I’ve been working in marketing for a while now. I’m going to talk about not launching a product before it’s ready.
This is something that happens all the time but as marketers we need to make sure that our products are up to par before releasing them into the world. If not, there could be some serious consequences like wasting valuable resources or worse yet getting bad feedback from customers who can’t use your product because it’s not working properly.
You’re going to like this story.
I was about 3 weeks into a new job at a new company. This company produced, among other things, roll-out trash cans. You know, the one’s that you may have or see at the end of neighborhood driveways on trash day.
Anyway, my first big assignment had been to launch a bear-proof container. This was a big problem in the Rocky’s, Pacific Northwest, Canada…. During the night the bears would come out and stroll through the neighborhoods sampling from the buffet of containers at the end of everyone’s driveway, then after their fill… back into the woods and mountains they went. Morning comes and as people are taking out their dogs, going to work or school…. The street… trashed. Literally.
So, there was a need for something to keep the bears from making messes and probably saving them from some serious digestive issues.
Anyway, the engineering group had the can done and ready to go. I was going to do a product sheet, news release, photography, etc… As I started writing I asked if they got any third-party verification that the thing works. “Ohhh nooo… we don’t need that,” the senior engineering lead told me. “It works. No worries there.”
I replied, “Ok…. well… do you have a can I can take as I want to make sure. I’ll need it for some photography anyway. I’ll bring it right back when I’m done. That good?” After that quick conversation I was out the door rolling a 96-gallon roll-out bear resistant trash can.
I got to my office and went to the phone to get the number for our local zoo. They have bears. Just wondering if I can borrow one.
I got in touch with their communications director who I told my predicament and wondered if one of their bears could play with the container while I documented. After laughing together and her saying this request was a first, she proceeded to talk with the zookeepers and got back with me with an excited “yes!”
Later that week I was set to show up at the zoo at 7 in the morning before it was open. The communications director met me with the head zookeeper and bear people. There were a couple.
As we marched through the zoo towards the bear exhibit, the trash container being wheeled behind me… other zoo employees seemed to just appear. I was the pied piper leading the group. I had learned that word of this “testing” had gotten around, and everyone wanted to watch.
Ok. We got to the bear area and needed to remove the 2 wheels and axel as the zookeeper didn’t want to take the chance of anything injuring the bear. The bear, by the way was a 780 lb brown bear named, I think, Stella.
We opened the lid and the bear team dropped in oranges, some sort of food that looked like giant sized dog chow. They also poured in honey and peanut butter in addition to slathering it on the inside of the lid and can.
I secured the lid then off it went into the exhibit. Stella was still in her “den” locked away safely. After the can was placed and the zookeeper safely out of harm’s way, they opened her door for access to the exhibit.
Here comes Stella.
She seemed to wallow out of her door and see this strange looking thing in the middle of her area. Her nose was also sniffing away, and she immediately knew food was close.
She comes up to the can. While walking around it she’s sniffing and licking a bit around the lid. She paws playfully at the top and lid area and knocks it on its side. She then proceeds to jump her front legs up on the side of this thing and start jumping to buckle the poor polyethylene container. Me and the group of about 30 people burst out laughing. It’s buckling as she’s about collapsing the can. She then starts chewing at the lid and top (the can’s still on its side). A few more forceful clawing motions at the same area and then with one quick motion of a paw, the lid flew about 30’ across the exhibit where Stella then proceeded to enjoy her winnings.
Now mind you…. this all took less than 30 seconds from her door opening to the lid sailing like a frisbee.
Playing with Stella the bear was definitely a marketing first for me. After about another 30-45 minutes and she had gotten all the food she wanted she satisfyingly wallowed back into her “den” and the zookeeper closed her in. They then gathered up the can, lid and various shards of plastic and brought it out to me. Another zoo person came up with a hose to hose the can down and I just stopped him in time. Nope. I wanted the can in all its bear fur and slobber glory to bring back to the engineering team. The scratches, bite marks and all the removed parts and pieces were tossed inside and away I went.
I pulled up to the engineering building and dragged this thing right to the senior engineer leads office. I told him I had a bear play with it and to let me know when it’s ready for market.
Fast-forward about 4-5 months… our bear-resistant trash container was ready. It had been redesigned and verified by a third-party company in Colorado. The launch then went onto a be a success. All thanks to a marketer who asked questions and challenged things. And also, a big thank you to Stella and the local zoo.
Now that your product is ready to go… is production up and running? What’s the lead time if a customer were to order one today? These are all important questions that you need to ask as you methodically plan your launch communications.
