Create A Content Plan For Your Software Product Launch

Most product launches fail. That’s the truth. According to research published by Marketing Research Association, only 40% of all developed products make it to the market, and of this 40%, only around 60% make any money at all. 

 

Creating the right buzz around your product at launch can play a big role in creating brand awareness and generating sales. In this article, we will take a look at how a content plan can assist in this process. 

Identify marketing channels

The first step in creating a content plan is to identify the marketing channels you are going after.  Most software products typically opt for PPC and PR. That is, they focus on advertising and generating buzz with news releases. Social media is a small part of the marketing efforts at many organizations and so we will not be focusing on that in this article.

 

Software products are however not launched in a day. In most cases, there is a warm-up period where marketers build buzz in the industry about the launch, and a post-launch phase where brand awareness becomes a focus-area.

 

For B2B products, webinars and events play a big part in this process. Your content plan must go beyond the traditional avenues and must also focus on each of these marketing campaigns separately. Launching dedicated PPC and PR campaigns for your webinars and events are not completely unheard of.

 

Content plan for PPC

With advertisements, there are mainly two specific areas of content to focus on. The ad copy, and the landing page. The objective of the ad copy is to appeal to the target group and get them to click on the message, while the objective of the landing page copy is to nudge the visitor to sign up for a free trial or request quotation.

 

It is important for your web copywriting team to start with the objectives and work their way backwards to the actual content. This ensures that their vision aligns with that of your marketing team.

 

Content plan for PR

With PR, marketers mostly focus on the reach. Consequently, they choose to publish their press releases on feeds that reach the maximum number of journalists and editorial decision makers. While this may seem like a good strategy, this is no longer adequate. 

 

News writers, like everyone else, are inundated with new information that a large chunk of your targets often miss your PR. For an effective software product launch, it is important to think like a journalist - is your PR newsworthy? What angles and perspectives would a journalist take while writing about your software? Can the solution you are offering be tied to a recent news or event? The content you draft must address these questions in order to be received well. 

 

Following up is key

Both PPC and PR are incomplete without email marketing. This is because not all people you target with these marketing channels are going to convert on their first visit. Users who sign up for a free trial may need a frequent nudge through the trial period in order to convert as a paying user.

 

With PR too, you may want to send follow-up releases targeting a different perspective if you did not succeed with coverage in your first attempt.

 

Email marketing can come in handy for such follow-ups. Marketers who have used applications like ConvertKit have found that it can work really well with keeping their audiences engaged during the launch phase. This lead follow up strategy should hence be a part of your launch plan.

 

In conclusion, it is worth reiterating that a content plan needs to be holistic in a way that it covers all your various launch platforms, as well as spread out throughout the pre-launch and post-launch phases. Failing this, you may fail to see the momentum that is required to make your launch a true success.

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