Thats partly why the legendarySeth Godinsaidyou can no longer say marketing is what I do at the end.
It is what you do at the beginning.
As an emerging founder, youve probably imagined that youd need to research your target market.
Size up the competition.
And, finally, create your product.
Now, what next?
This could be counterproductive.
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This is where the product launch strategy is usually birthed.
Fortunately, a sound product/product launch strategy is not beyond what any aspiring founder can put together.
Find out about any conflicting views, possible constraints, and practical solutions.
Questions to ask:Why are you building this product?
Who is it for?
What problem(s) does it solve?
How is it different from other products?
How will you profit from it?
What is the ultimate goal that this product is designed to fulfill?
Analyzing the competitive landscape will help you understand the product differentiators and achieve unique positioning in the market.
Questions to ask:Who are your competitors?
What features do they offer?
How much does their product cost?
What are the key differentiators?
How are they promoting their product?
Questions to ask:Who are your target users?
Where can you find them online?
Who do they listen to?
How do they behave?
Which similar products (direct or indirect) do they currently use?
How do they typically use those products?
What problems and frustrations do they currently have?
How can your product help them?
This way, you and your team will always have something to fall back on for clarity and direction.
Questions to ask:What have you learned from the findings?
How will the findings help you improve the product?
Are there any unsolved constraints?
*Note:The product strategy framework (at this stage) should not impose specific/final solutions.
But how certain are you that people need it, and will be willing to pay for it sustainably?
No matter how good a product is, its useless if nobody wants it.
This way, you could make quality decisions regarding your digital product.
Four effective user research methods any aspiring founder can deploy quickly
Ready?
The aim of personas is to prioritize problems and solutions by predicting user behavior.
To carry out a survey,develop a list of questionsthat validate or refute any of your assumptions.
If possible, reach out to existing users or find survey participants via social media and online advertising.
Just remember not to get too carried away with your questions or else peoplewillskip the survey.
This way, you will extract more useful information from users.
Therefore, this method is also ideal for testing the proficiency of your UX design.
For accurate results, keep any interference at an absolute minimum.
What trends are they following, how are they promoting their products, and what features do they have?
Looking athowyourcompetitors are positioningthemselves in the market is crucial to launching and positioning your own digital product.
You may also use this new information to update/validate your initial product strategy framework.
Providing a seamless UXandCX will increase product value and make it easier to achieve your business goals.
Therefore, you should work hard to fine-tune both your UX and CX strategybeforelaunching your digital product.
But arent UX and CX pretty much the same?No, theyre not.
UX looks at how users interact with a specific digital product and their overall experience using it.
Now its time to prove/disprove that hypothesis through prototype testing.
By doing so, you’re free to identify any problems and solve them accordingly.
Thats the time to go back and fix the problem (hopefully) without a monumental liability.
But if all goes well, then youre all set to launch.
The idea is to create amassive buzzand anticipation that builds up to the official launch date.
At a bare minimum, you oughta deploy a mix communication tactics strategically for have a successful product launch.
Generating buzz is one of the most important elements of taking your product to market.
1) Build landing pages
Create a landing page with key information about your product.
Add a countdown timer to generate extra anticipation.
Offering the option to pre-order will tell you if people are actually interested in your product.
3) Use email broadcasts
Send out a set of email campaigns to your audience.
Partners/influencers may also be engaged to do this as part of the overall strategy.
Use emails to inform people aboutwhatyour product is about,whenit will be released, andhowit will benefit them.
4) Distribute press releases
Write a press release and distribute it across different news outlets.
This way, you’re free to increase your exposure and outreach.
5) Publish blog series
Create shareable content about your product and related topics.
This will bring traffic to your website and increase your visibility.
This pricing tactic can significantly drive sales at launch.
The seven main principles of a conversion-centered design include:
But dont stop here.
Continue to look at your metrics and analytics to understand user behavior.
The data you collect will help you tweak your product and drive evenmore conversionsfurther along the road.
The bottom line
Launching a digital product is nothing short of exciting or terrifying.
This is why its essential that you plan accordingly and execute effectively.
So, make your actions count and stay ahead of the curve.
