When gearing up to launch a new digital or service or product, it’s important to have a strategy in place. You’ve worked so hard developing your new offer, so when it’s finally time to launch it, you want to see it take off.

All too often, I see launch strategy get overlooked. It’s easy to get caught up in all the little details of actually developing your course or membership and rushing to get it up on your site. But then once it’s their…. crickets. 

While you are super stoked about your product, your customers won’t be unless you create a launch strategy that generates excitement around your new offer. So if you have a new product launch on the horizon, fret not, my friend; here’s exactly how to create a launch strategy that will have your customers banging down the door for your offer.

Set aside time to create your online course strategy.

This might seem like a no-brainer but setting aside dedicated time to work on your launch strategy is a critical part of your launch. Your launch strategy is unique to your business, community, and offer, so it’s important to account for things like your specific niche, the customer you are trying to reach, and what’s unique about your product. Every online marketing guru out there is slinging their proven strategy to launch your next online offer successfully. But in actuality, determining your launch strategy is a highly personal choice. Just like your offer, your strategy needs to be unique, authentic, aligned to your business and your community.

Your launch strategy can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. But remember, the main goal of your launch strategy is to actually launch your offer, so you don’t want to make your strategy so complex that you get bogged down in overwhelm, but you also don’t want to make it so simple that you leave profit-boosting opportunities on the table. The key is to align your strategy to where you and your business are at the moment. 

Identify your dream students for your online course  & make your launch Strategy about them.

One of the most common mistakes made in business is that we focus our messaging too much on the details of our product or service and not enough time on our customers how the product or service can benefit them. So while you and your team are stoked about your product's features, your customer is more concerned about the transformation and benefits it provides them. The key here is not to focus too much on each aspect of your product and why it’s better than others on the market--show your customers how they can benefit from using it!

❓Here are some questions to diagnose if your offer messaging is clear & compelling: ❓

• Does your messaging communicate the value of your audience learning your content?
• Does your messaging convey how their life can transform after learning this content?
• Are you specifying who this content is valuable for? 
• Are you clarifying exactly what your process is?
• Are you stating why your solution is incredible compared to other alternatives?

Create Buzz Leading Up to Your Online Course Launch

Before every launch, you're going to want to create content that attracts new potential customers and warms up your existing leads to get them ready to buy.  This will give you a great foundation and allow you to start converting the moment you launch. 

To plan your content topics:

• Start by brainstorming content topics that are related to your launch offer. The goal of your pre-launch content is to establish yourself as an expert and introduce your community to your unique solution to their problem.
• Once you’ve identified your content topics, map them out on your calendar for 6-8 weeks leading up to your launch.
• Finally, add in any additional lead-up content that might pique a potential customer's interest, like a live workshop or video series, etc.

Make Your Online Course Launch An Event

Hosting a live launch event can do wonders for your business. Not only does it help to generate buzz around your new offer, but it can also help you gain greater visibility and credibility in your industry and build your email list and networking opportunities for the future. Plus, if your attendees love the event you put on, they’re likely to share it on social media, which can create even more buzz! 

Typical live  launch event models include things like: 

• Webinars
• Challenges
•  Video series, 
•  sometimes a combination of one or more of these. 

Here are some things to consider when choosing your launch event:

• How do you enjoy showing up for your community?
• What does your schedule and launch timeline look like?
• What are your current energy levels like? Do you have the capacity to show up for multiple sales events?
• Which model is most aligned with your topic?
• Are you launching a proven offer? Or does this need to be a more scaled-down Beta launch?

Remember, the right choice for you is the one that allows you to show up stress-free & as the best version of yourself for your students. In addition, it gives you the space and time to connect and build relationships with your community. 

At the end of the day, remember that building community around your offer and connecting with your customers from the beginning is what will help your business to really take off.

So what are your favorite tips for creating a launch strategy? Let me know in the comments below!