At a time when everybody is going digital, it seems so long ago since advertising just meant flyers and print ads. Over the years, we have kept up with the emerging technology and have used it to our advantage. Consumers have already been exposed to a wide range of platforms available both on and off the World Wide Web.
Because of this, it is no longer enough to stick to the traditional ways of advertising, may it be an event, a new fashion line, or a new product in general. One way to increase your market share is to target your audience through a blog. The exchange of ideas of guests and followers alike makes it ideal for blogs to become marketing tool towards a successful product launch.
It is important to note that is not just the product quality that contributes to sales but also how memorable the product is and the audience targeted. In most cases, the manner in which the product was launched will greatly affect you brand resonance.
How a blog is presented could very well draw the line between a product launch and a successful product launch. Head of Marketing of Topaussiewriters, Katie Owens, stresses out that the blog content directly affects a product’s impression. “The last thing you would want is to turn your blog into an obvious sales pitch”, she says. “You have to make sure that the content does the sales talk for you without necessarily hard selling,” she notes.
This seems easy enough, but it may prove to be a very difficult task especially that the internet holds various points of interest and every blog offers its own gimmicks.
In an effort to help entrepreneurs to be on top of their game, below are some hacks developed on how to market a product successfully by blogging.
Blog A Way to Your Next Successful Product Launch
A. Build your blog
One cannot market a product successfully through a poor blog, no matter how good the product is. It is important that you build your blog on a strong foundation. Follow the simple tips below to jump start your blog:
- Choose a good URL
One of the key aspects of successful blogging is the URL of the blog.
This might seem very trivial, but with computer viruses and scams being very rampant nowadays, you do not want your blog to be misconstrued as one.
Choose a URL that is either very professional or interesting, but not sketchy. Remember that the first step of successfully marketing your product on the blog is to actually get people to visit your blog.
- Develop your content
No matter how good a blog layout is or how fancy the template is, people are in it for the content. Without a good content, you cannot expect the viewers to be hanging around all day browsing your page. Make sure your content is relevant. Do your best to relate your content to the planned product launch.
- Keep your blog interesting
A consumer views a blog either in search for information or in the pursuit of a good time. Regardless of the reason why, no one sticks around a boring blog. Make sure to tweak your blog every now and then through changing the layout, posting product tutorials or even small giveaway events.
B. Get to know your audience
In all aspects of content writing, it is important to know your target community.
It is only by getting to know what makes them tick, their interests and preferences, that you get an idea of what will make them stay. You can start by using tags on your content and utilizing tools to determine which tags had the most number of clicks or which articles had the most number of reactions. This way, you get clues on what your audience likes.
There will be times that your audience is so varied, you still would not have a concrete understanding of what they are interested in. It would not hurt to ask. Initiate a survey or a short questionnaire. You can start with simple correspondents from the ones who have signed up to your mailing list. Make a conscious effort to get to know your audience.
C. Develop anticipation for the product
To keep the competitors guessing and to constantly surprise them with the next move, it is a common practice to launch a product with a prior announcement. This, however, has its drawbacks.
The element of surprise is also not lost on the consumers. The possibility of them not being prepared for the product could potentially lead to significant loss of sales. That is why it is important that the consumers are aware that a new product is coming up without necessarily divulging the specifics. This will keep both your competitors and consumers on their toes – anxiety for the former and excitement for the latter.
Below are a couple of ways to build up the anticipation for the new product:
- Make use of “Coming Soon” articles and teasers
Consumers’ interest is often piqued by a little mystery. With the use of “Coming Soon” articles and teasers, you can show everybody that you are cooking up something without necessarily unveiling the whole product.
Gradually expose the highlights of the new product in each post. This way you can build up the hype before the great reveal.
- Broadcast freebies and giveaways
Everybody loves freebies. Announcing additional perks in buying the product makes the audience a lot more excited to actually buy it.
An additional tip for this step is to give extras to those on your mailing list. Do this and watch your mailing list grow in numbers!
- Do a countdown
Doing a countdown ensures that the audience is always reminded of the upcoming launch. This also guarantees that those interested will set aside time for the actual date and time of the launch.
No matter what strategy you use, the bottom line is to be ready for your product launch. Dedicate time and effort towards it. It is only when timing meets preparation that success is guaranteed.
See also: 10 Useful Ways to Promote Your Latest Blog Post