You and your partners have worked on a product for months – maybe even years – and you want it to be the next big thing for your business. You think it’s monumental, and deserves recognition among the masses. So what do you do?

Well, you hype the product up.

Most entrepreneurs get so lost within the manufacture of their product, that they often think the product will sell itself. That is most certainly not the case; no matter how innovative the product is, it won’t sell unless you don’t hype it up.

So how do you create the hype? Before anything, you need to be aware of the Product Lifecycle:

 

Source: ToolsGroup

Here are some tips and tricks that’ll help you generate the sales your business deserves:

Promote even before Product Inception

It is a complete myth that you need to wait until your product is out before you can start promoting. The truth is this: the sooner you launch your marketing campaign, the better!

The thing that sets “hype” apart from mainstream “popularity” is that in the business world, creating hype will make people want to wait for your product to launch. Having them anticipate your launch will put your business in the spotlight, and inevitably drive sales.

So start letting your audience know something’s about to come, even when the product isn’t ready yet. In the first few stages, you’ll have to focus on your product’s vision: what is it that you’re giving to the people? What sets your product apart from everyone? Why should people stop and stare at your brand?

Once you’ve answered these questions, fire them away – from social media platforms to websites, get the word out everywhere. Be subtle at first, and then build momentum – like a movie reaching its climax. That way, people will follow your tide and gravitate towards your product.

Analyse your Target Audience

When you’re running a business, you often already know what your target audience is.

But what about their behaviour? Their purchasing patterns, their reactions to certain aspects of your business, and their interactions?

This is where in-depth analysis of your audience comes into play. Find out the specifics: likes, dislikes, aspirations, expectations – everything. And then, market your product to cater to all those needs, in terms of product delivery and communication.

Though it sounds pretty time-intensive, it doesn’t have to be. POS software in Pakistan like Oscar have Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems integrated, which help build customer profiles. These automatically log in their purchasing history and preferences for you. That way, you’ll learn what your customer really wants with just a glance.

People First, Product Second

Another mistake entrepreneurs make is that their marketing campaigns consist of them harping on and on about how cool the new product is. Now, we’re not saying it’s not – but ask yourself: Do people even care?

The fact of the matter is simple: they don’t. Consumers don’t care about how hard you worked on your product, or how tech-savvy it’s approach is. All they care about is how does your product affect them.

This is one of the main reasons why Steve Jobs sold Apple so well during its launches. He hardly ever talked about the first IPhone’s core processor, or megapixels. In fact, he talked about how people found it annoying to carry an MP3 player and a cellphone separately – hence, why he made an IPhone that had both.

His philosophy was always to show people how their lives would change because of his product – and it should be yours as well.

List out the ways your product will change people’s lives. Get them excited about your brand by making them believe they need it.

Get Social

Let’s face it: social media is now a gathering place filled with consumers of different industries. What’s better than bringing your product out into the field?

Once your product’s vision has been developed, its time you analyzed your target audience: who are they, and which platform do they use the most? Through trial and error, you’ll get two or three social media platforms relevant to your industry.

Then, set up accounts and post regularly. Going back to the movie analogy, a product’s hype must be subtle at first, and then get more intense as the product launch date nears. 


These are just some of the many ways you can make sure your product launches successfully. Be sure to be creative, and make people curious about your product. The more you build anticipation, the more impact you’ll deliver.