This piece originally appeared on AllBusiness.com.
A lot goes into preparing for a new product or company launch, and for young entrepreneurs, the stakes are especially high to make sure the execution goes off without a hitch. In order to ensure long-lasting success, you need to have a few key areas checked off on your master marketing plan.
Six entrepreneurs from FounderSociety (FS) who have had experience getting new businesses off the ground share their recommendations of the activities entrepreneurs should take care of in preparation.
Q. What is one marketing-related task or activity every founder should do BEFORE announcing their new launch?
1. Launch a Landing Page
Aside from a logo to give your brand purpose and something to stand behind, every new business or startup should have a landing page. Don’t overthink it: explaining who you are, what your business is, and its purpose with contact information is all you need. A web property is the first thing most people search for when identifying relevancy of a business. Without a URL you could find yourself dead in the water.—Nick Francis, The Franchise Group
2. Research Your Potential Customers
Research and interview your potential customers. Not only will it help validate your idea, but it can also give you some incredible insight into how others think about your product or service. What problems do they need help solving? What would prompt them to look for a solution? Where would they look? As a bonus, these interviews will give you insight into how to market your product once you do launch.—Josh Ames, SparkReaction
3. Have a Great Online Presence
Before announcing any big plans or launching a new business, every founder should make sure that they rank at the top of the search results for their name, brand, and business. The last thing you want is to announce your big plans, then have people search for you and find non-relevant or negative information posted on other websites. Your site, blog, and social profiles should rank first.—Zac Johnson, Blogging.org
4. Make Your Messaging Consistent
Let everyone on your team know what your messaging (vision, goals, and differentiation) is going to be. This helps when you are having a launch party or giving interviews because your team members will be asked these questions too. If everyone on the team understands the messaging, you deliver a consistent message to the outside world, which is just learning about your product or service.—Ashu Dubey, 12 Labs
5. Line Up a Review
Recruit a blogger, editor, or journalist to review your product before you launch so you can immediately follow up your PR push with a positive review posted on a third party’s website. This will help your SEO and give you some credibility for those initial potential customers who start kicking the tires once you’ve launched.—Julian Flores, GetOutfitted, Inc.
6. Have a Prepared Marketing Plan
It is so important to create a marketing plan: you want to make sure you have the ideas and tools in place to market the launch of your product to the best of your ability. The way you market can make or break your business–it’s that simple.—Michael Rheaume, SnapKnot Inc.
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