I’ve seen it time and time again… product launch planned and executed flawlessly. Only one problem. Product production isn’t quite ready. Prototype issues. Supplier issues. Production issues. I’m sure you’ve all been there which immediately throws us into damage control mode as we’ve just announced it to the world after teasing it for a month or so.
In a dream world wouldn’t be nice to not get thrown into that panic of an organization shooting itself in the foot and then you having to deal with the consequences from the market and customers.
I know this seems like a no-brainer but with leadership pushing to get things out and hoping to impact sales this quarter, so many marketers give in to that pressure. I also know that some marketers don’t even have a choice – it’s dictated of when to launch.
Regardless… speak up. Say “no.” And like I mentioned, you may not have a choice, but it is your choice and responsibility as a marketer to voice your thoughts and opinion and to give reasons why something may or may not be the best.
Things happen on the product side that are beyond your control, but you can control your realm of marketing communications. Have all the sales tools written and designed. Have translations and localized versions complete. You’re probably going to be waiting on photography but have everything to go so you can just drop the photos in.
Another key aspect of a product launches is training. Are your sales and distribution teams trained? Have you provided them with a ‘launch kit’ containing all the necessary sales tools, presentations, and photography? What about an email signature? Supply that and give them all the other tools necessary so they can run with it.
Timing is an issue… ideally, you’ll want to get the sales tools, marketing campaigns, website, and anything else you need done prior to training your team. After training, inform them of the launch schedule. You could launch a week or 2 after sales is trained – but that’s also dependent upon your industry and the complexity of the product. Time it appropriately.
Also, as a side note… do you need to get instruments to key customers for testing and testimonials or case studies? What about assembling a key target account list by region for your sales and distribution teams during their training?
These are all things to consider. In addition to the sales tools and internal planning my launch, at a minimum, consist of a:
News release
Advertising – both electronic and print – whatever’s appropriate for your audience
Direct marketing
An email campaign with 3-5 touches
A print campaign if it’s right for your industry
Customer webinars scheduled
Social media campaigns
Application or demonstration video if appropriate
Website – all the information there? SEO complete?
White paper or technical article on the product
This is just a quick summary… you know what your industry needs and responds to.
But coming back to the main topic… make sure you’re ready to sell your product before you launch. It’ll eliminate headaches for you and frustration for your customer – especially if they find out the lead time is 32 weeks.
Doing things the right way and timing things appropriately will give your efforts their greatest chance of success.
The other day I saw & responded to a post in a marketing forum on Reddit. It was from a marketer early in his career. He’s a designer but found himself in a marketing role in a craft beer company where the owners are pretty much hands off and have asked for a Gantt Chart of campaigns for the next 6 months. Here’s my initial email to him:
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Good to meet you and relax… no more stress. It’s just marketing. 😊
How about Tuesday or Wednesday next week? 1:30 your time? Either of those days work? I can set up a zoom call if that works for you.
Before diving into marketing campaigns do you know if they’ve had any branding done? My guess is no. Have they done any marketing stuff prior to you? Anything you can send me to look at?
To do things right you need to establish the brand. Meaning what the company is and stands for. It’s really the foundation of everything but a lot of times it’s ignored. But it really helps identify brand assets – statements that identify and differentiate from the competition. It’s also your checks and balances against any marketing activity to ensure you’re on strategy. Not don’t let this stuff overwhelm you at all.
I’ve attached a brand survey that I use that can help get this branding stuff done. Feel free to use it if you think it’s appropriate for your owners. I’ll get a better handle of your situation after we talk.
So basically:
Get your brand sorted out
Do a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats – template attached)
Develop a marketing strategy (template attached)
Now it’s campaign time – a tool I use is Monday.com for tracking and scheduling everything (there’s a free version). It’ll also create a Gantt Chart from your data. I’ve attached a manual template that has the categories I set up in Monday.com. Some of these categories may not be applicable to your company, but we can discuss.
So I know you’re feeling overwhelmed with all this stuff so take a deep breath and drink a beer. It’s the process to do things the right way. But even if your owners are pushing to get campaigns out, we can work around that pressure and do several things at the same time.
I’ve been doing this marketing thing for 25+ years and have seen every scenario possible and can help you along the way so don’t feel like you’re out there alone. I can help guide you along the way for you to be successful. 😊
Sorry about this long email but wanted to give you some foundations and things to think about till we talk.
Hang in there and we’ll chat soon.
Cheers! John
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I always love mentoring & guiding young professionals. What takeaways did you get from the above?
