Executing your first product launch: Insights for Startup Marketing Managers

THE INTRODUCTION

Hello 👋 Marketing Context Fam!! Welcome to this week’s edition.

In todays edition of startup marketing deep dive we unpack a critical startup marketing process of “product launch campaign”. We will cover:

• How to plan for your first campaign

• Unpack the core concepts

• Look at an campaign breakdown.

THE INTRODUCTION

Did you know that Arc, the browser from The Browser Company, launched with an invite-only strategy?

It attracted over 100,000 users and boosted engagement by 300% in three months.

Its tagline was, "Redefining your online world, not just another browser." Arc aimed to be a pioneer in reimagining internet use, rather than competing with giants like Google Chrome and it is successful in carving out a niche

Keep reading… and we will dive into the launch strategy teardown of Arc to understand in depth….

THE CONTEXT

Why it matter?

Lets understand what product launch is?

For startups, a product launch is the process of introducing a new product, feature, or service to the market. The goals are to create awareness, generate interest, and drive initial adoption.

This may sound simple. But, a successful launch needs a strong focus on planning, testing, iterating, and alignment.

Therefore, if you are launching your first product, then you should know that there is a lot at stake

THE DEEP DIVE

During the product launch, the startup marketer’s main goal is to plan the GTM activities. They should ensure that they communicate the product’s unique value to the target audience.

They should build anticipation and establish the startup's presence in a competitive market.

Product launch is a team effort in any startup. Even within the same organization, no two launches would be the same.

In this deep dive, I will try to provide a framework/template to approach product launch.

Lets dive in…

Designing a product launch roadmap

Your launch roadmap depends on the objectives and launch priority (e.g., Priority 1, 2). We will now focus on the three key elements of your launch campaign...

• Communicate your product's unique value proposition

• Build anticipation.

• Establish your product in the competitive landscape (positioning).

Preparing for your launch ( Pre launch planning)

For me, this is the stage where as a startup marketer you would focus on two main task:

• Clarity & Alignment

• Planning
  

This is the phase where you need to document information with regards to the launch campaign

For example,

What is the object of this launch?

What is it that we intent to achieve ( our overarching goals and priorities )

Elements of the campaign ( pricing, positioning, target users etc)?

During this time you will also set the timeline or phases of your launch and establish the KPIs

Once you have worked out the details of the campaign, then it is time to get the buy in and alignment on your campaign strategy.

Schedule one on one with the key stakeholder or a workshop to bring everybody on the same page.

As a marketer, you must know what you are seeking from your stakeholders. Be clear on the information you seek, clarity, and consensus you want.

I have seen time and again campaign fail due to mis alignment or confusion created due to lack of clarity

Once you have gained clarity on the objectives and have aligned internal stakeholders on the campaign, now it is time to get down to planning.

Planning your first launch campaign

I find planning to be the most exciting part of any launch campaign. Once the campaign is executed, things are out in public.

During your planning, you should focus on,

• Developing your communication and engagement strategy

• Channel prioritisation

Communication and engagement strategy

Communication specially for a launch campaign is the heart and soul

Start with a campaign brief. Share it with your stakeholders (leadership, product, design, research, and sales).

Based on the launch objective, clearly define the expected outcomes of the launch campaign.

Define,

• The who (to target),

• The why (to address their need), and

• What is your product's genesis (why it was developed and its purpose).

• What capabilities does it provide?

Having documented the above, now is the time to move to communication strategy,

Developing your communication strategy.

Start with the anchor, I like to start my communication strategy with the right messaging anchor, which is also the trickiest part.

You can master this by testing you message copy with a close group of user. Story-broad it visually to illustrate what you intent to communicate.

Once you have established your campaign message, it move on to the next part of designing your campaign message hierarchy

Develop a hierarchy of messages that support your core message.

These should address key features, benefits, and differentiators of your product.

Organise them in order of importance to ensure consistency across all communication channels.

Crafting your launch story.

The most critical element of your campaign strategy, is your story.

People connect with stories. Develop a compelling narrative around your product that goes beyond features and benefits. This could include the problem you're solving, the journey of creating the product, or the vision for the future it represents

Remember, a launch campaign is never a one-size-fits-all strategy. As I mentioned earlier, it can have multiple stages and layers.

Adapt your core message and supporting points for different channels and audiences. For example:

• Social media: Short, punchy messages with eye-catching visuals

• Blog posts: In-depth exploration of features and benefits

• Email campaigns: Personalized messages highlighting specific value propositions

• Press releases: Formal announcements focusing on newsworthy aspects

Plan your campaign roadmap

Create a campaign roadmap that outlines what messages will be shared, when, and on which platforms. This helps ensure a consistent flow of communication leading up to, during, and after the launch.

Prepare FAQs and Talking Points

Anticipate questions and prepare comprehensive FAQs. Also, develop talking points for team members who might interact with the media or customers.

Visual Assets

Develop a suite of visual assets that align with your messaging. This could include product images, infographics, videos, and branded graphics for social media.

