Show Notes

We’ve discussed what it takes to create a successful launch and the first steps to take. Today I’m deep diving into the 4 stages of a successful launch and planning out your content.

Join me today as we continue this series on creating a successful launch.

Want to Work with Jennifer and her Virtual Marketing Experts Team?

Are you a coach, consultant, or online course creator who are looking to grow your business, increase your income, and scale your impact? Connect with me at YourMarketingMatchmaker.com I look forward to hearing from you.

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Hey there. Welcome back to Marketing Matchmaker. I have a hard time believing that we are almost through September. I mean, this is my favorite time of the year. The leaves around us are already starting to change. So you can go out on a drive and see those beautiful fall colors already starting to appear, which is awesome. It is. I love the Christmas in the air in the fall that you get. It's just a different feeling, I think, than any other season. And really one of my favorite seasons.

This is actually the end of September, which means are pretty close to, we still have one more week, but as we're nearing the end of September, it means that October's just around the corner, which means that the fourth quarter is also just around the corner. When I start thinking about the fourth quarter, I of course start thinking about my goals and where I'm at with hitting them.

And also some of my clients, like where are they with hitting their goals, their revenue goals, and how can we pivot and make changes? And what can we do in order to really create the financial success and the business success that they've been looking for before the end of the year? Which leads me right into today's topic. We are still on launching. Launching is a series of marketing techniques that are layered together to make a process of taking your ideal clients from introduction all the way through commitment in a specific period of time.

A launch can be incredibly profitable for a business owner if you do it correctly. And by doing it correctly, I mean, you are actually putting in the time, energy and effort. It takes in order to create profitable launches. I have had clients that have had successful six figure launches, which were amazing.

And we actually just wrapped up with another client who just launched her group coaching program and filled it out. And I'm super excited when my clients do that. However, I have to say, if you're anything like these clients, when they came to me, the word launch might make you break out into a cold sweat. I mean, it's the thought of putting yourself out there, creating all that content and actually getting people to buy from you.

It can sometimes feel daunting to say the least, and I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be that way. Launching is a system and it can be a complex process. And it can also be very simple. It's really about going through the four stages of a launch in a way that makes your launch successful. So today we are gonna dive into those four stages of a launch.

I think it's incredibly important for you to really understand each stage and what goes into it so that you're able to successfully implement it into your business. So we have the pre pre-launch, the pre-launch, the launch and the post-launch. Those are the four stages that we go through when we really are developing and launching a product server or solution for our clients. Each of these stages we're gonna hit on today so that you can understand what it is you need to do in them. So we're gonna start with the pre pre-launch. I know it kind of sounds ridiculous to have a pre pre-launch and a pre-launch, but they are different. And each of them is important because one builds on the other.

So in the pre pre-launch phase, we're really going to focus on three things. We're going to start with creating a plan. Now, the easiest way to go about this is really to pick the date that you want to open the doors of your product, service, or solution. And then you work backwards from there. You put every significant milestone in its place with a deadline, for each piece of your launch. It will help you to stay on track and also be able to pivot. If something comes up, you're better able to see the roadmap. You're better also able to notice if there's a detour that you need to make.

Step two is to define your purpose. Now, I know this kind of seems silly, but why are you doing this? And I don't mean just launching because obviously we're launching to create a buzz about our business, to create revenue, to help our clients. But what is it that you want to change? What transformation do you wanna make in your ideal client's world that will really help to set your product, service, or solution apart from everybody else. Being really clear on that will help you when the going gets tough, because if your sole goal is, I wanna make a million dollars, when things get tough, it's easy to change that goal and not keep going forward.

However, if your goal is to transform the lives of a thousand business owners and help them create a million dollars, you are more focused on that. Why and able to really stick with it when the going does get tough.

The third thing in this section is really to dive deep into your ideal audience. And I want you to know your ideal client better than anyone else on the planet. I have said this before. It is incredibly important. So I will say it again. Know your ideal client, better than anyone else on the planet. You can ask yourself questions, like why would your ideal client want to buy this product, service, or solution?

What are the benefits of it?

How is it going to help them change their lives?

These kinds of things, along with understanding, what is their struggle?

What are they afraid of?

What is it that they're doing that is making it more difficult for them to create the change that they want in their life?

All of these things will help you to create the content that comes in the next section, because I am telling you there's a lot of content involved in a launch, but it can be incredibly fun. So dive really deep here really understand the psychology of your ideal clients so that you're better able to speak to them in a way that they can hear. Once you have all of this dialed in, it will really make the success of the rest of the phases, much easier.

So the next phase is the pre-launch. So the pre-launch is when you're actually getting things ready for the launch and doing multiple things. There are a lot of things going on in this stage. So you are creating content, your audience building, you're warming up your audience, you're building out the back end of your tech. All of these things are vital to the success of your launch.