Marketing has been evolving for decades. In the old days, marketing was about advertising and telling people what you had to offer. Nowadays, it is about relationships and solving customer problems in a way that brings value to your organization’s brand. If you are looking for more success and greater value than ever before, take these five steps:
Focus on Customer Value
Establish Relationships with Customers
Provide Solutions through Marketing Activities
Deliver Personalized Experiences
Measure Results
Focusing on customer value means that you are putting your customers first. You will be solving their problems and doing what is right for them before thinking about concerns related to the brand or the company. It does not mean giving something away for free, but rather finding creative ways of helping people without taking anything in return. The better you can help people, the more they will trust you and gravitate to your products and services.
Creating marketing relationships doesn’t mean that you must become someone’s best friend or wait for them to come ask questions about your products. Instead, it means finding ways of building stronger connections with people by sharing helpful information through blog posts or social media updates regularly.
When customers know that you are there to help them solve their problems, they will start looking for solutions from your organization.
Establishing solutions through marketing activities means providing solutions rather than just trying to tell people about the benefits of buying products or subscribing to services. You can do this by hosting classes and offering free trial periods so that customers have every opportunity to try things out before they buy. You can also take advantage of email marketing campaigns and social media solutions that allow you to interact with people who are interested in learning more about your solutions but have not yet committed to a purchase.
Delivering personalized experiences means going the extra mile for customers by doing whatever you can do meet their needs. It is not enough to just offer solutions; you must go beyond their expectations. The more people can rely on your solutions, the more they will feel confident in your organization’s ability to meet all their needs over time.
Measuring results means analyzing what marketing solutions are working and which ones aren’t so that you know when it makes sense to change things up. If you are not getting the results that you want, there is a good chance that it has something to do with your solutions or marketing activities. You should never be afraid of making changes if necessary; otherwise, you will end up stuck in the same place for much longer than expected.
So, what can you do to get on the path of marketing success? Focus on customer value and establish relationships with customers. Provide solutions through marketing activities while delivering personalized experiences that are tailored to your customer’s needs. Measure results so you know which strategies work best for your business and then continue to iterate until your organization achieves its goals. If this sounds like a lot of hard work, we have some great resources that will help guide you in the right direction!
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It’s time for 2022 marketing planning! If you haven’t already started thinking about it, it’s time to get going.
Here’s how I go about it:
First look at your 2021 plan – is there anything that wasn’t addressed, and you can get into this year still?
Summary – where have you been and where are you going?
Goals – what are they? Things like “increase lead generation by 16%, improve lead-sale conversion by 4%, increase new contacts in the CRM system by 12%. Stuff like that but make sure they’re all measurable.
Opportunities – what are your opportunities? Check out your SWOT analysis and update that if it’s been a while. Also tie these to marketing activities
Key activities – high-level efforts like “mine for case study opportunities, work closer with Latin American partners to help boost their sales, focus on better lead qualification”
Now it’s time to gather input from other stakeholders and key leaders.
Set meetings with each of your business category leaders. What’s their focus for the coming year? Where do they need marketing assistance?
Meet with each territory team. Same questions – what’s their focus and where do they need marketing efforts for the coming year.
From there polish your document and send to the team for their review, input, edits. One you have this final and approved it’s everyone’s strategy, not just marketing’s. You’re strengthening your team with this level of transparency and identifying your 2022 focus.
From here it’s on you to map out the program and activity plan. Build a schedule for the year with as much information as you can. Dates, locations, cost estimates, etc.
This is a guide and a direction forward. Dates change, activities get added…. This is normal for marketing as you know. Keep ahead of the game in your planning and keep pushing forward. You’ll see the wins on several levels that’ll ultimately move the organization forward.
Being in marketing or leadership can sometimes be challenging and difficult. When things are a mess, and you have no idea where to start. I’m writing a book to make life easier for marketers and business leaders.
I think it came about when I was mentoring on my branding process, and I realized that I have all this great information from 25+ years marketing experience. I have a ton of content, both written down and, in my head, so why not get all of this down into a concise and to-the-point document. I base my thinking and work on an integrative marketing model, but I also bring in several change disciplines around evolve, connect, and inspire. That’s my secret sauce and something I’ve coined Integrative Marketing Fusion. More on that as the book progresses.
Originally, I was thinking a practical workbook but then quickly it jumped up in page numbers. As of now I’m at 52 pages with at least that amount to go. One thing I want this to be is something that is useful now. It has some theory in it but basically, it’s a down and dirty how-to guide with templates that can be downloaded and used by anyone in any industry at any level – students, leadership, people interested in learning marketing, and marketing professionals.
The current outline (as of today) is:
Introduction
Marketing Defined
Integrative Marketing Fusion (IMF)
A Brand
Building a Personal Brand
Marketing Strategy
Marketing Communications Program Management
Marketing Functions
Resources and Tools
Each of these major sections have several sub-sections.
