The Ultimate Guide to LAUNCH A Product on Social Media

Remember the last time you scrolled through your Instagram feed and thought “Hey, how did they know I was looking for this sneaker/hoodie/blender/fill in the blanks?” More and more people are discovering new products and services online through social media, over traditional methods of discovery like TV ads, newspaper ads, hoardings and billboards. And this is even more true after the pandemic, with an increasing population comfortable spending time and money online.

So it is imperative, when a brand has a new product ready for launch, to create a big buzz online. Brands have to get people curious about the product and the idea behind it. However, with over 3.6 billion people active on various social media platforms, spending an average of 2.5 hours every day scrolling and messaging, there are chances of a brand’s messaging getting lost in the din and noise made by almost everybody online.

So here’s the ultimate cheat sheet (or guide, if you will) created by India’s top social media marketing agency, Flora Fountain, to make some noise, stand out and attract the right eyeballs for a new product or brand launch online.

1. FIRST THING FIRST, IDENTIFY THE AUDIENCE

The first thing a brand must do before planning a new product or starting any form of marketing activity for its launch, is to understand “WHAT DOES THE MARKET WANT?” and “WHERE DO WE FIND THIS AUDIENCE”

It starts with market research, where the ideal customer is identified based on various demographic points like age, gender, interests, income, region, etc. It can start from something as simple as a Google search of a product similar to the one about to be launched by the brand. Simply going through the kind of people that the competition brands are addressing through their content, images, and the reviews on their shopping platforms can give a rough idea about the ideal customer.

If the product is targeted towards young people in their 20s who love following trends, then Instagram is the place to find them (well, isn’t everyone on Instagram now!). If the product is more service-based, priced higher and is targeted at a somewhat older audience, Facebook can be the place to target such an audience. If the target is business communities, or art lovers, or musicians, there is a platform for these too. But it all starts with knowing who the product, service, brand or idea is meant for: the OG TG.

2. PLAN OUT THE ONLINE CONTENT CALENDAR

Having a launch timeline is very important for the brand to chart out every move, every post on the various digital platforms it is active on. While it may sound like a task as easy as taking a picture and posting it on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest with a caption stating check out our newly launched collection, it is way more than that…

Think about it, the product pictures needs to be clicked, they have to be named (if not done), banners and creatives for website pages and posts are to be made, captions as per the platform (hashtag heavy for Instagram, long yet linked for Facebook and short and sweet for Pinterest) are to be written, promotional email drafts have to be created, SEO work is to be done, special social media promotional content for boosts are to be made… Phew!

Yeah, that’s right… All that, apart from the regular, in-store or outdoor marketing campaigns. Here’s a look at how Ray Ethnic, an Ahmedabad-based ethnic fashion brand recently planned their product launch. Simple, minimalistic & to the point.

Plan out every piece of content that will go online, from the teaser to the launch to the product showcase. Yes, it takes time, but then actual work becomes a piece of cake.

3. START CREATING A BUZZ

Social media is such a powerful tool, it is scalable, cost effective, provides great creative freedom to experiment, and the best part: The people are there, online!

And one of the best ways to get started with the promotions is by generating curiosity among the people online, on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and even LinkedIn (if the brand has an audience there).

Start with Coming Soon posts like these:

Give the viewers a sneak peek on how the product is going to look like, what it is for, why it is unique, etc. This is kind of teasing the customer, by showing parts or some element of the product as a preview and why they should look forward to it.

Next, you can create countdown posts that usually say, ‘2 Days to Go’, ‘1 Day to Go’, etc. These kinds of promotional content create a sense of anticipation among the followers and the customers and they stay tuned with the brand page on social media.

And finally, post the launch, a giveaway or a contest can be run through specially created posts to boost up the engagement on the page. Wondering why? Because when the page gets maximum engagement, the posts are visible on the Explore and Suggestion sections of non-following people online who may have similar tastes in the product.

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Why DESIGN is the hero of your digital marketing strategy

Social media is no longer a child’s play. With more people having access to high speed internet connected to devices with the latest technology, a mere text post will get lost in the sea of millions of pieces of content being put out online daily. And this is where your design intelligence makes your stand out from the herd.

