Rob Toth
09-10-2009, 07:46 PM
In case this is news to anyone here, I figured I'd post a note I explained to a client earlier.
This is re: the priority sequence of to do steps in a launch or event based promotion.
I have a client who hired me to write copy for his promotion... the salescopy was done. The product was done. The affiliate recruiting and buzz building was never even started.
I now have another client who hired me for general monetization and consulting strategy work... his software is in beta testing, he has a pro copywriter writing copy, he has pro graphics all finished... affiliate recruiting, buzz building is untouched.
Think of this...
The new Star Trek movie came out just a couple of months ago.
Yet, I was re-watching a different movie on DVD the other night and one of the trailers on it was for Star Trek. The trailer was very brief and very much a general teaser. Hardly any film footage was shown. It was from over TWO YEARS ago.
Meaning... the minds behind Star Trek were starting the buzz building 2 years ago... well before the movie was even remotely finished.
Consider this timeline (and yes it's rough approximations and simplified):
Jan 1st you start work on a project and you do it ass-backwards.
- product dev starts up. takes 1 month to create.
- salescopy and graphics start up. 2 weeks later, they're done.
(it's now mid Feb.. no release, no money)
- you setup the affiliate system and start talking to JVs because you want to release Feb 28th.
- you start buzz building.
Now... you're salespage and product were sitting gathering dust for quite some time and you gave yourself only 2 weeks for buzz building and affiliate recruitement.
Your results greatly suffer.
FLIP THIS instead to...
Jan 1st...
- you setup a basic teaser (pre-launch) page
- you setup aff program and aff pitch page
- start talking to JVs about your upcoming product on Feb 28th. Sure you're talking to them early, but it gives them a chance to properly schedule a mailing slot for it, create or think up strong bonuses for it or just, overall, actually get around to reading your pitch.
- you start buzz building... sure the market talks a bit about your product here and there well before they can buy, but buzz has an exponential factor to it which means by the time you release (assuming your teaser is good enough to generate the buzz), you end up with a lot of noise in the marketplace about your product.
- you spent 2 weeks starting the above 2 gears up... now that they're under way...
- you push to create the product
- and even before your product is done, you get work started on the salescopy and graphics and tech setup.
- in the midst of all that, you revisit affiliate communications, follow-ups to key JV partners, contests, more buzz etc.
- because of all this, your product takes 5 weeks to finish (not 4) ... but you're still ahead of the Feb 28th launch day *AND* you gave yourself 2 full months for aff recruiting and buzz building.
Same length of time for the campaign just produced more than 4X the result (all things being equal).
So start back-wards.
This also has the built-in benefit of pressure based around a deadline. You HAVE to get the product live by your launch date. No time piddling around trying to be a perfectionist and making it pretty.
... And even if you're looking to run split tests for your sales copy for conversions, you still want to start with the above order and then just work-in or allow for the 1-2 weeks of split testing + sales funnel revisions.
Though as pointed out in another thread on this board... the EMAIL copies and your various affililate tools are what need the actual conversion testing not the salescopy because by the time the launch date arrives, your market is pre-sold.
This is re: the priority sequence of to do steps in a launch or event based promotion.
I have a client who hired me to write copy for his promotion... the salescopy was done. The product was done. The affiliate recruiting and buzz building was never even started.
I now have another client who hired me for general monetization and consulting strategy work... his software is in beta testing, he has a pro copywriter writing copy, he has pro graphics all finished... affiliate recruiting, buzz building is untouched.
Think of this...
The new Star Trek movie came out just a couple of months ago.
Yet, I was re-watching a different movie on DVD the other night and one of the trailers on it was for Star Trek. The trailer was very brief and very much a general teaser. Hardly any film footage was shown. It was from over TWO YEARS ago.
Meaning... the minds behind Star Trek were starting the buzz building 2 years ago... well before the movie was even remotely finished.
Consider this timeline (and yes it's rough approximations and simplified):
Jan 1st you start work on a project and you do it ass-backwards.
- product dev starts up. takes 1 month to create.
- salescopy and graphics start up. 2 weeks later, they're done.
(it's now mid Feb.. no release, no money)
- you setup the affiliate system and start talking to JVs because you want to release Feb 28th.
- you start buzz building.
Now... you're salespage and product were sitting gathering dust for quite some time and you gave yourself only 2 weeks for buzz building and affiliate recruitement.
Your results greatly suffer.
FLIP THIS instead to...
Jan 1st...
- you setup a basic teaser (pre-launch) page
- you setup aff program and aff pitch page
- start talking to JVs about your upcoming product on Feb 28th. Sure you're talking to them early, but it gives them a chance to properly schedule a mailing slot for it, create or think up strong bonuses for it or just, overall, actually get around to reading your pitch.
- you start buzz building... sure the market talks a bit about your product here and there well before they can buy, but buzz has an exponential factor to it which means by the time you release (assuming your teaser is good enough to generate the buzz), you end up with a lot of noise in the marketplace about your product.
- you spent 2 weeks starting the above 2 gears up... now that they're under way...
- you push to create the product
- and even before your product is done, you get work started on the salescopy and graphics and tech setup.
- in the midst of all that, you revisit affiliate communications, follow-ups to key JV partners, contests, more buzz etc.
- because of all this, your product takes 5 weeks to finish (not 4) ... but you're still ahead of the Feb 28th launch day *AND* you gave yourself 2 full months for aff recruiting and buzz building.
Same length of time for the campaign just produced more than 4X the result (all things being equal).
So start back-wards.
This also has the built-in benefit of pressure based around a deadline. You HAVE to get the product live by your launch date. No time piddling around trying to be a perfectionist and making it pretty.
... And even if you're looking to run split tests for your sales copy for conversions, you still want to start with the above order and then just work-in or allow for the 1-2 weeks of split testing + sales funnel revisions.
Though as pointed out in another thread on this board... the EMAIL copies and your various affililate tools are what need the actual conversion testing not the salescopy because by the time the launch date arrives, your market is pre-sold.