READY! AIM! LAUNCH!

In today’s information-intense world, your customer has so much to choose from.      If you’ve read the section on “Engineer's Dream or Saleable Solution?” we’ll assume that you understand your potential clients and their needs, and that you have firm data that says your product really does answer some burning question for them. (If you haven’t, we recommend that reading that section first)

 

 To launch successfully, you need to frame the message, identify the media, and make a plan. Your most critical concerns will be:

• What about your product creates an urgency to buy?
• How are you going to create visibility for your product?
• How are you going to create credibility for your company?
• How are you going to manage the myriad of details necessary for your visibility and credibility program?

THE BURNING QUESTION:  WHY BUY YOUR PRODUCT?

 It’s a jungle out there! What’s your message?  How will you grab the attention of your potential customer? Before you start to think about launching a product, you need a “value proposition.”  That is:  what makes your product unique and valuable?  What makes your product stand out from all the rest?  What problem does your product solve?

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CREATE VISIBILITY?

Not just ads and shows!  Don’t get us wrong: A few good shows, carefully selected, form the core of a solid marketing program.  But we suggest that you save your money and choose only a few, select, high impact shows and ads then balance them with less expensive but higher visibility articles, web content, tutorials, press releases, and similar activities. 

Need help defining which shows are best for your product?.  MME’s “Meetings of Interest” lists key U.S. meetings central to the microscopy and imaging market, grouped by discipline.  Each meeting has two links:  One with a short profile put together by the MME staff and the second, a link directly to the Society or meeting sponsor. You can also download a briefer, PDF version of MME’s Calendar of Shows of Interest to Microscopy and Imaging.

BRAINSTORM!

Before you think about taking out a single ad, sit down with your whole team and list every low cost, no cost opportunity that will get your product and your company in front of your audience.  Ask everybody in the company.  You’ll be surprised, both at the feeling of empowerment and also at the creative ideas that emerge.  Different people have different perspectives.  Just remember:  A key rule of brainstorming is “No Pre-judgement.”  Keep the ideas flowing and eventually the valuable nuggets will rise to the top, nuggets that will form the core of your creative, high-impact, and much less expensive marketing program.

SOME IDEAS TO CREATE VISIBILITY...

Remember that your website is a valuable asset, but how will you drive people to visit it?  What about pre-show mailers or emails?  Special demonstrations or tutorials at tradeshows?  Joint marketing with companies providing related technologies?  Who’s going to give papers?  Who can chair a session?  Who can write a punchy press release (500 words with 1 product picture)?  What about application notes on related topics, downloadable from your website in PDF form and available through your sales people?  ...Or white papers on important experimental issues, posted to your website?  … and how will you tell people that they are there?  What about a press release on your new building?  What about sponsoring equipment for a workshop being offered at a key laboratory? Or a Users’ Group? Or something fun like a contest on your website? The list is endless.

… AND CREDIBILITY.

In research conducted in the mid-1980’s McGraw Hill discovered that one page of editorial content is equal in impact to 7 (that’s SEVEN!) pages of advertising!  To give your company credibility AND to maximize every marketing dollar, consider writing short application articles (1200 words + 1 product shot and 2 gorgeous application photos) and placing them carefully in either focus issues of publications or articles.

By the way, MME has a unique combination of business understanding and technical expertise.  We’ve written dozens of this type of article and can write and place one highlighting your technology or give you guidance on writing your own. .

THE IMPORTANCE OF “WORD OF MOUTH” ADVERTISING

Since 1991, MME research has discovered that microscopists and customers using related imaging technologies rely most strongly on information from trusted colleagues.  When you are putting together your launch program, don’t forget to include as many opportunities as possible for this type of “virus marketing.”  And don’t forget that you have TWO audiences:  the business community and your potential customer group.  In addition to web postings about new officers and the next round of fund raising, don’t forget your clients.  Send out and post press releases on key sales (just be careful to do it after your successful installation… and make sure to get permission!).  Sponsor important customers to give papers at technical meetings.  How about an “expert in the booth”?  Or a tutorial?  Or creating a booklet explaining to the science behind your technology?

ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE!

If you’ve followed this plan, you now have lists of shows and important publications, a gaggle of opportunities for editorial content, and multitude of ideas for virus marketing.  Just listing them is quite a challenge.  How will you organize them, along with the crowd of details necessary to implement them?  And how will you manage the budget?  Our next section, “Headache Free Marketing” shows you how to construct a Flight Plan™,  MME’s proprietary business tool for controlling the chaos and getting to market WITHOUT the normal headaches!

NEED HELP GETTING STARTED?

 MME's clients have asked us to do everything from marketing on a shoe-string to developing full blown, “glossy” programs.  Give us a call at (972)924-5310 or email me, Barbara Foster, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Let’s discuss what you need and how we can get you going.  If you need just simple direction, we’re happy to give you that info on the phone.  For more extensive support, we’ll quote a program to fit your needs.

(Photo Credit: Jen Molander, www.jenmolander.com - "Kai 1")