How to Launch a Digital Product: 7 Keys to Speedy Success

1. Don't Over-Complicate

Start with the simplest, easiest launch methods – ones that you already know how to do or can set up quickly. 

It's easy to look at someone with a complicated launch funnel and think, “I should be doing that!” But those people have been doing launches for years or have someone managing it all for them. When speed is an issue, it's best to stick with what you can implement quickly. Then, add more tactics over time as you gain more experience.

For example, create a course sales page and choose one or two marketing channels to drive traffic to it. Test and learn as you go, and you’ll find out what works best. 

2. Try a Soft Launch

We often do ‘soft launches,' primarily to our own email lists and followers. 

Soft launches are a great way to test a product with your current customers before investing in a bigger launch.

You can then ask your customers for their feedback, both the positive and the constructive type. Incorporate that feedback into both your launch materials and your product or service itself before you launch to the general public. You'll end up with a much higher quality product as a result, AND you'll have success stories to share. That will improve the conversions on your bigger launches even more.

3. Build a Template Library

We use templates for almost everything in our launches and our products. 

For example, we use a Canva template for our social media images, and our launch email sequences follow a pattern of pre-launch content, heads-up, promo, free content, reminders, etc. We may write new emails each time, but it's easier when you already have a sequence to follow. The same goes for all our launch content. Keep templates for your designs and layouts.

Create your own checklist of content that you know you'll want to create for each launch. Put that checklist in your project management tool and keep a folder of templates that you can share with team members.

4. Define a Detailed Process

While it may take time to figure it out, you need to lay out every single detail of your launch process. That should include all the bits and pieces that either members of your team or third parties are responsible for. We put that process into our Asana project management tool, save it as a template, and then copy that template as a new project every time we're ready to launch a new product.

Having all your tasks laid out, down to the smallest steps, eliminates the time you usually spend trying to decide what to do next. And if you save that list, you'll help ensure you don't forget a task next time. Just add to the launch process template every time you find that you need to change or when you suddenly remember a task that wasn't listed.

5. Be Prepared to Change Course

Be ready to adapt to market (and life) events. 

An idea for increasing sales might suddenly comes to you that you want to act on. You might have an unexpected crisis in your own life that cuts into the time you had planned to implement the launch. A request from a customer or other feedback might come in that you want to incorporate in the product. Or, there might be a news event that you can leverage during your launch. Even though we create most of our content in advance, we sometimes go in and edit based on new ideas or events.

If your mindset is ready to turn on a dime and make changes in your launch plan, then your stress level is instantly reduced.

And if all hell breaks loose and your life turns upside down, you can still proceed with a launch if you cut everything to a bare minimum. I've definitely had this happen at times. Usually, we have everything prepared well in advance of a launch. But I've had times where 10 different demands on my personal time have pulled me away from launch tasks. In those cases, I look at my to-do list and identify the bare minimum, ‘must do' tasks, such as writing a launch email or scheduling a Facebook Ad. Then I prioritize the rest and fit it in around the edges of my crisis tasks.

6. Train Your Team

Build a team of reliable outsourcers who you can go to for help in creating marketing content, managing customer service, tech issues, monitoring sales, etc. Well before any launch, share your philosophy and guidelines for customer service, your standards for quality control, and your business values and mission.

Make sure that your team always has access to the most up-to-date materials, including promotional content. That means having shared folders where that content is easily accessible. You can even keep little training videos in those folders or in a separate training section for team members. That way, if someone needs to remember how to perform a task, such as setting up a new content upgrade, they can just watch the tutorial and follow any checklist you've created.

Aside from having your team well-prepared, ensure you have open lines of communication. We use Skype for quick questions, Evernote chat for some projects with detailed checklists, and Asana for keeping track of all the little tasks for a launch.

7. Don't Expect Perfection

Don't beat yourself up if something goes wrong during your launch or you end up not being able to do everything you planned. That's to be expected.

Even marketers who have been launching products for years have technology mishaps, bloopers, and typos. The key is to document everything so that you can improve your next launch.

Once you've done one product launch, you'll have the confidence to go bigger next time and add more complexity to the mix. Or keep it simple and just spend more time with lead generation in advance. If there's anything that's slowing you down, look for ways around that obstacle.