How to Launch a Product in 2018: Unavoidable Content Marketing Trends
It seemed to Maya, the product director of the Crisp Tech company, that nobody slept for days. And yet everyone was happy and smiling – their new app was ready to hit the market! Not only did they manage to build out a perfect shopping assistant app that Maya was sure buyers everywhere would use, they also managed to put in place what seemed like a bulletproof marketing strategy that would bring the success that their app deserved. All because of her amazing team and that super-awesome pre-launch meeting they had. Everyone brought their slyest tricks to the table ensuring the best possible app launch. Here’s how it went:
Why Branded Content?
They first started talking about current trends and what actually works. The company’s main analyst, Ellen, stood and presented some solid numbers.
“I say forget display ads. Branded content is twice as memorable (Forbes 2016)!” she says, showing a chart. “No matter what numbers we look at – affinity, purchase intent, or brand recall, branded content always gets better results (Nielsen 2016). I say we create original content around the new app, completely honestly and avoiding gimmicks and clickbaits. That way we will be able to build trust with our consumers.”
Live Video is Taking Over
Their media expert, Mark, couldn’t have agreed more, but he also added his two cents on the topic. He said video and interactive content are the way to go. It’s common knowledge that users prefer video to all other content types, but they also retain 95% of the message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in the text (Wirebuzz).
“We should definitely make how-to-use educational videos, and we should reach out to our users… But most of all we should utilize live video, as it’s completely taking over (Nimble 2018). Imagine having a test group made up of our loyal users going out and testing the app in real time. There’s no editing, no distrust. Just people having fun with our app!”
Aligning Media Planning Strategies
Everyone was excited about this idea, and the head of media planning, Allison, told them about the great prep that the department was able to put together. They had a list of publishers that offer relevant content and users, which would mean raising awareness and driving purchase intent among the audience that would actually be interested in finding out about and buying the app.
They were preparing to send out the RFPs and Allison assured them that they would stress out how important custom content and video opportunities were. They would go for native content where possible and push for mobile – most of the world is watching videos on their mobile phones!
Relying on Personal Brands
“Don’t forget the social media, or else no one will actually hear about the app!”, Neil interjected jokingly. He was in charge of their social media efforts and was damn good at it. “We need to hit all channels; YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter… The users have never been more active and willing to watch videos! What a perfect time to launch our app!”
He proceeded to tell them about the list of influencers that have shopping-first following on the mentioned social media channels.
“People trust other people more than they trust brands. We need to let the influencers experience the app and talk about it in an authentic way. If we affect their point of view, our consumers will know. Let’s be honest about it and ask their opinion.”
Creativity is Infinite
“Listen, guys,” Jim, the Crisp Tech’s creative mastermind added, “the LEGO movie was such a hit in the box office that people almost forgot it was actually a giant LEGO ad. The movie increased brand awareness and also increased sales. It became one of the most successful branded content pieces of all time. Sales for LEGO increased by 25% in 2015 after the release of the movie (The Mission Daily 2017). All of that happened because the LEGO team was thinking outside of the box.We want to make sure we’re selling an experience, not a piece of software with certain features. We want to change the way our audience thinks and acts. We want to tell a story that will change shopping as we know it.”
Let’s Not Forget About Product Placement
Mark added. By elegantly integrating your product into the content your audience already loves you’re making sure it stays at the top of their minds. If done correctly, it will have much more impact than any number of banners or emails. The perfect example is Marvel’s Runaways and Lyft (The Mission 2017). In the show, the characters use Lyft to get around town. It’s nicely integrated, it doesn’t seem like an ad, and yet it grabs viewers’ attention like a highly successful one. Just make sure to strike a fine balance between too obvious and invisible.
Fast-forward one month, Maya was pinching herself to make sure she wasn’t not dreaming. The app was such a success it almost felt like traditional shopping is going to disappear in a couple of months. The positive word of mouth did wonders for it. It was a topic of everyone’s conversation. Users were loving it. Now she was certain she had a bulletproof plan for many other products to come.
If you truly love your product, you will want to make an extra step to make sure it’s well received by its audience. And, in order to do so, you’ll use all the tools to produce content marketing that speaks in their language. They will recognize it, consider you as one of their own, and repay you with conversions, as well as brand loyalty. Good content marketing truly is a love letter to your product’s potential buyers.
