Having a great product and knowing how to market and sell it are not one and the same. Sure, there are some products that always have the market but sometimes, you need to make a push in order to create (or expand) the demand. Doing so is really not that hard. All you need to do is showcase your product in the best light and use various forms and formats to make all of this seem organic. Spontaneity is both great and risky at the same time, so what you want is an appearance of spontaneity. With that in mind and without further ado, here are several ways to promote a new product or service for your brand.
1. Build the hype
Building a hype means walking a thin line between piquing people’s interest early enough to create an organic yearning but not pushing it so far that people lose interest. Waiting too long for something may make the expectations so high that people just start losing interest or moving to something else entirely. Moreover, you need to keep in mind your ability to meet the deadline. Delaying the release because the development of a product/service is still not ready may cause a backlash. It will also set the bar of quality even higher, seeing as how they will expect it to be more polished.
2. Get some early reviews
If you’re confident that your product is good enough, you can send some early products to renowned reviewers. This way, the reviews will be ready either on day one or before the product hits the shelves. A lot of people don’t feel confident enough to buy a product before someone else tests the waters. By getting some positive reviews early on, chances are that you will skip this process and have a larger following from the start. Having micro-influencers or people who are otherwise reputable within your industry is another plus.
3. Make a great promotional video
In order to promote it, you’ll actually need to showcase the product. Needless to say, the best way to do so is to make a promotional video. Keep in mind that this is not your average vlog or public announcement. This has to be done in a more formal and professional manner. According to experts behind video production Sydney agency, the quality of your video may affect the perception of the quality of your product/service. All in all, making a great promotional video is far from difficult.
4. Host an event
The next thing you need to do is host an event so that people can see your product or services live. Also, people love ceremonies, which is why this gives you a way to make it all much more official. In the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting a safe event is rather difficult. Luckily, for these purposes, even a live-streamed event would do the trick. The form and content are more important than the format. So, even if you can’t meet in person (in a traditional way), you’re still not locked out of this option. This gives you more options to work with.
5. Offer trade-ins
If this is a new version of the product, chances are that your audience consists mostly of return customers. One of the ways to get the maximum value out of their brand loyalty, as well as make this deal more appealing to them, is to offer a trade-in. In some industries, selling refurbished products is an option, while some parts may be salvaged and reused in your manufacturing process in the future. If you’re providing a service, chances are that you can reuse some of these materials, thus generating more value. Even just from the product placement perspective, trade-ins are always a good idea.
6. Shameless self-promotion
When it comes to self-promotion, this trend really sounds worse than it really is. First of all, you need to keep in mind one thing – you have the right to brag about the great features of your product. Still, in order to keep things balanced, you need to make a healthy ratio. Offering six pieces of regular (informative, educational or entertaining content) and a single piece of promotional content is the right way to go. This way, no one can accuse you of overusing hard-sell techniques.
In conclusion
Sometimes, in order to ride the hype train, you need to be the one creating the hype, to begin with. Fortunately, this is not nearly as hard as some people would have you believe. All you need is to find a compelling enough reason to make them consider buying your product. Having a foot in the door is a great start. From here, you need to learn how to continuously give them a reason to come back for more. By making the first move and allowing your audience to take the next step, you’re paving the way for long-term customer loyalty.
