Over the past twelve years, I’ve had my share of successful launches. And, I have also experienced launches that totally tanked. For many coaches, their launch determines their income for the quarter or the year, so creating a successful launch is essential for their business to survive. Launches can be stressful. And if you’re like many of the coaches I’ve worked with, they can be jammed-packed with non-essential activities that don’t pay off. If you’re working towards a successful launch, these are the five elements you need to focus on:

Define a single avatar

One of the biggest reasons a launch fails is not knowing who you’re talking to. You have to know who you’re selling to before you can create sales materials that will speak to them. Nearly 42% of all startups fail because the business owner didn’t take time to fully develop an ideal customer avatar or they believe they can sell to many avatars simultaneously. 

Clear CTA

Confused minds never buy. If you’re not focused on one problem you solve, your leads will not convert. It may feel counterintuitive, but your launch needs to have one focus or your potential buyers will miss the point. Your sales page needs to have 13 distinct sections that walk your avatar through the benefits of your program and why YOU are the only person who can solve their problem. It’s your job to make it easy for them to say “YES” to your offer. 

Correct Positioning

You need to be sure that your product or service is in alignment with your avatar’s goals and values. Look at how and what your competition is selling and use it to develop the correct language to convert your leads into buying customers. All of your marketing materials are connected to #1. The better you know your avatar, the more effective your content will be. When you understand your avatar’s “WHY” you can be very specific in communicating how you can solve their problem. 

Prep

Before you conduct a launch, you need to do some pre-planning. You need to find your ideal audience. This can be done in a couple of ways: organic or paid. Your choice will depend on where you are in your list-building activities. If you don’t have a large audience filled with your ideal customer, it will be nearly impossible to have a successful launch. Most launch programs, methods, or strategies assume you have your target market nailed down. 

Right Timing

You need to determine if there is a demand for your product or service before launching. Take the time you need to survey or poll your audience to see if they have an interest before you go through the work of launching. Beta testing is another way you can find out if there is a market for your product or service. This mini-launch will often determine the success level of your larger-scale launch.

Launches don’t have to be technology-heavy or overly complicated. But you do need to have a foundation to build on. It all comes down to making sure you have the necessary elements in place to reach your ideal audience with the right messaging, and an offer that solves their biggest pain point.

If I had to pinpoint the ONE reason launches fail, it would be not having enough of the RIGHT people in your audience. Lots of people may follow you or be on your mailing list, but if they don’t fit your ideal avatar’s characteristics, then numbers don’t matter.

After watching many clients host failed launch after failed launch, I knew there had to be a better way. I have watched hundreds of coaches spend tens of thousands of dollars on coaching programs and systems that didn’t convert.

They’ve tried all of the trendy activities like running challenges, hosting contests, and social selling to build their audience. At the end of the day, they may have grown in numbers, but it didn’t get them in front of the people who really needed their service.

If you’ve been struggling to host a successful launch, and you’re tired of spending 70 - 80% of your time mining for the right people, schedule a call with a member of our data curation team. We can help you find the customers who are already looking for you!