launch, so you are not depending on this one promotional partner to drive all of your sales. In one simple presentation, you have offered an attractive partnership that limits their risk. It's a good deal.

Did you see the lessons here? This is a simple story but there is a lot to learn from it. I can think of two additional lessons that I would like to tell you about in a follow-up article. If you would like to take this story a little further you can find the next article titled "Product Launch Strategy: How to Approach Affiliates - Part 2".

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Product Launch - Make a Fortune From a New Product Launch Without Promoting the Product

Have you ever taken your time to study what happens when a new product is launched in the internet business world? Here is a broad view of what happens.

- Internet marketers start talking about the product benefits through posts on their blog or page of their website or both with the view to expertly and persuasively convincing people that they need it.

- Internet users start discussing about the product in forums, social network sites etc

- Affiliate marketers start promoting the product on their website, blog, through AdWords etc

Generally, people start searching for the product online through search engines and other means with the aim of knowing more about the product and possibly buying it.

The above analysis leads to lots of traffic for sites and blogs with information about such product which to a reasonable extent convert to sales.

Going by the above mentioned facts, here is the game plan of how to make a fortune when a new product is launched in the internet business world without being an affiliate. All you need do is capitalise on the activities of other marketers who have created hungry leads for the topic of the new product by creating a small report on the topic.

Do you get the idea?

Ok, here is a breakdown: hot topics and trends come along regularly in the internet business world with top guys in the industry offering high ticket product of $250 upward on such development. That can pay off big for you by creating a small report or mini-ebook of within 10 - 20 pages on the hot topic or trend and offer it for $20 (the choice is yours).

Conclusively, this idea works in the sense that:

- These top guys and other marketers have created hungry leads for your offer with them even knowing.

- Many of those people who can not afford the high ticket product would likely buy your small report because they have been convinced they need something of such and yours is affordable.

- Many of those who bought the high ticket product would likely buy your small report because of the same reason (i.e convince they need it) and the fact that they would like to know what you might offer differently.

I hope this information will be useful to you. As a bonus for reading this article, I have a free eBook for you that will assist you in creating your small report. It details the step by step guide to creating a small report.

Choosing the Message of Your Product Launch Campaign   How a Product Launch Manager Can Help You Take Your Business to the Next Level   Three Tips on How to Market a New Product   Review of Auto Click Profits   Product Launch Tactics - Using Autoresponders to Boost Your Product Launches   The Best Ways to Launch a Product Online   

Consumer Product Launch

In these days of a saturated market, aggressive advertising and cut throat competition introducing a new product is always a challenge. It can be very difficult to have it noticed. A new product needs a big thrust to set it going and push it into consumer's minds. It needs a valiant push that can help it settle into the market. All theses are achieved with a successful consumer product launch. A product launch is like a coming of age party of yesteryears where young adults would get a chance to display themselves to the world and burst upon the scene. A product launch is a charismatic event where the product is showcased for the media and the public, who are extensively familiarized with its features and advantages over existing products in the market thus positioning it to compete with them.

However a campaign launch is never the sole answer to a successful product campaign. It must up by solid marketing and advertisement plans to make the entire campaign worthwhile. A glorious product launch followed up by an inglorious marketing strategy will be a disaster. Successful consumer product launches are company-wide events that must be the focus of your entire organization and need to be followed up effectively.

There are a few general things that go into building the success of product launch although each product launch needs its own style, strategy and innovation that must suit the company, the product, the target market and the prevalent trends and tastes.

The first very important thing behind the success of the launch is a good and innovative pre launch. A pre launch is used to build a buzz about a product before it is launched. It is used to build the curiosity and interest of customers by "having the word out" tactfully without revealing the actual product. In this way hype is built gradually up until the day of the launch. In this way increased attention of the market can be drawn to the launch which increases the impact of the launch.

The other important thing to so create a consumer product launch of impact is to get endorsements and credibility for your product. Reach prominent reviewers - business magazines, websites etc. to get successful reviews. Favorable reviews go a long way in creating a strong base for your product.

One of the things to be necessarily avoided is over hyping a product. Too much hype can cause a later experience of disappoint and subsequent loss of interest among consumers. The launch must be realistic and precise. While aggressiveness is very good and helps to build an image of the company's confidence in the product, there must not be any resonance of desperation. Giving out trial offers and freebies help to lure customers. Again there must be a moderation maintained or this may lead to a general presumption that the product is not good enough to survive alone.

These things must be kept in mind while designing a launch. Layers of innovation will fine tune these basic things to create a consumer product launch of great impact.

Choosing the Message of Your Product Launch Campaign   How a Product Launch Manager Can Help You Take Your Business to the Next Level   Three Tips on How to Market a New Product   Review of Auto Click Profits   Product Launch Tactics - Using Autoresponders to Boost Your Product Launches   

Product Launch Manager - Does She Have the Midas Touch?

Product launch Manager - What is it?

Launch managers perform modern day alchemy - turning ordinary products and services into gold. These specialists transforms regular products into eagerly anticipated, must-have items through creating compelling and unbeatable offers, making sure you use the best marketing and copywriting money can buy, and helping you attract affiliate and joint venture partners.

If you want to build a web presence and grow a substantial, replacement income online, you must master internet marketing. You must brand yourself as the expert in whatever niche you decide to pursue.

Before you do much of anything else, you have to start building an email list. Then you have to build a relationship with that list. Your subscribers must come to know, like, and trust you - or else your business will be dead in the water.

