So, you know about a wide range of online and traditional media tools. That’s great! But how do you determine which ones are best for your next product launch? For starters, how about asking your prospects to take the Two-Question Launch Survey:
1. “How does your company learn about new ideas?”
2. “Who decides which ideas to pursue?”

This survey can be done via e-mail, web, sales force, etc. The answers to these questions tell you which media to use in your product launch, and which job functions within prospect companies to target with your campaign. You certainly don’t have to use a survey like this, but wouldn’t it be a shame to drop $100k on a trade show when Google searching is what your prospects are really using to find suppliers?

Beyond these two questions, you can use some good old-fashioned logic to make your product launch media selections. Consider that your target market can be described by using a simple 2x2 matrix. On one axis, you’re either a well-known, leading supplier of products into the market… or the market is completely new to you. On the other axis, there are either a handful of buying companies in the target market… or thousands. Depending on which quadrant your organization fits into, here are some product launch media tools to consider:

Few Prospects; You’re a Market Leader: Your sales force can easily reach prospects. Invest in sales training and tools; reinforce them with online media. The Customer Seminar is also very effective here.

Few Prospects; You’re New to Market: This is easy for competitors to defend. Combine credibility-building content — white papers, webinars, and trade presentations — with well-equipped sales reps.
Many Prospects; You’re New to Market: There are too many to reach with direct sales. Use news releases and search marketing to drive them to your website, which should be loaded with useful presentations and video content.

Many Prospects; You’re a Market Leader: Use your database — and others’ — to build a “community of users” via e-mail and other online methods, strategically combined with trade shows. Yes, this analysis is over-simplified, but it illustrates the point: Marketing for your product launch is not one-size-fits-all. And here’s one last tip: If you save these ideas for your next launch, remember to pull them out 10 to 12 months before your actual product launch date. It takes time to sort through these options and make the best of your chosen few. But you’ll be well rewarded.


About the Author:
Dan Adams is all about B2B product development: His free e-book, 12 New Rules of B2B Product Launch (free download at www.b2bproductlaunch.com/ebook), boosts launch success, and his 2008 hardcover book, New Product Blueprinting: The Handbook for B2B Organic Growth ( www.newproductblueprinting.com), clarifies the “fuzzy front end” of innovation. As president of Advanced Industrial Marketing, he conducts training workshops in every region of the world.

Illustrations:
Most of the graphics from the e-book are available for reprint upon request. (Please specify desired format and resolution.)

For more information, visit www.b2bproductlaunch.com/ebook.