THE IDEA BEHIND A DESIGN

There is no dearth of written marketing content trying to sell you things online on websites though blogs and articles, but what sets the social media apart is its fusion of visuals and text. And in order to garner the attention of a potential consumer, one must use these elements in balance to create an impeccable design that speaks to him/her.

By picking the right colour and font for your brand and using them consistently in your designs, you convey the mood, meaning and feeling of the brand, and thus targetting a specific set of audience. And when you fit all this together with your content in the right copy space, you are effectively delivering your message to the consumers.

SIZE MATTERS (A LOT!)

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make in order to save costs on design (BTW, a big NO NO!) is create one graphic image or poster for both Instagram and Facebook. But one needs to understand both platforms have different post sizes for both desktop and mobile. This is to provide the user with the best quality in visuals of the graphics.

If one doesn’t optimize their posts according to the social media platforms, the image or graphic will pixelate, thus killing the design and the entire message you wanted to convey. Given below are the sizes one should use while designing for Facebook and Instagram

Facebook Post: 940 X 788 px
Facebook cover: 820 X 312 px (desktop) & 640 X 360 px (for mobile)
Stories & IGTV: 1080 X 1920 px
Instagram Post: 1080 X 1080 px (Square), 1080 X 1350 px (Portrait) & 1080 X 608 px (landscape)

MORE VISUALS, FEWER TEXT

Visuals always have an upper hand over text when it comes to social media. It has been observed that more people respond to images and videos than written content. Hence it is advisable to involve more visuals in your social media marketing.

You will attract more eyeballs when the images are original and the videos have real people in it and not just graphics. Use text only if it is necessary to convey a specific message, like an address, phone number, website or slogan. But make sure your visuals always have space for your logo.

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Digital Crisis Management During Corona [COVID-19] | 10 Steps To Maintain Your Business’ Digital Health

As the world fights a pandemic, it becomes all the bit more essential for a business person to innovate different ways to educate their customers. While everyone is focusing on cost control and reducing marketing activities, here’s how a smart business person can make a huge difference while being at home during the Corona [COVID-19] lockdown by following these 10 simple steps.

1. WEBSITE HEALTH:

Check whether you website is working as it should be. Remember your website is your digital store and it is now more important to maintain an A-game. Hence check all the pages, specially your contact us or any other enquiry form.

2. BRANDING & REPUTATION:

Once you are through with website checklist, ask yourself, “Why did I build this website?” I am sure like most of us the answer is, to market your product and services. But during the CO-VID 19 lockdown 90% businesses can not sell because of logistical challenges. At this point we can focus on proper branding and reputation management.

3. WHICH PLATFORM TO TARGET?

To do proper branding or marketing you must be visible to the world out there on social media platforms and hence it is important to play to your strengths and identify which platforms to target. For example, jewellers’ best bet is to be on a visual social media platform like Instagram or Pinterest. Those in the counselling sector should focus on creating engagement through Instagram and blogs. While, those in the B2B segments should focus on disseminating information via blogs on website, LinkedIn and newsletters.

4. ASK YOURSELF WHERE IS MY AUDIENCE?

It is important to understand and create audience profiling. Age, sex, interest, geography and income are some important factors to consider. Instagram is for younger millenials, Facebook is a community based application and has a mixed audience of slightly older people, YouTube is a video based application which focuses on awareness & education, Twitter is ideal for user engagement and feedback, LinkedIn is perfect for B2B, Pinterest is for portfolio building and for ideas, while Tiktok is used to target small-town and suburban audiences through video.

5. OPTIMIZE THE PROFILE/PAGE

If you are a small business then creating an id or a profile is advisable versus creating a page on Facebook. If you are a comparatively established brand then create a page on Facebook and a profile on other platforms such as Instagram. Optimize your profile by mentioning all the details about the company, such a bio, contact details, Google Map location etc.

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Wake Up And Smell The Content

When it comes to digital marketing, content holds enormous importance. No, we’re not talking about the size of the content. We mean, all kinds of content. Sometimes, a single word or symbol is enough to convey your message to the people, and sometimes one you need to write a whole essay and delve into minute details to send across and explain your message to the ones who engage with your content.

But most of us often mistake content with the written word. It is, but a part of content. Your content can be anything, a picture, a video, an audio, a write up; even a hashtag. When you are a digital marketer, you hold the power to change the world, all the while bringing value to the brand you’re servicing. How? With content!

