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If you’re an entrepreneur who takes pride in your business, a launch event is an excellent way to introduce your products to the world. This is also a way to generate enthusiasm and potentially acquire new customers. The more people who are aware of your product, whether it be from your launch event or online, the better chances you have of making sales and establishing brand loyalty.
A product launch event is when a company debuts a new product to their market and to the media. A successful product launch typically consists of the product being presented in an exquisite way to “build buzz” and solidify sales. Since product launches are considered to be a marketing initiative, these types of events are good for kicking off marketing campaigns designed for your product.
Although it may seem fun, planning out a product launch event requires a lot of time and consideration. Your launch event should be well thought out and worthy to match the quality of your product. Here are some steps to take into account when planning your next product launch event.
Agreeing on a theme for your product launch event is essential because it’s somewhat like the foundation of the event. The theme is what makes the event cohesive when it comes to the decorations, entertainment and potentially a dress code. To better assist you, consider these tips when selecting a theme:
A product launch event can serve several purposes whether it's to introduce, educate or discuss the new product with your audience. When choosing your theme, choose a goal to center around your event and the primary message you want to convey.
Now it’s time to think about your audience and the event message they will be conveying. Will your guests consist of influencers, consumers or investors? Also take into consideration the age demographic of your audience members. Typically, a younger crowd may be interested in an event that’s immersive and playful, whereas an older crowd may prefer an event that is informative and reserved. Once you’ve decided on the type of guests you’ll be inviting, that will contribute towards the selected theme of the event.
Although the main focus of the event is the product, the venue you choose for your launch event should align with the product itself and theme. You want your chosen venue to be memorable so that attendees are excited to attend and be a part of your experience. When searching for the perfect venue, it’s crucial to select a location that is convenient for your guests to travel to. When your guests are able to easily locate and access your event, you are likely to have a higher attendance rate. Also try to take into consideration finding a venue that is nearby public transportation and that offers free parking onsite.
Here are a few venue styles that complements different types of event themes:
Hosting a “creative” product launch event may be much appreciated and memorable in unique spaces such as museums, boutiques, art galleries or cocktail lounges.
When launching a product or technology that’s innovative, choosing a venue that is spacious and bright such as a restaurant, studio or hotel will be ideal for your guests.
If you are looking to host your guests outdoors, environments such as botanical gardens, courtyards or parks are perfect for such. These types of event spaces are also good for live performances, demonstrations and attracting new guests.
Typically, historic events have a legacy or storyline related to them so hosting this type of event in libraries, historic museums or in town halls are ideal.
Choosing a prestigious, elegant and exclusive venue for your product launch event is appropriate when launching a product that is dignified and sophisticated.
Properly promoting your product launch event not only can help with attendance but also advocacy and raising awareness. Depending on the size and significance, you’ll want to decide if you want to utilize print advertising, digital, or a mixture of them to get the word out about your product launch. Although print media is traditional, credible and personal, it may be inexpensive to utilize digital marketing tactics when promoting your event.
Once you have selected a theme, venue, and proper promotion tools, it is now time to outline the sequence of events that will take place during your product launch. Though they are minor, elements such as the lighting, tech support, seating and decorations can play a major role towards a guest’s experience. During this part of the planning process, you may want to consider hiring an event planner or organizer who can help assist with minor details as such.
A pro tip when outlining your event is to imagine the experience through an audience member’s perspective. By envisioning part of the event, you may be able to identify any flaws or mishaps that could potentially occur.
After a few days have passed by, you still have an opportunity to build off the hype and buzz that was created from your event. This can be easily achieved by engaging with your followers on social media, sending out newsletters, frequently posting relevant content and using social media hashtags. If you are one to underestimate the importance of following up, here are some reasons of why it is critical for you and your brand’s reputation:
Here are some product launch ideas you could implement to provide the ultimate experience for your audience members.
Creating a clear and short hashtag on behalf of your product or event is an easy way for consumers to engage and remember your brand. It also helps to be consistent and repetitive because it limits confusion and enhances your digital media presence.
Choosing to partner with a brand can build hype and help you reach a wider target audience. Before finalizing the partnership, make sure you and your potential partners share the same goals and relate to your audience members. Here recently, Hubilo had the opportunity to partner with Bizbash in the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. The key takeaways from this sponsorship were that we are living in a world where virtual is timeless, hybrid events are puzzles that will take time and data to solve and we all want to witness the success of virtuality.
