Take B2B products to market more effectively with a purposeful plan.

The number of products introduced each year in different markets worldwide is vast. So, it’s hard to quantify how many of those successful launches. But it’s safe to say the figure might not encourage a B2B product marketer:

• Only 40% of products make it to market – of those, only 60% will generate revenue. (Marketing Research Association)
• Among 30,000 products released each year, 95% fail. (Inc. Magazine)
• 45% of product launches are delayed by at least one month. (Gartner)

In the face of odds like these, it would be easy to lose heart. On the other hand, they might make you more determined to succeed. If that’s the case, read onward. A killer product marketing strategy starts with just that: a strategy. To help create yours, we’ve gathered eight practical ideas to drive better results from your B2B product launches.

1. Know who your audience is and what they want

Marketers must learn everything about the ideal customers they want to attract. But as you begin that research, an essential aspect of your product idea must be addressed. You must validate that the product you are developing will solve a real problem for those particular prospects. A product or service that helps people save time, money or simplify tasks provides value.

Imagine yourself in your customer’s place and answer, “What’s in it for me?” That’s the key. Like flowers bending to sunlight, business decision-makers will move based on the value something can bring to their organization.

2. Target your buyer personas more effectively

Want to get your prospective buyers interested? Please make time to dig deeper into who they are through persona research. Surveys, social media feedback, consumer reviews, and one-to-one persona interviews are helpful here. Once you’ve identified and defined your target audience, you’ll be better positioned to craft an original, meaningful message you can deliver through the proper channels.

3. Decide how your product should be positioned

Accurately positioning your product will require competitive research and a pricing exercise. Here is the perfect place to ensure you’ve covered the four P’s – product, place, price, and promotion. But you’ll also want to tell the story of your product based on a clear outline. That story might seem simple or evident at this point in the process. But it could be an essential piece of the puzzle for your audience. Tell them why your product was made in the first place. What challenges does it help them overcome? What makes it better or different than any other product in its category?

4. Frame up a strategic plan for your product launch

Once you have more confidence that the ideal audience will view your product as valuable, you must plan a product launch, develop a compelling marketing campaign, then oversee that campaign. Would you believe that some organizations don’t establish a strategic plan for taking products to market? Don’t be one of them. Follow a strategy built on market analysis and competitive research. Work on clarifying your product’s value proposition, messaging, and roadmap so you can take it to market effectively and with purpose.

5. Craft authentic messaging that helps your product stand out

Reflect on the ideal customer profile you’ve established. What decisions did you make about positioning? Does the product uniquely address your audience? Does it set you apart from the competition? Does it speak to the personas and market segments you are most interested in persuading? Ensure the answers to these questions are clear through your messaging from the start.

6. Align stakeholders from your product, sales, and marketing teams

Even at the same company, an executive leading one business unit will have different expectations placed on them than those from other units. That means individual department heads are unlikely to have the same agenda you do. A salesperson, for example, might perceive a launch date that’s been mentioned internally very differently than you would.

If a sales team expects a product to be rolling out on a specific date, but you know the reality is quite different, it could lead to conflict. Streamline your product marketing efforts by ensuring your product, sales, and marketing teams are on the same page.

7. Prepare for the day you release a product into the wild

The day you launch any essential product can be pretty exciting. But leading up to that, you’ll be preparing for both the internal and external aspects of that launch. Indeed, you can get the word out through your website and social media channels. But you also want to ensure your marketing, sales, and support teams are prepared to field customer queries from day one.

8. Keep your product relevant over the long-term

A successful product launch does not mark the end of your work. To extend the length of your product’s lifecycle, gather feedback from existing customers, test changes that seem worth pursuing, and optimize for the next iteration. Among a sea of new products launched daily, the idea that you can achieve success with yours might seem daunting. But if you’re willing to define the right audience, look hard at how much value your product would deliver, and work through an organized rollout, you can tilt the odds in your favor.

Credit: B2C