Standing out in a really noisy in a crowded marketplace requires a clever marketing strategy. Learn to create excitement around your business products and services before going live. Also, learn how to keep that excitement around your business and gain loyal followers after the site has gone live.
Topics Covered
- Social media strategy
- Email strategy
- Press coverage (tv, radio, newspapers)
- In-person Events E.g., Book signing, photo opportunities, and launch parties.
- Tracking analytics – Google Analytics – Facebook Pixel
- SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – A must-have for every website
- Continued Marketing Efforts – Keep the excitement going.
Preparation Tips
Coming Soon – While your website is in the pre-launch state, use a coming soon page with a countdown to generate even more enthusiasm and interest before you launch the live site and use a newsletter opt-in form to generate leads. WordPress users can add a coming soon plugin from the WordPress repository to create some stunning coming soon pre-launch pages. The Live Site – Create a Landing page with keyword-rich content that solves your client’s pain points and has a strong and compelling call to action. Images – Use clear high-resolution web-quality images on your website and on all your marketing efforts. Importantly, size them correctly!! The use of oversized images can drag your website pages making them load very slowly. Where to get free images for commercial use? HERE. 
1. Social Media
Pre-Launch
Leverage social media to create interest and generate traffic by tempting and teasing potential customers before your site goes live. There is no shortage of what you can do to drive traffic to your business website pre-launch. Get creative. The idea is to generate interest and curiosity before going live and to create a connection to your products and services. TIP: Facebook and Instagram are the top social media platforms for Australian business marketing.
-
- Plan – Get strategic by planning your marketing campaign to give your audience a reason to engage with your business. Download your free marketing campaign planner here.
- Special offers – Create introductory offers, vouchers, and discounted prices, sneak peeks prior to launch day, and giveaways!
- Trial Period – If you have a membership website, offer a trial period for free or at a heavily discounted price.
- Behind the Scenes – use of photos or video.
- Countdown – Announce a launch date and use a countdown post daily on social media. E.g. 5 Days to Go!!
- Boost or promote your posts – Reach a wider audience with paid ads.
- Brand Consistency – Maintain a consistent brand throughout your site and marketing material for easy recognition which has been said to create a loyal following.
- Monitor – Importantly, while all that is happening, monitor social media to respond to customer enquiries
Post-Launch
-
- Announce on all of your social media channels that your site is now live and shout about the benefits of your products and services.
- Let your bloggers, influencers, and even your friends and family know.
- Write blogs
- Post regularly on social media
2. Email Strategy
Pre-Launch
Add an opt-in form on your coming soon page with a promise to notify others when your site goes live. Also, add an opt-in form on your live site to collect email addresses that will be used for future newsletters and marketing campaigns. Consider offering something for free to your subscribers.
Post-Launch
Offer an incentive for those on your email list to shop on your new site. For instance, you could send out a discount code that gives people free shipping on their first order or, if you’re a service-based business, then offering a downloadable freebie is another option. Using a tool like Buzzsumo can help you find bloggers, journalists, businesses, and social media influencers who might be interested in sharing your site with their followers.
3. Press Coverage
Pre-Launch
Get your audience excited. Let the community know you’re here! Take out ads where you can, such as your local paper, do a radio interview or podcasts with bloggers and influencers who do pieces on your niche market, and print flyers to hand out to others, insert in newspapers and pin up on notice boards. The options are endless. Reach out to others to get live interviews and more!
Post-Launch
Let others know that your site has gone live. Highlight the benefits and demonstrate your understanding of the client’s pain points and use that opportunity to discuss how your products or services can solve their problems.
4. In Real Life Events
Pre-Launch
Get interviews with endorsing podcasters, bloggers, influencers, and also, you may want to appear in-person at book signings and pre-launch marketing events etc. Take heaps of photos for social media marketing.
Post-Launch
The grand opening – consider live video, in-person, and be present at your place of business to meet and greet others. Consider using a professional photographer to capture this event.
5. Tracking & Analytics
Pre-Launch
Understand what works and what doesn’t by adding the Facebook Pixel to your site. Gather, analyse and monitor your website data to learn what is effective and what isn’t. You don’t have to be a Google Analytics expert to understand the trends. Consider adding the Monster Insights plugin to your WordPress website after setting up Google Analytics
7. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Pre-Launch
SEO drives organic traffic to your website with the use of an effective technical SEO strategy. Hubspot has a great article on How to Create an SEO Strategy and they offer an SEO starter Pack Template download.
Create content using these ‘search engine’ friendly search terms. Create original content with the use of keywords, which are words and phrases you want to rank for. WordPress users can improve their website ranking to increase search engine visibility by using the Yoast SEO plugin or the All In One SEO Plugin.
Post-Launch
Whenever your page content changes, be sure to tweak your on-page SEO and monitor keyword page ranking to improve and maintain your search engine visibility. A keyword rank monitoring service gives you a competitive edge by enabling you to see how well your site is doing against your competitors, allowing you to tweak your pages to rank even higher. Nobody looks at the second page of the Google search results.
By now you have an idea of what it takes to get noticed and drive traffic to your site.
Keep plugging away at your social media marketing, create a blog bank, design professional-looking digital art, monitor your social media regularly, and engage with your audience. Respond to comments and enquiries.