How to Successfully Launch a New Product on Social Media

As everything today is shifting towards the digital realm and online shopping has never been more relevant.

Recent studies have shown that consumers are increasingly using social media as a way to find information and research about new products:

• According to Facebook, 60% of its users discover new products on their platform.
• Instagram likewise claims that the majority of its userbase (60%) also reported having discovered new products from their platform.
• Pinterest also reports that 50% of users expressed the desire to buy a product they discovered on Pinterest.

Social media is not only effective as a product discovery tool; it is also quite cost-efficient, offering huge returns from minimal investment.

How do you make use of social media marketing in launching your new products online? Here are a few tips:

1. Create “buzz” prior to launching

Teaser campaigns are essential to product launching. As the term suggests, these are designed to create “buzz” and pique curiosity prior to revealing your new product—ultimately building up audience excitement and anticipation.

“Coming soon” posts are the perfect way to start. Post a sneak peek photo of the product a few weeks before the great launch—for example, posting just one small part of the product to urge audiences to guess what it is. You can add in a countdown to stir in more excitement.

Make use of Facebook My Day or Instagram Stories when posting a teaser. People tend to see fleeting content such as Stories first, and the impression this kind of content makes can have a big impact.

2. Listen and respond to product queries

In relation to the point above, when you tease a new product, users are bound to ask questions out of curiosity. This is a good opportunity to engage your audiences in meaningful conversations.

Monitor the comments on your posts and be sure to respond swiftly, ideally within 2 to 4 hours, or at most within 24 hours. Listen to brand mentions too. However, one essential thing to remember here is that you want to stoke their interest but at the same time not give too much away.

Listening and responding to product queries is also a good way to know audience sentiment and their expectations about your product, ultimately helping you to refine your offering even further.

3. Promote a branded hashtag

Hashtags offer two-fold benefits to any brand campaign, especially when you are about to launch a new product:

• They reinforce your brand identity
• They allow users to easily discover and share any launch-related posts

The second is quite useful when you’re sourcing for user-generated content relating to your product launch. Branded hashtags make your campaign fun and engaging, which helps boost the visibility of your product launch on social media.

When coming up with a branded hashtag, be sure that it is unique, easy to remember, and makes sense to your brand. Keep it simple and include, as much as possible, a verb to indicate what action you would like audiences to make in response to your campaign.

For example, HBO had a #CatchDrogon campaign for the launching of Game of Thrones Season 5 premiere. It’s catchy, memorable, and it tells people what to do.

4. Team up with local social media influencers

Another feasible method that even huge companies do is to partner with social media influencers during their product launch. Doing so helps brands to tap into the follower-base of the influencer, as well as establishing your presence at a local level.

For example, you can allow influencers to do an Instagram Takeover for a few days, where they can literally take over your content and cross-promote your products—such as hosting a live video or sharing content on your Stories. Another idea is to ask influencers, especially bloggers, to get an exclusive “first pass” on your product for them to review and promote.

Willingness to engage with smaller-scale “celebrities” such as influencers adds a layer of authenticity to a brand—and in a way, it makes your brand more relatable.

Need help with your marketing and creative needs?

The best way to go with any product launch or marketing campaign is to get creative: use a combination of high-quality photos, engaging graphic design, clever copywriting, and eye-catching product videos.

Ilfusion offers all of that: marketing, social media, brand photography, graphic design, and videography. For more information, give us a call at 888-420-5115, or send us an email at [email protected].

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