How to launch a brand on a shoestring budget

Written By Jack Marchese
Branding

Set yourself up for success

Part 1

  • Easie marketing hierarchy of needs.

  • Three main roadblocks to launching.

  • Launch timeline:

    • Pre-launch activities.

    • Launch activities.

    • Post-launch activities.

Part 2

  • Website KPIs.

  • Retargeting ads.

  • Collecting feedback.

  • Additional advice.

Easie marketing hierarchy of needs

 
Hierarchy
 

Successful businesses have a strong brand

The three main roadblocks to launching

  • Best-fit customer and messaging are unknown.

  • No awareness or social proof.

  • No budget.

Launch timeline

Pre-launch

  • Build an audience.

  • Market and messaging ads ($5 to $10 per day).

  • Set up analytics.

Launch

  • Launch on a known platform.

  • Influencers.

  • 24/7 customer service.

Post-launch

  • Analyze feedback.

  • Keep momentum.

  • Invest in growth activities.

Pre-launch activities

  • Create social media pages that are relevant to your audience but the most important thing for your business is typically a Facebook group.

  • Start A/B testing. The main variables to test consist of:

    • Target audience.

    • Messaging.

    • Landing pages.

    • You can either have a pre-order offer for them to purchase or get their email and follow up.

  • Have analytics tracking set up on your main website or on your lead page if you don’t have one yet.

    You do not need a product or even a completed website for these activities

Launch activities

  • Your website won’t have a lot of traction early on. Launch on a platform that has steady traffic and give them some kind of promotional offer.  Example: ProductHunt ($0).

  • By launch day you should have identified at least 3 people who have a large following who can promote you.  You should also have a press release and press kit and try and get in media that is relevant to you. The point here is social proof.  It’s hard to trust a new business, but if recognizable people and media promote you, it shows you are trustworthy. You are what the experts recommended! ($0).

  • Your customer service needs to be exceptional early on. People are going to have the most questions at launch and this is often when products are the most unstable.  Be prepared to work 20+ hours that first week or have a dedicated team who can answer questions 24/7 early on (Easie offers 24/7 customer service to our clients).

  • Your sales funnel should be clean and clear.  The user interaction with your website should be predictable and deliberately designed.


Make sure your website can handle traffic spikes.

A site crash can destroy your momentum and hurt your credibility.

Post-launch activities

  • Review everything.  Look at your analytics, surveys and conversations with customers. Most people focus on why people leave but it’s equally important to learn why people stay. Find more people who are willing to stay before you invest energy and resources into additional features or services.

  • Startups will often have hockey stick or heart monitor growth.  A good launch campaign has consistent momentum but that momentum can crash quickly.  Make sure you keep your audience engaged and keep trying to reach new customers.

  • It is tempting to invest in new features right away.  We do not suggest this.  That money should be reserved for fixing crucial bugs/errors and growth.  If you have a campaign for $5 a day that is working bump it up gradually. Hire a salesperson if needed.

Website key performance indicators

KPIs will vary by industry but generally these are the KPIs we suggest tracking initially:

  • Bounce rate: the percentage at which people come to your website and leave immediately.

  • Lead time: the amount of time it takes to buy your product/service from the first time a user visits your website.

  • Conversion rate: website visits/count of desired action.  This number will be different depending on your industry.

Re-targeting ads

  • Create retargeting ads for late funnel activity for ($5 per day).

  • With a small budget only retarget people who get deep into your funnel.

 
Funnel
 

Collecting feedback

You need to give your customer several opportunities to leave feedback about your business. This can be done through the following methods:

  • Email drip campaign seven days after a customer purchases an email will automatically be sent to them asking to leave feedback.

  • Use non-intrusive pop-ups on your website asking for a review.

  • Call/message customers directly to collect feedback.

  • Watch customers engage with your product live. This is the best thing you can do.

Additional advice

  • Launch lean:

    • Your product or service is not going to be perfect at launch.  If you wait for perfection you will wait forever.

    • Don’t be afraid to launch with only a few core features or a few minor bugs. Stability and usability are more important than a depth of features at launch.

  • Have an affiliate program:

    • Incentivize people to promote your product.

    • Affiliate programs allow people to sell your product for you without ever needing to have formal meetings or set up specific deals.

  • Don’t get discouraged:

    • Something will always go wrong. Even if you create a great campaign it’s possible it just never picks up steam. Even Google has billion dollar projects fail.

    • A good product is more important than a good campaign. A good campaign can bring temporary awareness and sales, but a good product has staying power.

Easie can help you launch your brand quickly

Schedule a free 15-minute consultation

Jack Marchese
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