30 Sep How to plan a 10k launch

THE 3 SECRET STAGES TO SMASHING AN ONLINE LAUNCH

What they never tell you about an online launch is that it begins long before you open your shopping cart for sales. It begins in the connections you make online. It begins with the value you add up front to an individual or a group. It begins in the very intention you set to change someone’s life for the better.

So before you launch, before you even make what you’re offering available to purchase, there are three major stages to consider in order to build trust online and prepare your business for sales.

DARETOGROW Presents: How to plan a 10k launch

Stage 1 – Brand.

First things first, what’s your story? Who are you here to help? And why should people engage with you instead of others?

The truth is that you need permission to share your knowledge with people. Even when you interrupt people with ads, you’re still just asking for their permission to share more with them. The best way to do this is to constantly turn up well in advance of the launch and demonstrate (1) You’re living the life they want and (2) you’re someone they can trust.

People buy from people they know like and trust so be generous. Share key aspects of your life with them so they can decide if you’re alike. A lot of people in my Online Course happen to love dogs. I mean nearly ALL of them have a dog! How crazy is that? Not so crazy! I share a lot of photos of my little whippet Sasha. People who also like dogs, are more drawn to me and my feed. Makes sense really.

Let me give you another example. If you say through your marketing that you can show people how to create more freedom to travel, you’d best be showing you travel. Share pictures of you on planes and beaches. Share stories about how you made it possible. And share ideas and tips to get them started. This is one of the best ways to build a brand around what you want to sell. Show people you’re living the life they want and give away information that demonstrates you can teach them how to do it too.

Stage 2 – Marketing.

There are lots of definitions of marketing. For me, it’s about giving people a real flavour of what you can do to change their lives, without too much of a commitment from them. We bare the cost. The easiest way to do this is with freebie or mini samples of the big thing you’re selling.

Imagine you’re at the supermarket and you go to pick up some Almond milk. You don’t notice the vegan cheeses on sale. You’ve tried them before and you don’t like them. But you arrive at the end of the isle and there is a kiosk set up and a lovely woman is giving away free samples of a new vegan cheese. You think “why not” and you try the cheese!

If you taste the new vegan cheese at the supermarket and you like it, you’re far more like to pick up a packet from the shelf whereas you might not even have noticed it before. In fact, you weren’t even looking because you’d decided you didn’t like it!

This is marketing. The very fact that the sign shouting ‘vegan cheese – free sample’ called you over said you’re a match for the cheese. Non vegans wouldn’t go over. Marketing is calling people over and saying, yer, I think you’ll like it. But the risk is on me.

Stage 3 – Sales:

Sales really is just an invitation to go on a deeper journey with you. You liked the new vegan cheese? Cool. Want to take a box home to share with your family? At this stage, people are looking at the details, they’re considering the price, they’re wondering what they’re going to eat it with. They’re asking: Is this a good fit and do I want to commit?

It sounds funny to use cheese as an example but the exact same is true of an online course? Once they’ve seen you showing up online for a few months, they’ve tested you with your free offering they’re now looking at the main event and asking: Okay, what do I get? Does that price sound right? What will I do with the course content?

And guess what? Not everyone is going to buy! Some people will never buy – totally cool! They’ll become fans. They’ll share your messages and spread the word. Some people will come looking later when they need you. And some people just can’t afford it yet. Totally cool! You keep showing up. You continue to build your brand. And when they need what you have to offer, guess who they’re going to pick?

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Lisa Bean is the founder of Expansion Business School. Teaching purpose driven entrepreneurs how to build scalable six figure businesses. If you’d like to find out more, hop on the brand new masterclass she just created: 7 Stages to Six Figures.