Influencer and Partner Communication

If you're working with influencers or partners, prepare specific communication kits for them. They should include key messages, social media posts, and product discussion guidelines.

Feedback Loop

Plan for ways to gather and incorporate feedback during the launch. This could involve social media monitoring, customer surveys, or direct outreach to early adopters.

Prioritizing marketing channel

The main objective of your channel strategy should be to funnel users to your launch goal using your launch assets.

Work with a framework that works best for your objective,

The things to consider when selecting the right marketing channel are,

• How many people will this channel impact?

• How much will it contribute to your goal?

• How confident are you in your estimates?

• How much time and resources will it take?

One of the framework I like to use is called RACE

This framework helps me evaluate if my campaign is able to drive awareness encouraging interaction and engagement.

The framework also help is evaluating audience alignment with the channel plan. Along with other consideration like effectiveness, measurability and resource utilisation

Socializing your campaign strategy with the stakeholders

One of the key aspect of your launch campaign is to socialise your plan with internal stakeholders

Prepare communication for your team, ensuring everyone is aligned on the messaging and excited about the launch.

I prefer a one- or two-page campaign outline. I circulate it to all stakeholders to align everyone on the plan. For multi-stage campaigns, I also add a campaign calendar (a visual template).

How to measure the success of a product launch campaign?

In today's data-driven marketing, you must measure and act on your campaign's results. This is critical to its success.

First up it define your KPIs for the campaign.

For example,

👉️ If building strong product awareness and beta signup for demo is one of the main objectives of your campaign

Then I would check traffic, page views, email open rates, and PR mentions as KPIs. Similarly, list all the KPIs, like revenue and engagement metrics, and the associated data.

👉️ Or, if driving acquisition is one of the campaign objective,

I would look at some of these KPIs, like number of sign ups, conversion rates as well CAC to name a few

Next is attribution. 

Each KPI parameter drives certain outcomes. It's critical to attribute the outcome to the correct KPI parameter. This shows what works and what doesn't.

Keep in mind that that attributes can overlap, for example, if your goal is to get signups for a demo of your latest feature, then both the landing page signup and traffic could be KPIs. However, if you dont attribute the traffic source the traffic source properly, you won’t know which campaign initiative is working well for you.

Launching your campaign.

Having planned, aligned and prepared your launch, it is now time to execute your campaign, a well planned campaign can go smooth ( I never had a single campaign executed smoothly though)
Launching your campaign is taking your marketing strategy (communication and content strategy) live on the channel you had mapped.

Now is the time to see if your campaign is able to create awareness, generate interest, and guide your users through your marketing funnel towards your campaign objective.

STRATEGIES IN ACTION

Arc ( The Browser Company), launch strategy

Arc, developed by The Browser Company, is a modern browser that reimagines tab management with customizable "Spaces." It simplifies online activities by organizing tabs as applications. Arc focuses on enhancing productivity and user experience.

Challenge: Arc set out to solve the issue of browser clutter and inefficiency in modern web browsing. Traditional browsers had become overwhelming with numerous tabs and disorganized workspaces. Arc aimed to improve the internet. It wanted a faster, easier, and more customizable browser.

Marketing Campaign Strategy and Launch:

The Browsing company used an invite-only system.

Arc's launch strategy was cantered around exclusivity and community building. This was also their initial launch objective. They wanted to engage a small group of users. They aimed to test their product and build early advocacy for it. They also wanted to find and fix any initial gaps.

This approach allowed them to:

👉️ Generate buzz and curiosity among tech enthusiasts

👉️ Create a community of early adopters who felt special and invested in the product's success

The Loop

The key to Arc's launch was controlling user growth. This improved onboarding and feedback collection. This helped Arc to fix their product. It also controlled the narrative around their campaign. They seeded their messaging and positioning to a select group of users to test, refine, and validate.

Impact: 

Arc's launch strategy proved highly effective: Over 100,000 users gained access during the initial invite-only phase

Achieved a 300% increase in user engagement within the first three months post-launch

Generated significant buzz in the tech community, with positive reviews and word-of-mouth marketing

Successfully expanded to Windows in April 2024, broadening their user base

MARKETING MINDSET MOMENT

Role of a marketer: Owning the strategy

When you drive your first campaign, I urge you to keep an open mind. Soak in all insights and feedback from both internal and external stakeholders.

Marketers with a growth mindset see challenges as chances to grow. They learn from failures. This helps them stay flexible in changing markets.

Balance creativity with strategy. Be creative to make engaging campaigns. But also plan well. Know your audience and set clear goals. Make sure creative work fits business aims.

These attitudes help marketers make better campaigns. This improves results and helps marketers grow in their field.

Pitfall while designing a validation loop

Launch campaigns are rarely perfect, and there is always room for improvement, however, there are few things to be mindful of:

RESOURCES ON SPOTLIGHT

Rice framework (Link here)

The 1-Page Marketing Plan" by Allan Dib (Link here)

Contagious: Why Things Catch On" by Jonah Berger (Link here)

How to launch your first marketing campaign (Link here)