As marketers have discovered the power of content to generate leads over the last few years, they are applying the same strategies to product launches.
It takes more than a press release and a few media mentions to stand out in a crowded digital space, so developing a library of content assets for a launch is a critical step to generate awareness and build your sales pipeline.
Here are three examples of B2B and B2C products with content that supported their product launches and engaged users early on by creating high-quality content that:
- Helps users solve a challenge
- Shows users how to have a better experience with the product
- Ignites curiosity about the product
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1. B2B social media platform: LinkedIn Pages
As the premier social media networking site for business professionals and B2B brands, LinkedIn has an established presence and identity in the market. In November, they launched LinkedIn Pages to “help organizations authentically connect with members, grow their business and build lasting connections.”
Pages was introduced through this blog post and video. But most notably, LinkedIn has released content that helps users get the most out of their experience with using LinkedIn Pages. This includes:
- LinkedIn Pages Best Practices webpage: A high-level overview that describes the basics of Pages, which includes interactive elements, GIFs and links to other helpful content like the Best of LinkedIn Pages 2018.
- The LinkedIn Pages Playbook: A downloadable PDF guide targeted to marketers that covers tactical steps to completing a Page. It also includes “insider tips” and best practices to increase engagement and see results from your efforts.
- The Organic + Paid Playbook: Another downloadable PDF guide for marketers that focuses on tips for increasing the performance of your LinkedIn paid efforts.
These content assets can be used to attract users to LinkedIn Pages while also enhancing current users’ experiences with the platform. In addition, they created a webpage just for marketers that includes a “resources” tab that lists outcomes marketers care about (brand awareness and lead gen) as well as a “success hub” with more helpful content.
With the ever-increasing importance of social media engagement as a success metric for marketers (as indicated by the 59% who prioritize it), LinkedIn’s commitment to offering valuable resources and guidance for optimizing engagement on their platform takes on even greater significance. By tapping into these resources, marketers can leverage the well-established presence and identity of LinkedIn to authentically connect with their target audience, drive meaningful engagement, and ultimately accomplish their marketing goals.
2. B2B SaaS platform: Fireflies.ai
To help sales organizations unlock what is being said in their customer conversations, Fireflies.ai uses deep learning and machine learning models to record, transcribe and analyze sales calls.
To launch, the team created this comprehensive “Guide to Conversation Tracking,” to lay out their vision and explain the value the tool drives for stakeholders inside an organization.
Krish Ramineni, co-founder and CEO at Fireflies, said they distributed snippets of this article to their social channels and also packaged it as an eBook/whitepaper. “We drove around 10,000 unique visitors and acquired a few thousand signups through this content effort,” said Ramineni.
Fireflies also launched this explainer video on Product Hunt and won the product of the day and product of the week to boost their launch efforts.
Fireflies.ai successfully addressed a key marketing challenge faced by organizations in 2023 through their product launch, effectively demonstrating the value of their products/services. This integrated approach of a comprehensive guide and explainer video garnered significant attention from their target audience during the launch phase, capturing their interest and engagement. By presenting compelling evidence of the tangible benefits their product offers, Fireflies.ai not only set themselves apart from competitors but also built trust among potential customers. This well-executed product launch played a pivotal role in positioning Fireflies.ai as a valuable solution, solidifying their market position and attracting a growing customer base.
3. Consumer product: Terra Kaffe
Terra Kaffe is a startup that built a fully automatic espresso machine that brews from whole beans for a range of espresso drinks (cappuccinos, lattes, etc.). It includes features to control milk foam, temperature, water firmness and more.
For the product launch, the team created a 30-second digestible video highlighting glam shots of the machine and demonstrating it at work. Jon El Kordi-Hubbard, head of marketing, said this video was distributed through paid media and email channels.
“In our soft launch for a small paid budget, we drove over 60+ unit sales of our new wave espresso machine for conscious consumers,” he said. “It drove brand awareness and also contributed to our initial pre-order goal to prove demand for our product.”
The team has plans to move forward with a formal launch in the coming months, but this video is a great example of how content can help kick off a new product — even before the launch date.
The effectiveness of video marketing for companies during product launches is highlighted by the fact that 41% of marketers consider it one of the most beneficial topics for their organizations. Videos serve as a powerful tool to showcase product features, demonstrate functionality, and create an engaging experience for potential customers. By leveraging video content, companies can effectively communicate the value proposition of their products, build brand awareness, generate excitement, and ultimately drive sales while proving demand for their offerings. This makes video marketing an essential component of successful product launches, empowering companies to captivate their audience and establish a strong market presence.
Content strategy for product launches
While these three examples all demonstrate the power of a specific content item in a product launch, there are multiple components that cover an entire launch — content for various channels, audiences and formats.
Along with organizing the logistics of a product launch, it can be overwhelming to maintain the content workflow, so we developed this checklist to keep your team organized and on track.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2019 and has been updated for relevancy.
