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Each new product you introduce is an opportunity for your company to evolve. You can gain a greater proportion of your market, you can stimulate overall growth, and potentially influence your standing in your industry. As such, your launch is a vital form of grabbing attention and encouraging engagement.
It’s important to remember your product launch doesn’t only consist of the day your product goes live. Your marketing efforts in the weeks leading up to the launch will influence the ongoing momentum of the project. Video is among the most impactful forms of approaching this.
As you plan your product launch, it’s worth taking some time to examine some of the considerations for effective video marketing.
Appropriate Formats
While it is true there are some types of video that can work for almost any business, it’s important to hone in on those relevant for your launch. You need to get the most out of your video marketing budget, so it’s worth reviewing what formats tend to work best for specific business models.
● Retail
Making a launch video for every new product in a retail store is usually impractical. It’s better to save these for special edition items or new collections. Your launch marketing videos in this instance should take the form of teases. Keep the content short and highly visual. Give your demographic a sense of what the collection adds to their lives. Think of this as gradual storytelling leading to the excitement of the release.
● Software as a Service
Video is a possibility too often overlooked by software as a service (SaaS) businesses. Usually, the most effective formats in software launches are showcasing clips. These feature information on how this new product solves specific problems and how it is superior to competitors. You can also benefit from early instructional videos. Design these to help prepare potential clients for adopting the software into their businesses.
● Subscriptions
If your product launch is for a new subscription service, there are a few effective formats. The aforementioned showcasing of products can be a good approach. This is particularly the case if you have a range and quality of items being offered in each cycle. You can also provide behind-the-scenes clips focused on showing the work that goes into curating your subscription items and the partnerships you have built with other brands. Explainer videos can also be effective here. These are opportunities to get your audience a practical sense of how your particular subscriptions work. By the time of the launch, they are already prepared to engage.
Plan Ahead
Any successful product launch requires significant planning. Without a strategy to approach it, you run the risk of the big day being anti-climactic. In fact, without a roadmap, your messaging can very easily become confused. The same principle applies to your launch marketing videos. To get the most out of them, you need to commit to planning.
This should begin with the general planning process of your launch itself. After all, your videos shouldn’t be treated as a separate tool of marketing, but an integrated aspect of your launch. The launch checklist can be one of your most useful tools in the run-up to the release date, making certain the potential for errors is reduced. It can also be a useful guide to identify areas that can support or benefit from additional video marketing focus. Can the manufacturing process provide opportunities to create behind-the-scenes items? Would your product positioning statement be more effectively delivered via video storytelling? This is also a prime time to start to map out scheduling for the video releases to build the most interest in the launch.
The earlier you can establish your need for certain types of videos, the better chance you have of planning production schedules. This tends to result in higher quality content. Don’t treat production and editing as afterthoughts. While there are tools today to make these processes easier and more accessible, problems can still arise. Planning well in advance also gives you space to discover and capitalize on unexpected elements. This can make for more creative and engaging content.
Understand the Platforms
Among the many reasons to use video marketing in your launch is the sheer access to global audiences. This is largely a result of the prevalence of video platforms with ready audiences at your disposal. However, it’s not a one-fits-all scenario. You need to be clear on what platforms you should be using to match your intentions for your launch videos.
Some of the primary platform considerations include:
● YouTube
This is among the primary platforms for video marketing. It is especially useful if you are making longer-form videos and it has in-built “premier” countdown options to help you build enthusiasm. When introducing product-specific launches, it’s sometimes worth building a new channel from the ground up to focus on the unique perspectives related to your new products. Take the time to develop eye-catching branded thumbnails and gear your editing and titles to be consistent with this look. Though it may not be your primary purpose, the videos garnering significant attention can also bring in secondary income through ad revenue.
● Social Media
Each social media channel offers its own approach to video marketing. Twitter is not specially designed to support video, but you can share video links hosted on YouTube or your own website. Instagram and TikTok are designed for shorter, snappier videos aimed at younger audiences. You can gain attention for your launch on these in terms of teases and product reveals. Facebook is better when using longer videos, largely directed at Generation X and older. Video also happens to be the primary media audiences on Facebook tend to consume.
Conclusion
Video marketing can be an engaging way to gain attention for your new products. Place some focus on choosing the appropriate platforms for your business and the types of product you’re showcasing. Take a thorough and goal-oriented approach to planning. Remember that not all platforms are suitable for every type of marketing video. It takes some dedication and work, but video marketing can make a difference in the impact of your product launch.