I’m posting parts, pieces, and downloads on my Patreon page as I go through this initial drafting phase if you’d like to check that out.
I just wanted to get you all a quick update on what I’ve been up to lately and will be for a while. Stay tuned for more updates.
As I kept rolling with my guidebook it has grown immensely. I made some great progress this past weekend and am currently just over 40 pages with new additions and ideas coming every day. Not sure where this will end up but just as I tell graphic designers, let the content dictate the design, not the other way around.
I’m really going in-depth on not only Integrated Marketing but my “special sauce” philosophies, tactics, and ready-to-use templates.
Anyway, just a brief update and if inclined, you can support this project via Patreon.
I thought I’d step back a touch and share with you some of my rationale to get my 25+ years of experience in one consolidated guide or book. Over the course of my career, I’ve always been collecting templates and ideas from a variety of sources and then make them into something I use in my work. Over the years as I have grown and how marketing has changed have also played into how I update my templates. I have taught many classes for organizations, universities, or companies around marketing or certain aspects of it and I’ve always enjoyed sharing my knowledge. I’ve also had interns along the way that have gone on to do some brilliant things with their careers and I’m still happy to be their mentor.
Anyway, due to my love of teaching and sharing knowledge, I wanted to share, not only, what I’ve learned along the way, but tips and guides for getting things done systematically, efficiently, and effectively. Real-world practical’s with just the right amount of theory behind it.
This is really geared towards any functional marketing professional or aspiring professional. I really enjoy the branding and strategy, but I also love developing campaigns, writing content, and doing the design. All those aspects, the functional marketer, is what makes me and the passion and love I have for marketing.
There are also many parts of us, not just our professional lives. And that’s something I also wanted to share with you in the hopes of triggering some new or reinforcing some (perhaps) lost or hidden aspects of you.
My brand is me. It’s marketing, but it’s also a home chef, a volunteer firefighter, and a guitarist (in process). It’s a diverse collection, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Recently a friend of mine and her agency, 8THIRTYFOUR, posted two blog posts that caught my eye. They’re interesting and right on topic for several reasons.
The first is to help bridge the gap from us ‘older’ folks to the Gen Z kids. Check it out here as it helps define some of their slang.
The other post is about staying authentic in an inauthentic world. Authenticity is something I’ve always strived for and this hits on a great list to help stay authentic. Check it out.
It’s definitely a new world with a global pandemic. First off a huge salute to the first responders, healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, and other folks that keep things moving: delivery, grocery, utility, etc.
Like all first responders we have been charged with performing our duties in the midst of this pandemic. To help others we need to be safe ourselves. Over the past month or so I’m sure there has been a scramble for updating or writing policies and procedures on how to respond, a reminder of hazmat decontamination practices and a scramble to simply attain appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Coming from a rural volunteer fire department here is what we have done in terms of policy.
Call Response
One (or two) members (if healthy and logged temperature/symptoms) respond in department apparatus (E1, S1, T1)
Don N95 mask and rubber gloves. Once this is done do not touch your eyes or nose
Responses in POV (document time, date, temperature and symptoms)
On scene, don full PPE (Gear sequence: Nomex hood, Boots, Pants, Coat, SCBA airpack, SCBA mask, Nomex hood in place (no visible skin), Helmet, Gloves, Open air cylinder, Snap respirator, Breathe air, Perform 360° evaluation of scene, Report to dispatch and responding units, Respond appropriately per SOGs/SOPs
Completed Call
On scene, perform decontamination on full SCBA personnel
Spray down with water (forestry hose)
Scrub individual with Dawn dish soap and scrub brush
Rinse individual with water
At hall, perform decontamination on full SCBA personnel
Remove handheld radios and set aside for decontamination
Spray down individual (still in full PPE) with water (forestry hose)
Scrub individual with Dawn dish soap and scrub brush
Rinse individual with water
Remove gear and scrub again with Dawn dish soap with scrub brush
Rinse gear with water
Doff PPE in reverse sequence
Hang to dry
At hall, perform decontamination of apparatus, tools and equipment
Wipe all apparatus door and panel handles, inside cab, mounted radio, etc. with alcohol (same as radios) wipes
Properly remove N95 masks and rubber gloves
Place all in plastic bag, tie shut and put in trash container in bay
This is a bit abbreviated and we also included a Call Response Log. Both can be viewed here. Also, feel free to use these or any portion of them for your department.
Here are just a few of my favorite illustrations that I’ve come across online. Stop, and thank these essential personnel when you have the chance. A simple “thank you, we appreciate you” will do over social media too.