What you create as content for your brands must engage, educate and delight the consumer. But if you notice, it works in the reverse order. Why do you think you vividly remember the television advertisements from the 90s? Because its content used to grab your attention first and delight you with its strong wit. It would then go on to educate you about the product/service it is promoting. And at last, they make you question yourself, “Do I want to use this service?” Even if you won’t need it? You will end up seeking the service or buying the product. The same thing applies to digital marketing today on the various online platforms, in the form of pop-up ads, social media posts, Instagram stories and blogs. Here are a few examples to prove our point.

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Five Reasons Why Your Business Needs A Digital Agency

Everyone is online now, the borders have been blurred and distance of thousands of miles have been reduced to our laptops and smartphone screens. The world is your market now and you are selling your wares or providing your services to people whom you may have never met, or won’t ever meet in your lifetime. And to make sure that you reach the right audience at the right time with the right message to convince them to use your service/product, you need an expert’s backing, you need a digital agency. And the benefits are as follows:

YOU GET TO MARKET YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE TO A TARGETED AUDIENCE

The very first thing that digital agency starts working on is putting a finger on your target audience and consumers. A team consisting of designers, developers, writers, marketing brains, armed with the knowledge of working with different avenues and fields of businesses, identify the likes and dislikes of people, their buying habits, prevalent trends, etc. This data is then used to target and promote your product/service to only those people who have shown their interest in the product or service. Various tools like social media, pop up ads and embedded media is used for this purpose.

YOU GET PUT YOUR FOCUS ON THE BUSINESS

A good digital agency like Flora Fountain takes over your burden of being active and attractive 24X7 to people on the internet, so that you can concentrate on doing the business that you’re good at. A digital agency devises a strategy for your business in a manner that gets you maximum visibility on the internet and converts visitors on your digital platform into paying customers of your product/service. All you have to do is ensure that you provide your best service to the customers, who will then be motivated to recommend you to other people online.

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How To Write Content For Your Social Media

Writing for social media can be a tricky business. As a brand or service provider, there could be a lot you want to tell your consumers, about your service/product, discounts, contests and latest offerings on a platform where they are most active. But if you end up writing everything on social media, then there remains no difference between a post and a blog. To help you improve your social media game, we’re going to break down writing for social media.

IDENTIFY THE PLATFORM YOU’RE WRITING FOR

Before you start writing for social media posts. It is necessary for you to identify and understand the platform that you be writing for. There are platforms like Instagram and Facebook, where it is casual and laid-back. You have the freedom to experiment with your posts’ size, language and its tone. While on Twitter, you have the strict limit of 140 characters, so the write up has to be on-point and catchy. Then there’s LinkedIn, dubbed as the professional social media. So it is understood that the language should be more sombre and subtle. Mixing these up could cause damage to the brand image.

AIDA (ATTENTION + INTEREST + DESIRE + ACTION)

Just like journalists follow the cardinal rule of 5W1H, copywriters must follow the rule of AIDA while writing for social media. Each post you write must catch the Attention of the reader/viewer, it should generate Interest in your brand/product, create Desire about the product/service that how it is the best thing for them, and push them to take Action on how to avail it. Here’s an example:

KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE

As we mentioned before, nobody has the time and interest to read an extensively written piece on social media. No matter how awesome your product or service is, long and tiring write ups drive customers away and scroll to next post. It is necessary that you keep it catchy, peppy and punchy. Such write ups make customers inquisitive and generate desire to know more about the product and service. It could drive walk ins or inquiries for your business. Here’s an example of it:

MAINTAIN A BRAND VOICE

Every brand has its own, unique voice, which relates and resonates with its customers. It is the tone of the message that decided whether the brand gets a positive or negative engagement for its post. When you write for a brand, it is necessary to study the demography of its customers. Their age group, the kind of culture they follow, the type of service they prefer, the language they communicate it. A restaurant or cafe whose diners are usually young, college educated people, the language is a bit more casual and hip, compared to that of a luxurious five-star hotel, who would like to keep it classy and professional. Sometimes, one even has to write in the local language, if the masses engaging with the brand speaks the native tongue more.

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