Product launches

Product launches are becoming more and more popular in maker circles. It's a good way of drumming up interest and making sure that you'll have a market for the things that you're creating. If you're thinking about releasing your next batch of products with a launch then here are some things to think about.

Create suspense

The whole point of having a launch is to generate interest, so don't keep it to yourself. Some people ask their supporters for ideas for a theme, name or colour, which is a great way of getting people emotionally invested in it and wanting to see how things turn out, and hopefully they'll become your buyers.

Show behind the scenes

From ideas to completion can take a while, you're making those things by hand and that's why people love your stuff, there's no factory line to churn things out for you so a little wait is expected. But you don't want people to forget about you. This is the time to be sharing relevant updates, but not giving the game away. Use behind the scenes images and sneak peaks of your colours, patterns or materials arriving to keep people interested.

Set a date

A great way of continuing the suspense is to have a launch date. Whether you choose to use a countdown or just tell people that your products are coming, it's helpful to have a date and usually a time. The important thing here is to stick to it. People have been happy to wait, but now they'll know when to expect those lovely things you've been busy creating. Delaying once you've told people is likely to make them loose interest - but don't panic if you have a very good reason to change it, you are only human!

First look

If you have a newsletter list (fully GDPR compliant of course!) you could offer them a sneak peak of your product - don't forget to include details of when and where it will be available. And it would be remiss of us at this point not to mention that you can apply to sell on Small Market if you're a UK based maker! We are a platform that you could direct your sales to, and once they're on your page customers will be shown more of your own products so that all of your hard work doesn't go to waste.

The prep

So, it's nearly time. But there are some important details still to iron out. Make sure that you're comfortable with your pricing, you have great product photographs that show that wonderful set of makes in all their glory, and ensure you have a good listing description using all of the appropriate tags and key words to optimise your SEO. You'd love to think everything will sell out using your known network, but better to be prepared incase you need to start attracting other sellers.

Make it an event

And now for the main event. Make sure you put out the notifications to let people know that your product is available, and if you've created video content maximise that exposure too. Don't put out one social post and assume that everyone will see it, make sure you're releasing a few across any media channels you have, and do it a few times. It's a big deal and you've worked hard for this, so don't be shy now! Include information that people will need, including a direct link to the actual page where you can buy it, make the journey as friction free as possible. And then enjoy your celebration! We've talked about celebrating your successes before, and this is definitely one of them. Don't panic if the sales don't come immediately, keep interacting, tell people if they are selling quickly to generate that scarcity, and thank people for their support and purchases. You should also enjoy all of the people telling you how amazing your great product images look, they might not buy this time but they could be future customers, so keep up the interaction.

It might take a couple of product launches for people to latch onto the fact that this is going to be your new way of doing things. And if you've gained good traction and got your audience interested it's probably time to start thinking about the next! Don't worry it doesn't need to be immediately, but think about how you can start that process all over again as if your stock was a sell out anyone that's missed out this time might be more inclined to keep a closer eye out next time around. Good luck!