3 tips on how to launch your product like a boss

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This article will help you:

Understand the importance of an effective go-to-market strategy and how branding leads to a successful product launch

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You and your team have worked tirelessly to develop your awesome new product. After months of planning the details (not to mention the meetings to ensure you’ve thought of everything), you feel ready at last for your product release. This is where a product launch plan is critical.

Professor Clayton Christensen at Harvard Business School estimates that of 30,000 new products are released to the market annually, almost 95% fail. Where businesses need to pay more attention is when it comes to brand design and its role in ensuring a successful go-to-market strategy.

The time, effort, and resources you devote to product development are worth little without a successful strategy. Expanding your operations, maintaining payroll, or even developing a new product dramatically relies on a triumphant product launch.

You need an experienced product marketing design expert who will connect every aspect of your branding, from helping you develop your core brand identity to creating the visual elements necessary for each consumer touchpoint.

Let’s dive into three essential tips for a successful product launch.

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1. Map your product timeline with an expert

   Product development and product launches often go awry due to poor planning.

   It’s important to identify the right roles for your product launch team and include a professional who knows the best order of operations regarding brand identity development for every consumer touchpoint.

   It’s easy to get ahead of yourself when the great ideas start to flow, so it’s critical to have a reliable and organized design lead who can keep your team on track, quickly get you to the finish line, and deliver the strategic vision to your clients.

2. Get the full scoop on your audience

   Ultimately, your product launch is only as successful as its potential to connect with your target audience.

   Throughout your product planning, you should ask questions to help you thoroughly understand your product’s target audience, such as, “What’s the deeper problem we solve for them?” and “What does their life look like after they buy my product?”

   When working with brands, I help construct language that connects your audience and product based on market research, focus groups, and surveys. This means the right questions are asked and answered throughout product development.

   Bringing in the perspective of someone outside of the development team offers invaluable insight. It’s a smart way to separate what you think about your product from how it meets your customer’s needs.

   Doing this heavy lifting upfront allows you to maintain consistency in your brand image, nurturing recognition and trust with your audience. As a bonus, you can find a deeper understanding of your brand by exploring resources like my core identity workbook.

3. Opt for a one-stop design solution

   A graphic designer can help create your baseline visual brand elements, but a skilled strategic design partner can support the seamless connection of your visuals & messaging with the utility of your product launch and go-to-market strategy.

   With complete branding and design support, you get guaranteed consistency, making your product more recognizable and memorable.

   I love taking the core aspects of a visual brand, including logos, colors, styles, and typography, and applying them to where your customer will encounter your product. This includes landing pages and websites, packaging labels, sales materials, infographics, pitch decks, white papers, billboards, rack cards, line cards, and one-sheets.

   This level of design attention streamlines your product development and limits the risk of a delayed launch due to mismatched (or inadequate) branding.

Let’s launch your product the right way

Setting yourself up for product launch success starts with an experienced brand designer on your team. Her role is to outline your product development roadmap, deeply understand your audience’s needs, and create a design system that accounts for all the ways your product will be experienced.

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Key takeaways

• Consider what roles on your product launch team (like a design expert) will support your long-term branding success.
• Work with an experienced designer to build a comprehensive design system for your brand and product requirements.
• A strategic design partner will help you gain impactful insights from your target audience and translate that into effective design and messaging.

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Professional design that brings your brand into sharp focus

I help you get measurable results from your brand design without the hassle, cost, or stress of an agency.

Do you want better market positioning so you can command a higher market value? I’ll visually harmonize and effectivize* your brand content so that it can be better understood by the right people.

Here’s what I offer:

• Strategic Design Partnerships to help your company command more sales, deeper customer relationships, and premium pricing
• 90-minute sessions to fix that pesky design issue you’re facing

*Yes, I made this word up.