Product Launch Events

Product launch events are essential to the existence of businesses, but are critical to a startups. Product launches are designed to achieve the specific purpose of creating awareness and publicity for a particular product/brand. Success can determine the fate of the product, as a launch will be directly responsible for the level of immediate and post-launch sales that is generated. A product launch is meant to generate a lot of buzz about the product/brand. The ultimate aim is to build sales momentum.

Planning A Product Launch Event

Large companies such as Apple and Nike have huge budgets and resources at their disposal to conduct a massive product launch. Startup companies will have to work the launch within the limits of their available funds and resources. Strategic planning and execution can produce a successful launch without blowing the budget.

Who to Invite

Have a clear definition of the purpose of the launch. Do you want to distribute the product, gain media coverage, build consumer awareness, gain support from influential industry players, or get some sales?

The product may not be the next big mobile device, but who is invited is critical to achieving the desired goal. Invite people who can help spread the word about the product. Relevant groups include journalists, industry peers/analyst and potential customers. It is best to only target one group per event.

Identifying the purpose of the launch will gauge the decision on who to invite to a particular launch. Invitees should be credible people with some product/industry authority that can rate and give reviews that will generate interest.

Finding A Venue

The choice of venue for staging the event can make or break the entire product launch. The purpose of the event should determine the most appropriate venue. The three types of product launch events are consumer events, trade events and media events.

Scouting for a suitable location can be time consuming. Proximity matters, as the venue should be easily accessible to the target audience. The product being launched should also bear some influence. Technical and room setup details will need to be covered. An online directory of venues such as eVenues can take care of venue selection and arrangements.

How to Get the Word Out

Marketing the launch does not have to be expensive. Businesses now commonly use social media networks such as Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter in very effective ways to reach their target audience. Live tweeting has proven to be an effective method of passing on real-time information between interested groups.

Using a Suitable Theme

The theme of an event needs to arouse the interest of the target audience. Using a theme that captures the imagination of the potential audience, while reflecting the essence of the product and the need it will satisfy, can generate a buzz even before the launch. The theme for the launch of a HRM software solutions product geared towards hiring companies could be "A Global Solution to the Hiring Process", or "Software Solution for Simplifying the Hiring Process."

Conclusion

A product launch event can be worthwhile, as it builds a certain level of awareness about your product or brand. It is also possible to gain significant sales that can recover monies spent, and even bring in the product's first profit. Product launches place the information about the product in the hands of the right people from your armada (group of people to help boost your product).

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