Pre-launching a new product or business

Before you start your pre-launch activity it’s a good idea to set up a light digital presence, even if you’re not ready to launch a full website, social presence or directory listings.

Steps to take include:

• deciding the platforms you will need for pre-launch e.g. landing page with a sign-up form, informational website, email marketing software, pre-order form, online booking system, preferred social media platforms, etc.

• choosing your business name, domain name and social media handles (do this in unison - there is no point in choosing a name and then finding you cannot obtain any relevant domains or handles)

• design a logo and favicon

• set-up your business email and choosing an email marketing platform

• decide how to gather and store customer data and subscribers and how you will comply with GDPR

This article is useful for start-ups setting up a digital presence.

What would benefit your new business most during the run up to launch? Do you want to start getting the word out there? Are you looking for feedback? Consider the following:

• raise awareness - for some businesses building buzz before launch is key to a strong start, use pre-launch to get the word out there

• test the market - if you still have some decisions to make - e.g. on the exact product or service to launch with, on who exactly to target first, on pricing, etc - you could use pre-launch to test the market and see what works best

• gain feedback - likewise, if you still have queries or are looking to refine your product or service, use pre-launch to gain some feedback from trusted sources or keen early customers

• drive business - you may wish to use this time to take pre-orders or bookings before launch.

During your pre-launch your goal is to let as much of your target audience know about you as possible. A great place to start is within your own network - post on your own social media accounts, reach out to contacts and people you know, consider posting in any related social groups you are in (only if you have previously been active and it is permitted and appropriate to do so) as well as in networking groups, and post on your LinkedIn profile. Your own network can be bigger than you think, remember the people you know have their own networks too.

Look at who you already know who:

• as an individual, fits the profile of your ideal customer

• is a member of relevant groups on social media that include potential customers meeting your target profile

• has a large following on social media, or is well respected in a field that’s relevant to your business and products, or perhaps even has their own platform like a site, blog or podcast (here, quality over quantity is the main thing, look for people whose followers are a close match to your target audience and are highly engaged)

• has previous experience in the same sector you’ll be launching in (and won’t be a direct competitor)

• has launched a business or product locally before.

Reach out

Why you are reaching out to your network will depend on your goal. If you are looking to raise awareness you could post on social media and ask your family, friends and wider network to follow your new business pages and to share them with their own networks.

If you need feedback you could contact people you know who fit the above criteria and ask for a few minutes to chat over your plans. Ask for feedback on your ideas and even send them samples to review (or images and video if that’s not possible).

If you are reaching out to people you don’t know personally, you must ensure that you have permission to do so and that you adhere to all rules and regulations regarding privacy laws and GDPR.

Consider competitors

One hesitation people have about pre-launch marketing is fearing that competitors will copy the idea. There will be some businesses and products where that could be a risk, but more often the critical success factor is being able to sell quickly once you launch properly. You need to use your judgement on this.

Once you’ve built up a small following on any new social media, it’s time to grow this further with a more organised content plan and some advertising budget. Although it’s worth having a profile on all relevant platforms, don’t be afraid to focus your effort on one platform first (the one your audience is most likely to spend time on) as you’ll be juggling all other areas of setting up your business or developing your product at the same time.

When selecting social platforms you need to think of the best fit for your customers and your content. Do your research, but as a starter for 10:

• LinkedIn: if you’re in a B2B or professional market then LinkedIn could be the obvious choice.

• Instagram: If you have a visually appealing business and/or a lot to share with your audience, Instagram can be a good fit - particularly for online shops, fast moving consumer goods, food and drink, lifestyle focused businesses, etc.

• Facebook: Facebook can a good “catch-all”, particularly for local businesses or those with an older market.

• TikTok: If you have a lot to say and/or showcase, TikTok could also be a good fit, particularly if your audience skews slightly younger. If you are looking to become a thought-leader, or if you sell lifestyle products TikTok can work well.

X: X may be a good fit, depending on your audience and objective - for example if you are looking to link with journalists or thought-leaders in your industry.

Once you are active on your chosen platforms, you will need to post engaging and regular content, and may well need to put a promoted budget behind these posts to reach a wider audience. You will need a varied content calendar.

For awareness you could post:

• information about your business

• news updates on progress (such as photos of your freshly decorated premises, your new signage going up, etc)

• sneak peaks and behind the scenes videos on what you’re up to

• countdowns to launch.

