You’ve worked tirelessly to create a new product or service (or social impact program) to sell to your existing and/or new customers. It’s time to create some social media buzz and awareness about your new offering. But COVID-19 is still impacting your community and staging a traditional in-person event is not really feasible.

So what do you do?

There are now multiple ways to have a virtual product launch that is relevant to your target audience and community. I’ve just experienced an amazing product launch and I want to share my story and the lessons that I learned with you.

Wright Venture Services was fortunate to be invited as a training partner in a new grant-funded initiative known as Communities of Healing. We train eligible businesses and entrepreneurs on how to create a recovery-friendly workplace and employ those in recovery, as well as how to design, plan, and invest in their expansion ideas to create social-economic impact in the twelve-county region of West Virginia.

However, with COVID-19 we were unable to have our planned product launch in person and we were forced to rethink our big plans to kick off this new program. The stakes were high because this was the first time this new program was being introduced so we wanted to get it right.

It required that we start planning 3 months before the scheduled April 12 event. So we started with getting clear about the main audiences for the product launch. It turned out to be directed to two audiences: 1. community leaders who could help get the word out about the new product and 2. entrepreneurs who might benefit from the training.

I’m proud to say that as a result of our planning and use of a creative engagement model, we reached a 90% participation rate and have expanded our audience by 400% within the first week of the product launch.

We communicated the main messages about our new product in the market and created some social media “likes” on the new Facebook page.

Here are some tips based on what worked for us:

1. Be clear on the purpose and messaging upfront. Is it to raise awareness with a new audience, book new customers, or enhance your brand value with existing customer relationships? The event needs to have some focused messaging.
2. Script out a Live stream event and rehearse it in advance. We were fortunate to have a lead MC who created an interview-style environment. They can help your event to stay on time and keep people engaged. Practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to technology. We were fortunate to have one person responsible for the production of the event.
3. Target a limited number of people to attend virtually and tell them you will send them a free launch gift box for the first X people who register. We were able to send out an “impact box” that included materials relevant to our learning and offer a coupon code for leaders to experience some of the online training videos. Ensure you acquire each person’s mailing address so you can send some materials designed to engage them in your event. We had emoji sticks that let folks react in real-time during the event.
4. Create a compelling call to action that helps your target audience take the first step (align with your purpose). Don’t have too many actions. In our case, we wanted everyone to “like” our new FaceBook page where they could get updates, testimonials, and previews of the product as it is being delivered to the first few clients.

So the next time you have a new product or service to debut to your audience, consider following these tips and do a virtual live stream product launch. If you want to learn more about the Communities of Healing program you can go here.

‍P.S. Let me know if you are launching a new product. I would be happy to join your live-stream event and cheer you on or even be a guest speaker.

*Photo by Kenny Leys on Unsplash

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