With the passage of time, the marketing of startups has gone too expensive. The prices are touching the sky, hence the need to test the marketing campaigns and their success rate has gained more importance.
Launch implies the release of a new product in the market usually accompanied by an active marketing campaign. In the process, communication takes place with the target audience to inform them about the main properties, quality characteristics, and values of the brand.
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The launch is characterized by a high intensity of marketing work. There is a great deal of communication with the target audience, high-density advertising messages, with a certain tactical sequence of “inclusions” of various communication channels.
The purpose of the launch is simple, to attract the greatest attention to the goods introduced in the market.
The tasks to be performed are as follows:
- Inform potential consumers;
- Win the loyalty of its target audience;
- To stimulate the sale.
There are some specific tools to be used to achieve the tasks:
- pre-research;
- direct marketing;
- trade marketing promotions (consumer promotion and trade promotion).
Moreover, creative branding is very important during the launch preparation. And it might require great effort and much energy from your side.
If it is a student’s startup, you’d better clear up the workload. A smart move would be to pay someone to write an essay for you and concentrate on the work ahead. The universal choice can also be hiring a dedicated team to work on creative design, launch a slim website, and find a catchy name for the new project.
Soft Launch
A soft start is a beta version when you release a project in a limited version and on the limited territory. After the beginning of your campaign, you should analyze the situation, make updates, and solve emerging problems. There is a limited or even no marketing involved with the soft launch.
Soft launch allows you to carry out the product to a limited market segment softly and without significant advertising expenses. Then, you will have to study the demand, refine the product, strengthen its marketing.
With a soft start, you can proceed in a slower and more measured way, both in terms of spending and releasing features.
Projects that have undergone a soft start have a much better chance of becoming successful. This method allows you to explore the needs of the consumers and modify the product so that it does not have to face unnecessary problems.
This method is more suitable for young startups that are just finding their consumers.
It should be said that a soft beginning does not exclude a hard start. Most often, the first method is used to prepare for the second one in the future.
Hard Launch
Hard launch (or a grand opening) is different from other methods. Most often, it is used by companies that have already recommended it or those that are fully confident in their success.
Typically, if there was a soft beginning, you would have an understanding of the kind of strategy to be used in the future. If you would like to begin immediately, you should be confident in your product and ready to deal with all of the problems in the future.
The hard launch is great for creating excitement and putting your product or service in the hands of many people. Grand opening generates anticipations like a countdown, preview, etc. One will need to take care of a marketing budget.
When to Make a Hard Start?
Hard runs are better to conduct when the following criteria are met:
- When you are sure you can do it on time and with a large audience;
- Your server is reliable;
- You’ve got rid of all bugs and other problems;
- You are a big company with a bold new product/function;
- You have a budget and a good idea of where and where not to spend it;
- You’ve successfully built anticipation in your target market.
Advantages of Hard and Soft Launch
There are various advantages associated with light and hard starting. One of the perks of light beginning is that there is time to educate and prepare your staff. Often, with a grand opening, some employees need to conduct interviews, presentations, and demonstrations.
A soft beginning is much easier for the staff because it gives them time to prepare. One of the advantages of a hard start is that it allows your team to quickly get the first income and see outcomes.
Final Words
After you have figured out the features of these two types of project launches, you can easily choose the startup option that suits you. Clearly, each method has its advantages and disadvantages.
It is worth considering the choice of strategy to promote your product and pay great attention to this matter. In other words, a huge success or complete crash may depend on what you opt for.
But do not be afraid of failure, because even the projects of the most successful entrepreneurs have come a long way to taste success.
A soft launch will help you gather all the necessary information about the problems and possible risks of your project. Later on, you will be able to use these analytics for the most effective hard start,that way you will have a better chance of success.
