Planning a Product Launch? Think Influence Marketing.

If you are an expansion stage software company planning an upcoming product release, take note. Even if you do not have a large budget to market the launch, you can still effectively garner attention by utilizing an influence marketing approach.

Here are a few quick ideas to build buzz and generate interest about your upcoming launch:

• Be sure to completely plan out all marketing activities around your product release, in addition to all development activities.
• If your goal is creating competitive advantage with your release, hone in your messaging early on in the process. This will help guide your overall release strategy.
• Reach out to your influencers and offer information about your release as the date approaches.
• Schedule one-on-one briefings with key analysts, bloggers, and editors before the launch date so they can help spread the word.
• Try to secure exclusive product announcements in publications or blogs that are the most influential in your industry.
• Send out news releases in the weeks coming up to the launch date.
• Invite industry experts to evangelize your product and co-host a webinar series.
• Have a small subset of your key customers use the beta product and provide testimonials or one-on-one interviews with your company’s influencers.
• Develop all of the content (data sheets, presentations, videos) throughout the development phase so you can ensure you have content to support the launch.
• Partner with another technology company to leverage its marketing database.
• Use social media to spread the word about your launch.