You build rapport with your list by starting a conversation with them. They will tell you exactly what products and services they want and how they want them - either a physical or an electronic, downloadable product, for example.

Then you can position yourself to be the leader by creating the offers your clients and customers are clamoring for.

By now, we've all seen product launches. However, the entire process can still seem more than a little daunting. In fact, it can be downright intimidating.

I mean, did you ever wonder how a product launch can appear to come out of nowhere? One day you haven't heard a whisper about it, and the next day the whole world seems to be talking about it?

The secret is the pre-pre-launch buzz that was percolating just under the surface. The person who performs this magic is the launch manager. A product launch manager helps you get that buzz going.

We all have experienced the hoopla surrounding the release of a major Hollywood blockbuster movie such as the Batman or Transformer series, or the release of a Harry Potter book, or Apple's iPhone. Well, a product launch manager does the same thing only he or she does it online.

Ideally, you want to come out of your launch with much more money, a much bigger list, a stronger relationship with your list, better positioning within your niche, increased momentum, and more affiliate and joint venture partners. In short, you want to come out of your product launch with more of everything good. It is possible for a company to generate the same amount of money during a product launch as it ordinarily would during an entire year.

That's what happens with a successful launch - when you have a competent product launch manager.

Choosing the Message of Your Product Launch Campaign   How a Product Launch Manager Can Help You Take Your Business to the Next Level   Three Tips on How to Market a New Product   Review of Auto Click Profits   Product Launch Tactics - Using Autoresponders to Boost Your Product Launches   

Concept Launch

A product launch is not the only thing that creates a strong foundation for the product. Of course once the product is ready to be introduced into the market a good product launch is what you need to give it a great thrust to put it in a competitive position in today's saturated and aggressive markets. However, long before the product is ready you can create a handsome place for it through a concept launch.

Once the design is in place and has been finalized after considerable testing and market survey, the design or the concept can be given a nice launch to make the market anticipative of the product. A strong concept launch can give the product good initial sales. As we all know a good start goes a long way in a successful sprint.

Sometimes if the new product is an innovative one and very much apart from its predecessors it may take some time to build consumer trust. The market will be initially edgy about the product and it will take time for sales to pick up. This can be avoided with a strong concept launch. A concept launch helps to allay consumer apprehension about a product which is a revolution of sorts. It builds a strong interest in the product at the same time. Subsequent marketing and pre launch strategies can help to build up a successful product launch.

A concept launch is also a good way of studying market reaction to a new product and gauging its potential. In this way any negative image can be tackled and positive ones can be built upon. Apprehensions regarding the product can be dissolved through timely emissions of explanatory articles and media briefs. Anything that is being regarded as negative in the product can also be removed or modified. It also gives the company a chance to counter objections to the product from all sections of the society and interested parties and to understand their issues and agenda. As a result any legal tangle that can arise upon the market launch of the product is avoided. A concept launch gives a product a great opportunity to make a smooth tangle free start upon its launch. This gives it great popularity and handsome first round of sales.

A concept launch also helps to build an effective curiosity and inquisitiveness in the market regarding the product. It prepares consumers gradually over time for the new product and in this way, by the time the product is ready for the market, consumers are feeling friendly about the product. Any product that is radically new will always create apprehension and negativity. Using a good concept launch and a successful follow up, the reaction can be turned into positive anticipation and all hostilities towards it can be neutralized.

In this way a concept launch goes a long way in ensuring the success of a product. If a product has a good start and free of the hassles normally expected to be associated with its introduction to the market, then the company can quickly mop up the profits. This will increase the profitability of the product by much.

Choosing the Message of Your Product Launch Campaign   How a Product Launch Manager Can Help You Take Your Business to the Next Level   Three Tips on How to Market a New Product   Review of Auto Click Profits   

How to Do the Best Product Launch

Having a successful new product launch is a great thing for every business, everyone wants to do it, but not everyone can. In this article we will give you a few tips that will help you have the best product launch campaign.

Best product launch tip number one: Do a pre-launch diagnosis

Doing this will allow you to find out hidden faults and bugs that you may have missed earlier. This will give you time to tweak your product before the launch.

Best launch tip number two: Understand your customers

Invest some time and effort in data mining and customer profiling, those tools will tell you a lot about your customers and their needs. It will also help if you have solid marketing research and segment identification strategies.

Best product launch tip number three: Confidently reduce business risk

Risk can never be completely avoided, but it can be significantly decreased by striving to have a sustainable competitive advantage and using advanced marketing methods. Doing so will make your business a cut above the rest.

Best launch tip number four: Balance your marketing mix

Try to achieve a delicate balance between the different market factors like pricing, distribution and promotion.

Best launch tip number five: Have an effective marketing plan

Make realistic functional and strategic marketing plans, and then stick to them. Try to communicate the essence of those plans to your team so that when the time to delegate comes your subordinates will know what you do, and how to do it.

Best product launch tip number five: Know the competition

Always focus on industry and competition analysis, try to absorb as much relevant information about this as possible. Make primary, secondary and tertiary analysis.

Choosing the Message of Your Product Launch Campaign   How a Product Launch Manager Can Help You Take Your Business to the Next Level   Three Tips on How to Market a New Product   Review of Auto Click Profits   Product Launch Tactics - Using Autoresponders to Boost Your Product Launches   The Best Ways to Launch a Product Online