It is probably one of the most common questions asked, how to launch a new program to market? Well let’s assume the following 6 key steps have been taken before proceeding to ‘launch a new program to market’?
- You have identified a need in the market?
- You have defined your offering to fill this need?
- You have established a key unique value proposition and message to set you apart
- You have established your brand with your target market in mind?
- You have created a website with relevant and engaging content?
- You are equipped with a powerful program, and you are aware how you are going to execute it?
If you can confidently say yes to each of the above questions, then I would say you are more than likely ready to launch.
But for you to launch, here are a few more questions to be considered to help you launch and properly:
- Who is your target market and where do they spend their time?
- How much budget do you have?
- How much time do you have before your first intake?
- What tools are you going to use to drive engagement or attract leads?
- Are you going to manage it on your own or get in some key resources to assist you?
Who is your target market and where do they spend their time?
This is probably the most important question to ask yourself to ensure you choose the right platforms to launch. My recommendation will always be in 3’s, so we will need at least three platforms or touchpoints but let’s be wise in the platforms we choose.
In the case of a business coach, if you are launching a basic business program for start-ups, then typically you would look at a B2B (Business-to-Business) platform such as LinkedIn and maybe not Facebook. However, having said that, if your audience are a younger audience perhaps starting out a business, they may be more active on Facebook and Instagram?
So first and foremost, you need to know where and what platforms you want to launch on and remember you can always try a few and see which one generates more interest and good leads.
In most cases today, some people would have launched their programs at events or possibly invited guests to a face-to-face presentation, but that is no longer the case, and you are more likely going to have higher success launching it online.
How much budget do you have?
Why I ask this question, because if you have some money to spend, spend it! If you don’t have a budget then you need to be smart about how you can go about getting new leads with little to no money, which is still possible.
In the case you have some money to spare, think again, who are you trying to talk to. Should you invest your money in a short powerful video to use online or should you rather use that money on ads? Maybe a bit of both because it would be the most powerful to have a video and advertise it – right?
If you have no or little budget, then you may need to think smarter and maybe look at options to ‘barter’ with suppliers to assist you or even so, ask for referrals and if their referral books they would get a 10% finder’s fee!
Budgets are powerful, and of course having a bit of money to spend is great but we know it is not always possible, but where possible, invest a bit of money from the beginning to get as much awareness from the get-go as this will be easier for you in the long-run and most definitely yield results sooner than just organic growth.
How much time do you have before your first intake?
This is also a serious question to ask because it isn’t advisable to launch a new program with only a week to go to your first intake. It simply isn’t enough time, unless you are promoting directly to an immediate network it may be possible. But if you are relying on organic Marketing and some supporting paid media then I would strongly suggest you allow yourself a minimum of 6 weeks and no less than 4 weeks.
The best way to start it is off is to plant the seed, putting out the pain points, all leading back to your new program….so giving yourself time allows you to be clever with your messaging and unpack it in a professional and clever way. Rushing to market with a big bang ‘solution’ and book now, is not going to yield any results.
What tools are you going to use to drive engagement or attract leads?
Very, very important!! What tools or value attractions have you got to drive engagement and leads? Remember, this is a NEW program, they don’t KNOW you, so they don’t LIKE and TRUST you yet neither. So, you need to consider what you have got or what can you use to get them to like and trust you.
Also called lead generation tools, or lead magnets, I simply like to consider them as value leaders giving prospect leads great value in advance, for free. Things to consider can be a program prospectus, a program short video, a program Q&A, possibly even a webinar to promote it the value etc.
It is key that you have some form or forms of value leaders for the prospective customers to get more information about the program and more importantly, about you, because your website or landing page may just not be ‘enough’.
Are you going to manage it on your own or get in some key resources to assist you?
I know we all think we are super man or women, but the reality is, we are not alone! We have help. We have human resources and online resources. So, in the case you want to prepare a landing page and you are not an avid or keen writer, brief a content creator to write it for you. Or if you really want your graphics to be good and consistent, brief a designer to put beautiful graphics together for you. Or it could simply be an online resource you could use to help you create your own landing page such as Lead Pages or Wix or using a free online resource like Canva to create your own graphics.
Remember to reach out and seek help where you think you may need it because keeping your eye on the big picture and ensuring all the elements work together to go to market is your priority, you may want to pull someone in to assist with the detail and implementation which is a project on its own. So, there we have it, all in all, work through the 11 questions and then you should be ready to launch your program to market, with success!!
If you enjoyed reading this blog leave a comment or book a free 30min strategy call with me
What does your marketing plan need RIGHT NOW?