If you regularly visit WhyDoWork.com and aren’t just an RSS follower, you’ll know we’ve been rolling out some sweet redesigns all over the site. I’m particularly proud of our new homepage which outlines our main goals and services at the site quite nicely. I’ll blog more on that later, because today I wanted to focus on the things I do when preparing for a new service or product launch (which we have coming quite soon).
You could have the best product in the world, but if you don’t have the marketing plan to back it up, there is a good chance you’ll never succeed.

My Situation

One of my jobs at WhyDoWork is planning out our marketing and advertising plans and investments. We have been working on a massive upgrade to the site to transform it into the premiere community for home based workers and those interested in making money online. All the graphical work is done, all the code is almost complete, and all the testing is coming to an end; it’s almost launch time.

What Am I Hoping to Achieve?

This is the question I not only ask myself, but anyone who is going to launch a new product or service. What you’re hoping to achieve is the root of your marketing plan. Formulate a statement that will define your target goal. Here’s mine:

I am hoping that through this launch I can reach waves of those interested in making money online through targeted advertising, viral, and traditional media. I would like for my efforts to result in a large increase in the user base of our community and continued expansion through members’ use of our new services.

What Do I Need to Make it Happen?

Once you have your answer to the first question, break it up into components you can manage. In my case, I’m going to need to take out some ads on popular blogs and sites that cater to those that make money online, possibly look into paid reviews, and expand our regular advertising budget. The ad copy I write must describe the new services and provide viewers with a compelling reason to join us. To achieve my goal of impacting the launch through viral media, I can hold a contest, create an entertaining youtube video, or offer some kind of incentive to spread the news. To achieve my goal of reaching traditional media, I’ll need to have a press release drafted and target news sources that may be interested in the topic.

Action Your Plan

Even though I was a little vague with the ideas I outlined above, the last step is to put your plan into action. Figure out how much you’re willing to spend on the overall campaign, determine which aspects warrant the most spending, and when the time is right, kick your campaign into high gear!

Once I have everything budgeted and set up, I’ll be sure to post a follow up detailing the launch campaign. You’ll get to see the effects of various types of advertising without spending any money. :)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed.!