Noteworthy branding is a company’s beating heart and soul—it fosters brand awareness, loyalty, and, eventually, development. A successful brand launch is what gets the business to take its first step to the ladder of success. This is particularly true in the beginning, but also at later stages. If a company grows or changes direction, it may outgrow its previous brand, and as their existing persona is holding them back, they may decide it’s time for a change.
Well-prepared brand launches have been effective for major companies such as Apple, Amazon, Starbucks, and many more. Let’s have a look at how this translates.
Brand Launch Strategy for New and Existing Businesses
For a successful brand launch, the goal is to adopt a strategic approach and establish a new identity that anchors the mission and vision of your organization. If you’re an existing business, you may want to identify if your business needs a new brand launch campaign. To determine this, know your underlying reasons behind it.
Keep in mind that we’d be doing you a disservice if we didn’t warn you about the risks associated with rebranding. Rebranding attempts may go tragically wrong if not conducted well and with good purpose. If you’re thinking about launching a new brand, you might want to reconsider the following “bad reasons to rebrand”:
- in the middle of the crisis or to excape criticisms;
- to address a brand recognition problem (because changing your brand won’t necessarily fix that problem);
- because you are bored and want something new; and
- for the sole purpose of gaining attention.
The objective of the launch strategy in a typical new brand creation process is to optimize the chances of financially attaining acceptance in the target market. Companies understand that great brands are—and have always been—linked to faster revenue growth and higher return on investment. As a result, most businesses focus their strategy on establishing great brands, as they represent a competitive advantage. Establishing a brand is a crucial success element in producing value for both customers and businesses.
Digging Deeper: How to Successfully Launch a Brand?
Successful launches need meticulous planning, preparation, teamwork, and execution. According to Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, more than 30,000 new products launch each year, but 95 percent of them fail. As a new or existing business owner, you will have to have a lot of patience and a determined team to put together a successful launch procedure that will outperform the competition and create a splash in the market. This process requires multiple trials to develop a successful brand launch strategy because what works for other businesses might not always work for you. In this case, planning is important because, with careful planning, even the most complicated brand launch may go off without a hitch—and who doesn’t like it when a plan comes together?
It is definitely not simple to kickstart a successful brand. From email announcements, social media channels to marketing campaigns, the number of assets that must be updated and executed for multiple audiences on a precisely choreographed timeline is enough to make your head spin. After all, this is an exciting moment: you’re launching your new brand into the public eye, so the stakes are high, and so is the pressure on your shoulders.
Is it easy to launch a brand? No, it’s not! It comes with risks. Creating a brand is challenging, yet very rewarding.
With each brand launch, there are difficulties and risks to consider—but sometimes, the higher the risk undertaken, the more prominent the brand becomes, potentially bringing your business to the top.
Five Stages of Your Brand’s Launch Campaign
In the early brand development phase, just like in a rebranding project, it’s vital to start planning and pay special attention to elements like key audiences, communication, scheduling, and follow-through.
“Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.”
— Napoleon Hill
If you’ve been looking for some high-level advice on how to start a brand campaign, the following guide of steps (or phases) can help you plan your campaign.
Step 1: Define your scope and reestablish the target audience for your brand.
Your clients should always be at the core of your brand, whether it’s new or old. The first stage in any brand launch process is to determine who your target audience is. Consider how you might improve your brand’s positioning to interact with these customers. Examine your present client information. Once you’ve identified your target scope, narrow it down to the people who are most likely to have already had a positive encounter with your products and services.
Step 2: Redefine the vision, mission, and goals of your company.
What do you think your business will look like in 5 or 10 years? What is your main goal? Keep in mind that your brand is the face of your business. As a result, it grounds on the “why” aspect. Your brand will lack the authenticity it needs to engage with customers if your business has no clear vision and purpose. As an organization aiming for the top, you have to set yourself up to establish a stronger and more authentic brand. Learn to re-evaluate and redefine your firm’s “why” and clearly outline its vision, mission, and goals.
Step 3: Boost your Upcoming Brand Launch.
Hosting a pre-launch private event is one of the most effective methods to generate a buzz. During the event, you can provide special discounts or promotions to boost sales.
You may also want to use Google Ads or Facebook Ads to run a sponsored advertisement. This way, you can also generate more traffic. Many businesses propose utilizing Facebook Ads because it enables comprehensive interest-based targeting. You can also make contact with media outlets. There’s a lot you can do, so don’t limit yourself. Leveraging your upcoming brand launch is critical for raising brand recognition and assisting with public relations.
Step 4: Leverage Friendlies during the Brand Launch Phase
Make sure everyone knows you’ve launched your brand! Social media is your best friend. Promote your launch on all social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Mastodon, forum communities you are part of (but be careful, there is an etiquette to this, particularly on Reddit) etc. Also, to create buzz, post video clips, live streams, and photos. The more people you can find at the launch event and on social media talking about your brand, the better.
Step 5: Monitor and Leverage your Post-Launch Phase.
If you have already launched your brand, it doesn’t mean ultimate success, because the impact doesn’t follow right away and it doesn’t last forever. It takes dollars, time, and effort to establish a noteworthy brand. Pursue what you have started by constantly communicating with your clients and delivering your best customer support. You may send email campaigns to thank them for supporting your brand or send them discount codes if they purchase a specific product or service from you.
In a Nutshell
An actionable strategy and timeframe in place will put your brand up for success, regardless of how well-established your brand is or how extensive your rebranding effort is. Follow these methods to re-engage your existing audience as well as build and engage your new audience, specific to your business and industry. Remember that procedures that work for one organization may not necessarily work for you, and that developing your tailored product launch strategy will likely require trial and error.
With appropriate market research and pre-launch planning, you can ace your next product launch. Find the perfect combination of techniques, product tools, and procedures for a successful brand launch!
Yes, we truly understand that brand launching is not as easy as eating peanuts. Check out our other articles, and if you need further help, our brand agency is there to help your business stand out to gain credibility and traction in the competitive market. Check out our services page, or book a free evaluation call. See you around!