When planning a big company or product launch, you’ll have to have more than just smoke and mirrors to get any media play. In order for your million-dollar idea to make a million-dollar splash, you’re going to need:
- An inspired, quality product
- A finger on the pulse of your market
- A good instinct for creative visuals
- A talent for social media
So says Fam Mirza of Azaan Shoes. I recently spoke to Mirza about his own recent successful product launch. Here was his advice:
- Create a great product
In the case of Mirza, the product is shoes.
Through bright patterns, hand-sewn stitching and hundreds of creative, vibrant styles, Azaan Shoes has their target market—millennials—pegged.
Millennials, perhaps more than any generation that came before them, feel a need to be unique, creative and out of the ordinary. Mirza identified that need and set about satisfying it with a beautiful, bright, well-made shoe.
So, step one, give the people something they actually want. It will make the necessary launch PR lift a whole lot lighter.
- Get socializing
This is important for any company doing business in the internet age, but it is especially important for companies launching a product to millennials.
Forty-one percent of millennials check Facebook at least once a day (a conservative figure, in my estimation), not to mention other social channels like Twitter and Snapchat.
Taking advantage of this fact, Azaan Shoes created pre-launch buzz by encouraging fans to sign up on their Facebook page and website to capture their information, with the chance to win a pair of shoes.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking you can jump into social networking cold—it takes months to build up a following on social networking platforms, so your social media strategy should begin long before you start getting your official launch strategy in order.
- Don’t skimp on the creative
Today’s consumers are used to high-concept, hi-res photos and videos.
Your product might be good, but if your website is poorly designed, your promotional videos amateur and your photos low-res, consumers will know that. And they won’t be impressed.
Azaan Shoes opts for inspirational top-of-the-world imagery: a person looking out across a precipice, over the edge of a mountain, across an expanse of ocean or at a cityscape. The visuals conjure up excitement and adventure.
Investing in good product photography and some high-concept inspirational brand photos may cost upfront, but it will be worth it in the end. After all—it isn’t really a choice. No amount of PR can sell you as a major player in your space if your creative brand collateral doesn’t back up that claim.
This article first appeared in Adweek.