So make sure that you're giving them each enough attention. And I will tell you this, it can feel overwhelming. So if it feels overwhelming to you get help, it is okay to reach out and ask for help. In this section of the launch, you're gonna start planning out your content for the launch itself. You're actually going to also release content for the launch itself.

But in the start of the phase, you really wanna make sure that you're creating content like blog posts and social media content, your YouTube channel, your podcast, your email sequences, all of those things are going to be done and created in this area of your launch. I wanna caution you to make sure that you're not just creating any old content, make sure that the content is high quality and aligns with the product, service, or solution that you're selling. When I say high quality, I mean really high value, make sure that you are providing value to your audience along the whole way, and also drumming up excitement for your launch that's coming up.

This should really include your social media posts, your videos. I really do suggest starting this process four months prior to opening the door of your course or your group program or whatever it is you're selling so that you have plenty of time to not only create the content, but start getting out there into the world.

The next thing in this section that you wanna make sure you're doing is planning out your free or paid training. I have to tell you workshops are really working well right now, which means charging a low cost for a training rather than a webinar in the past, or even a masterclass. Workshops can be incredibly effective for getting someone interested in your, in what you do and what you sell. And also once somebody buys from you, they're much more likely to buy from you later.

Now it doesn't have to be a workshop. It can also be a masterclass or a five day training or any number of other ways for you to create a training. But this training gets launched. When you open the doors to your buying process, to the sales. This is going to be the first thing you do during launch week.

Next, you are going to start growing your audience and connecting with them, using the content that you've created, and also make sure that you create a really valuable lead magnet that's going to generate enough interest and excitement in your overall launch. Make sure that this lead magnet isn't general. I will tell you that as a mistake, that a lot of people make. I had a client once do this, where her lead magnet wasn't directly connected to the program that she was selling. There was some connections along the way, but you had to walk them through a longer process in order to get them to that point.

So if you are going to do a course on sales, make sure that your lead magnet also revolves around sales and not let's say mindset. Because while mindset is something that sales people have to have, it's not a direct correlation. You need to have something that is directly correlated to what you're actually going to train on.

I honestly can't emphasize enough how much, how important it is that we generate an audience during this phase. I mean, you get to ramp up your marketing like never before and create and get people onto your email list. It is so important. I'm gonna get a little nerdy here and dive into the numbers because I want you to kind of understand why it's important.

If we think about it purely from a numbers perspective on average, about one to 3% of our audience actually buy from us, which means if you have a list of about a hundred people on your email list, you're likely to get about one to three buyers from that, which kind of makes your launch feel a little, whaa whaa. Instead, if you look at it from a different perspective and understand that if you have a thousand people on your email list, you're more likely to get about 10 to 30 buyers from your launch, which can really make or break your launch overall.

I'm sure you see my point here. You wanna make sure that you are always growing your audience. And if you're going to have a successful launch, you need to be putting in a concerted effort to grow your launch during the pre-launch time. You can do it by using organic traffic or paid traffic or whatever method of list building you choose to use is fine. Just make sure that you have a plan in place to grow your email list during the pre-launch phase.

The last thing in this phase that we're going to be doing is really putting all of the pieces of launch together on the back end. This is where you'll set up all your tech platforms, your, your creating your landing pages. You start building out your sales funnel, and I'm gonna tell you this one more time; If you are not a tech person, don't try to do everything yourself. If it feels overwhelming, reach out to a launch strategist, a marketing agency, a virtual assistant, someone who can help you get everything set up so that you can focus on what you do best- creating an amazing offer that your audience will love.

Now, we are stepping into launch week. This is it. The big week you've been working on this product, service, or solution for months, and it's finally time to let the world see it. It's all about making a big splash on launch week. Everything comes together this week and you wanna make sure that everything goes off without a hitch. There are gonna be a lot of moving parts in launch week. So it's important to make sure that you're organized and prepared.

Make sure you have a plan for how you're going to promote. What you're going to do for your training. Launch the training. If you don't get enough people to, to come to the training, maybe do a second one, be ready to pivot to make this launch successful. Launch week is a big week for you and your business. So make the most out of it.

Launch week is when we're really actually opening the doors for your new product service or solution.

During the planning week, you should have determined how long you want your doors open for usually it's three, five or seven days. This is typically started off with that free or paid training, whether it's a masterclass or a webinar or a five day training or a workshop, you get the idea. The purpose of the training is to deliver value to your audience, to teach them something. To establish your self as an expert in it. And most importantly, to actually sell your product, service, or solution, you are doing what they call selling from the stage in this training.

So make sure that you've practiced it and you're comfortable with actually selling your product, service, or solution during this training. Once the training completes, you then follow it up with a series of emails or texts and social media posts that establish that urgency and a need for your new coaching program or course, or service.

These emails are usually end text and content in general are usually going out about one to two times a day for the entirety of the launch week. That's what I mean when I said there's a lot of content involved in this. You are wanting to make sure that you are super engaged during the open cart phase of your launch. And it's really important to use those psychological triggers to encourage your audience, to buy. Things like social proof and scarcity and curiosity.

