Y’all know I love to breakdown buzzwords!! In the last few weeks, we’ve talked about “Mastermind” and “Educator” …. and today we’re digging into what it means to “Launch“!

Just like Mastermind & Educator, I keep hearing the word Launch thrown around in our industry, so let’s break it down & explain what the heck this word really means & if you should do it.

Cambridge Dictionary states that the word launch can be used as a verb or a noun and means “an introduction of a new plan or product“. It also means “an act of sending something out“.

If you’re reading this and you are a small business owner, you’ve already launched something – you launched your business! You put something out into the universe that you believed in, worked for & wanted to promote.

The idea of “launching” in business is a continuation of those very principles! You can launch a product or service, a website, a brand, a course, or even launch a re-vamped version of a product or service already on the market.

Think of a “launch” as the beginning.

While you don’t start with the launch in terms of your own work-load, your market doesn’t see the product/service until the launch. You should (& will) do a lot of work leading up to a launch, yet your market won’t see whatever is your are launching (or re-launching) until the launch takes place!! It’s like enjoying the meal after it’s been simmering in the crockpot all day!:) You’ve put in the work, prepped your audience for the experience & now they get to see it in it’s fullness!!

While there are so many things that go into a launch (and some will vary depending on what type of launch you are gearing up for!), there are

3 universal launch tips I want to share:

1. Get Your Audience Excited: You want to start building the hype around whatever it is your are doing. For some of you, you will want to share the exact date your new product/service launches. For others, you may choose to remain mysterious & slowly sneak out details via social media! My great friends Kelly & Andra chose to use the first method with the recent launch of their template shop. They shared the date their shop would launch weeks before & created buzz through a countdown to the launch date!! Hope decided to use the second strategy with her recent website re-launch; she chose to leak out info little by little to keep her audience guessing! Both strategies can work effectively – it all depends on what your product/service is, who your ideal customer/client is & how your plan to continue with your marketing strategy after the launch.
2. Choose 2-3 Marketing Platforms & Use Them Well: There are so many marketing platforms – Instagram, Facebook, Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Webinars, Email Marketing, Blogging, Twitter, Pinterest…. my head is spinning & I know yours is, too!!! Rather than running yourself ragged, I want to encourage you to focus you time & energy on 2-3. How do you decide which 2-3? You need to know where your audience is! Where is your ideal client? Is she on instagram? Does she take the time for a webinar? Is she waiting for you to pop into her inbox? This is about quality over quantity – rather than spreading your efforts too thin, I want you to go deep with a few areas that are rich with potential!
3. Create Attainable Goals (with Deadlines) and Stick to Them! “A goal with a plan is just a wish.” (-Antoine De Saint-Exupery) Typically a launch begins as a dream – you have a dream to offer a product/service & you’re fired up about making it happen! But a dream requires goals – it requires hard work, dedication & grit. If your dream is to launch a winter product line, create a set of deadlines to get you there! If your dream is to launch a new website, create a set of deadlines to get you there! (I don’t care if your dream is product or service based – the same rule applies!) You need due dates, action steps & time blocked on your calendar to make it happen.

 

 

What do you think? Have you launched a product/service recently? Are you planning to?   

 

xo! kat