If you are looking for feedback consider running simple surveys to gather opinions but also raise awareness of you and your business. Ask for opinions and often people will expand with comments. Use these to:

• understand customer needs to shape your offering: “Which is a bigger problem for you: a or b?” or “What would make your life much easier: x or y?”

• refine features: “Which colour would suit your home best?”; “Which of these should I launch first?”, “Do you think this shelving or those units are better to display products in my new shop?”

To try and gain pre-orders or bookings you could consider running:

• posts linking to your contact or pre-booking form

• competitions and offers

• early bird discounts, etc.

At this stage most new small businesses will not have much budget for advertising such as social media ads or local press ads.

However, if your launch depends on a big buzz, you could consider running targeted ads to a very relevant audience in the run up to your launch. For example a new local cafe could place ads in local neighbourhood magazines detailing their open date and launch event.

If you need a list of leads prior to launch you could consider trialling social ads to boost pre-sign up (potentially with early bird offers).

This is also the time to look at PR - reach out to local or relevant news sites, journalists, industry thought-leaders, influencers, sector magazines, etc, to let them know of your upcoming launch, and why they (and their followers) should care.

As with all advertising and outreach, consider your goals for launch, do your research and planning carefully, set budgets and consider whether working with an expert could help.

Depending on your business, you may need to build a database of interested future customers that you can contact when you launch. If you do, make sure that all content you create in any channel links to a landing page where you can capture email subscribers who are willing to hear more from you and will, in effect, be your “warm leads” when you launch properly.

You need to offer a reason to subscribe and this moves you to the next stage of your content creation and some simple promotional activities:

• being the first to hear news about your launch

• receiving a small discount for their first order once you launch

• entering a competition to win a free product or service

• accessing giveaways such as a free consultation or digital downloads of high-quality content.

Remember that you must ensure that you comply with data protection regulations, store data securely and compliantly, and adhere to all rules and regulations regarding privacy laws and GDPR.

The ICO has a lot of information available to small businesses.

Remember to spend time analysing engagement, reaction, and click-throughs from all your pre-launch activity and social posts. Look at the reach, likes, comments, etc, of your social posts in your social platform’s ‘insights’ section and look at any other data you have (e.g. email data, such as open rates and click-throughs, or site visitor data).

• Look at what your audience engages with and test different ways to explain what is unique about your product or service and how to use imagery.

• Does it work best if you explain the problems it solves, or the benefits it brings customers, or the various features?

• Think about tone of voice - does your audience seem to respond more to natural and conversational, or formal and authoritative?

• What sort of images work best - diagrams, infographics or photography?

• Does using video increase engagement and, if so, how long works best?

This is a great stage to experiment and learn.

If you are looking to take pre-orders or bookings, once you’re only a few weeks from launching you could share that you are open for pre-orders/bookings - or even invite pre-orders/bookings on an exclusive basis. You could set up the bare bones of your online shop (e.g. with one or two key products), open your online booking system, or offer your primary service on your website or social business page.

Pre-orders can help you:

• check the level of demand to confirm people will actually buy, not just say they will

• test your processes to try out your ordering, payment, fulfilment, and returns processes before full launch to smooth out any issues

• smooth cashflow so you can be more confident that income will follow launch, especially if you have large upfront costs.

However, before you start taking pre-orders, here are a few things you need to consider.

• Careful communication is key. Clearly state that items are pre-orders and make any long delivery times very clear. Manage expectations, don’t over-promise, and advise of any changes as soon as you’re aware.

• Offer incentives to encourage pre-orders, such as a discount on the product, or free-shipping.

• Manage payments carefully. Decide upfront whether to charge in full, take a deposit with balance on shipment, or only take payment when you dispatch the goods (following any online marketplace rules if applicable).

• Be pragmatic in your financial projections. Factor in possible cancellations, returns, and refunds. Create a clear return and refund policy (which will vary according to whether your products are standard or bespoke created to order) and be as flexible as you can to build goodwill.

As already mentioned, there are several possible aims you could have for launch.

You might want a big splash and as many sales as possible as quickly as possible, in which case organising an event, and generating some local press coverage would be a great approach.

Alternatively, you might want to soft-launch and start trading more gradually to make sure your operations are set up to cope.

Once you’re up and running, encouraging reviews and word-of-mouth recommendation will be an important part of successful organic growth of your business. If you have a stand-out offering you deliver well, sometimes this can happen without you doing very much!

For more complex products and services, asking for customer case studies can be very useful. Many businesses support this by using review sites and encouraging customers to leave reviews to help a new business or product establish credibility quite quickly. Our guide to managing online reviews will help you get started.