This section, my friends is where bonuses can really come in handy where creating a specific bonus that maybe only last during the launch for a short period of time. Or maybe different bonuses expire based on when they purchase the course or the training or the program.

There are a lot of ways to really effectively use bonuses to your advantage so that you are able to create that desire and that almost no brainer for your ideal clients to actually purchase from you. You also wanna make sure that you have a plan for dealing with any customer inquiries or feedback. So if you don't have a team and you don't have the capability or bandwidth to do it all, again, make sure that you are hiring some help to get it done.

Prepare to be able to answer the questions about your product service or solution, and being ready to pivot if necessary during this time. Make sure that in your email sequences, in your post, and even in your training, you are answering objections up front so that you don't have to answer them from people afterwards.

All of this during the launch sequence will really help you to create a successful launch, so that at the end, you're able to close the doors on your sales and be able to see how many people bought that everything is working properly. All of that. Once you've completed launch week, we move into the post-launch phase. I know seems like there's a lot and there is. And again, it doesn't have to be difficult, especially if you have someone to help you.

So during the post-launch phase, the first thing we do is celebrate seriously. This is a huge milestone for you, and it took you and your team a lot to accomplish this. So take some time to really enjoy it. No matter what the results were, really understand the amount of work and effort went into it and enjoy the fact that you did something successfully. There are however, some things that you really want to do postlaunch to get the most out of your launch.

The post launch period is just as important as the lead up to your launch. You want to make sure that you're delivering an amazing experience to your new customers. You wanna make sure that you eliminate buyer's remorse and maximize the return on your revenue. So you need to have a plan in place. And quite honestly, all of this can be created prior to launching. So it can be emails and touch base and all of those kind of things that are set up and automated. So it's not something that has to be done manually. You just need to make sure that you have prepared and planned for it.

I will tell you one of the most important things you can do during the post launch power period is to follow up with your new customers. Thanking them for their purchase, answering any questions they have and providing them with any additional resources that will help them get the most out of your product, service, or solution is really going to create an experience for them that makes them lifetime buyers.

You also wanna take the opportunity to downsell something to those that didn't buy during your launch. Offer them a lower cost product, or maybe it's a worksheet, or maybe it's a a DIY or, or something that you can actually sell to them will really help you to maximize the profits you made during this launch, and also continue to nurture and warm them up so that when you launch again, they're more ready to buy from you. With a little planning and effort you can make the post-launch period just successful as your launch. So make sure not to let your hard work, go to waste.

Now that you're completely complete with all of the launch. It's time to sit back and look at what worked and what did. Now we start with the metrics. We really want to see what worked well so that we know what to do more of and what can be improved so that we know what can be improved.

First take a look at your overall sales numbers. How did it go? If you met or exceeded your goals, amazing. I am so super excited for you and if not, it's okay. There's always room for improvement and there's always ways to make it better. Next time. It doesn't mean that you have to throw the baby out with a bath water, because there are other metrics involved other than just your sales that will tell you maybe where the leak is so that you can do better next time.

Next, take a look at your conversion rate. This is the number of people who actually ended up buying something from you, divided by the total number of people that saw your offer. If this number is low, if a hundred people saw your offer, but no one bought, or if a thousand people saw your offer, but only one person bought, it generally means that you need to work on your sales copy or the offer itself to make it more irresistible.

It is okay to look at your numbers and understand what worked and what didn't. The last thing you wanna look at is your audience participation.

How many people joined your email list?

How many people joined your training?

How many people purchased?

This really helps you to see where there are possible holes in your funnel and strategy. Overall, if you didn't have a huge growth of your email list, you can look at your opt in and figure out if that's the problem.

If you had a good growth of your email list, but they still didn't spy again, it could be the opt in. I'm not saying that it's not, it could also be the offer. It could be the emails in between or the training that you presented at the start of the launch week. There are many things that will show up by taking a closer look at these metrics. You can identify areas for improvement and make sure your next launch is even more successful.

Launching can be in exciting time for your business. I literally just wrapped up a launch with a client. She was so super excited of the fact of how we grew an email list and how that converted to sales into her new group coaching program, because she didn't have to do all of the work herself and that my friends is what I want you to take away more than anything else.

You do not have to do it all alone. There are people out there to help. So if you are ready to launch, and it seems like an overwhelming task, it doesn't have to be. Head over to your marketing matchmaker.com and sign up for a free marketing exploration call. We'll see how we might be able to help you create a successful and profitable launch.

Thank You for listening to the Marketing Matchmaker podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, I would love to hear your feedback. Please head over to iTunes and leave a review so we can hear from you. And if you are a coach, consultant, or online course creator who are looking to grow your business, increase your income, and scale your impact connect with me at yourmarketingmatchmaker.com. I look forward to hearing from you.