If you are hosting an in-person event, a way to better associate yourself with your guests is by hosting an after party. This is also a reason for you to celebrate the success of your event with everyone involved: staff, guest speakers, sponsors and of course your audience. If you assume throwing an after party will require too much work, consider gathering everyone together for a post-event activity such as a catered dinner, renting out entertainment spaces or hiring a live performance.
Running a friendly competition prior to your event is a great way to get your attendees engaged and interested in your product launch event. Examples of prizes that can be received could include the launched product free of charge, offering complimentary entrepreneurial mentorship to an audience member or promotion discounts that can be applied online or in-store.
People who have been loyal to your products or brand can be your best resource to rely on. For your next product launch event, consider including some of your loyal customers in the planning process to get feedback on what they would want to enjoy and experience.
Providing exclusive content or access before the launch of your product event is a great way to engage and get people excited for what you have in store. Some ways as to how you can grant your audience elite access is by sharing behind the scenes content of how the event came to life or inviting a select few people for a “soft opening'' for the event. Allowing exclusive access can be beneficial for the audience members because it may give them the feeling of being involved and trusted.
Once you have finalized the planning process and you’re ready to start implementation, a great way to stay on track of time, build excitement and urgency is by starting a digital countdown.
Utilizing videos during your product launch campaign is an interactive way to engage with your audience because they are able to view important people and information. Whether it’s “sneak peek” content or something educational, videos are a quick, visual way to connect with attendees.
When sending out invitations to your product launch event, you want to make sure you are first and foremost inviting your key target audience. These are the people the event is essentially designed for and who will most likely fulfill your even goals with sales and interaction.
If you are considering hosting a hybrid product launch event, it is important to make sure both virtual and live audience members feel included and cohesive amongst one another.
Typically when people come together for a product launch event, they are listening to a key speaker and learning about a newly released product. A way to switch things up is by allowing audience members to participate and be hands on with the product. This is a way for eager attendees to personally experience the product and urge them to have it in their own possession.
Attendees of a product launch event usually are there to get better acquainted with the new product, but why not with the other people in attendance? Encouraging your audience members to connect with each other is a good gesture because bonds can be created based on a shared common interest: your brand and/or your product.
An easy way to grasp your audience’s attention is incorporating a compelling story within your product launch content. The story could simply consist of how the idea of the desired product came about and what it took to make it come to life. As a host, you could even include a brief story about the origin of your brand and the day in the life of an entrepreneur. Overall, telling a story can create a positive reputation about your product and brand.
Everyone can appreciate a valuable, timeless deliverable that can be used once your event is over. During your product launch event, consider passing out swag bags such as samples or token deliverables that are branded with your logo. This is a great tactic to use because it’s a way to stay relevant in the minds of your attendees or serve as a conversation starter between someone who attended and a friend of theirs.
Designing social media teasers can benefit the implementation of your product launch event because you are ultimately building audience anticipation. When creating them, be sure not to expose too much content and details about the event; just enough to grab their attention. This tactic can also spark conversations with the digital world which can result in an increase of engagement.
Some of the top companies in the world have utilized product launch events to announce their product and build brand awareness. Here, we will lay out some examples of different ways a well known company chose how they wanted their product to be launched through an event.
Hosted annually, the 3686 event is held to educate and inspire owners to begin their business in Nashville, TN. To complete this event, Launch Tennessee chose to feature a live performance during an after party to engage and entertain their guests.
Known as the world’s top social media conference, Social Media Marketing World is a conference where audience members listen to industry leaders about social media tactics and strategies that can be applied to their personal or professional benefit. In addition to the knowledge that is spread, guests can take advantage of networking via table talks and professionally platform group chats to form relationships with people who share the same passion.
This creative conference is designed to introduce the latest updates and products for Adobe’s Creative Cloud users. Adobe also takes advantage of this opportunity by engaging with the crowd with innovative technology and visuals. Lastly, Adobe maximizes this event by recording the content and making it available online for new and returning users to re-experience.
Known to gather Infusionsoft and Keap users from around the world, guests for the ikon event are able to learn from experts on how to improve their craft. In addition to the information that is discussed, attendees can take advantage of a hands-on experience with the company’s software to enhance their skill sets.
Prior to this well known conference taking place, only internal members of the Apple team are aware of the major product and update announcements that will be made. This is a great way to keep the public interested and build anticipation because they are able to engage online and make predictions on what the new Apple releases will be.
Implementing a product launch that is effective and memorable can be challenging but the end result is most certainly fulfilling and satisfying. The beauty about product launch events is that you are able to plan them how you want and however it best suits your product or brand. By generating positive publicity around your product, it has the potential to elevate and be the most wanted item on everyone’s list.
