- Launching a website requires plenty of time and preparation.
- When executed properly, a successful launch can result in more sales, traffic and engagement.
- Building a coming soon page will help you spread brand awareness and reach potential future customers.
- Email marketing has a 4,400% return on investment, making it a great way to get consumers excited about the launch of your website.
- Efficient social media and content marketing strategies will help you deliver valuable, actionable content to your audience.
Are you getting ready to launch a new website? More people are opening online storefronts than ever before, and it's no surprise that everyone wants their website to be a hit. Sadly, most websites fall into disarray in a few short months.
Planning and creating features designed to help your website pre-launch can help ensure the success of your new business site. The decisions you make leading up to the day your business goes live will determine how customers interact with your brand and affect not only your overall sales but your reputation as well.
We are going to take a look at four tips you should keep in mind if you plan on launching your site over the next couple of months. These tips may also be helpful if you've already started your website but can't seem to generate any traction.
1. Create a coming soon page
Coming soon pages are one of the best ways to prepare your website for a successful launch. If you've ever visited a website with a countdown timer declaring the company's big launch, you've visited a coming soon page.
But why are these simple landing pages so effective at drawing in consumers and keeping them invested in your brand?
The first rule is simple; people like information. If your coming soon page is nothing but a strange image and a timer, you might draw in a few people because they are curious. However, if you're looking to build potential lifelong business partnerships with people, you need your coming soon page to tell them who you are and how you are going to benefit their lives.
You can keep it short and sweet. Introduce yourself, thank the visitor for stopping by, and explain the purpose of your company on your coming soon page.
Your pre-launch site should also feature a countdown timer that lets visitors know how long it will be before your business goes live. Don't forget to ask for their email address near the timer – but more on that later.
2. Build your email list
Email marketing has a 4,400% return on investment, so it's no surprise that business owners want to use this strategy to get their business ready for launch day. If you've managed to create a coming soon page, you should put a subscription box next to the countdown timer so subscribers can get the latest updates on your product line, business launch and more.
Use this as an opportunity to start building a list of email subscribers. For instance, if you're selling pet supplies, you could ask your new subscribers what kind of pet they own. Now that you know more about their needs, you can create better content and send personalized emails in the future.
Building an active email list early on will help you secure more leads and see more engagement. Once you understand your customers' preferences, you can start sending them special promotions for launch day that align with their needs.
If we go back to our previous example, you might want to send people with dogs a promo code that only works on items in your e-commerce storefront with the dog tag. The more you learn about your audience, the better chance you have at resolving their pain points and gaining their trust early.
3. Start using social media
Social media is an excellent pre-launch marketing tool. For starters, there are 4.3 billion internet users in the world and 80% of them have multiple social media accounts. If your business has a following, you'll find them on social media. Leading up to the launch of your website, there are various ways you can use social media to keep your audience engaged.
We suggest you go to popular subtopics within your niche and start engaging with people in the comments section. If you have something valuable to say, you will see consumers come back to your profile and follow you. Building these organic connections is an essential part of landing sales during your official opening day.
Additionally, social media is a great way to bring everyone together for an event. Some new businesses work with existing influencers as a way to promote their product to a broad audience. The business owner tracks down influencers on platforms like YouTube and offers them free products and cash compensation for their review. The influencer makes a sponsored video that will get shared across all of their social media platforms. Now, fans of that influencer are organically finding your brand, which can lead to future interactions.
Sometimes, business owners and marketers will ask the influencers to hold contests. This tactic helps improve the influencer's social traction and generates more sales for the business. In most cases, influencers will agree to this deal because of the benefits in their analytics statistics alone.
The average consumer spends two hours and twenty-two minutes on social media every day. There are plenty of opportunities to engage with these folks before your website goes live. As an added bonus, you'll learn more details about your customer personas when you research your target audience having candid discussions.
4. Plan content now
Finally, it's vital that you start thinking about your content marketing strategy ahead of your website's launch. Content is one of the pillar points business owners use to engage and retain their customers.
If your launch is coming up, make sure you plan content for several months. Even if the content is not all complete, a simple editorial calendar will make you feel better about the tasks you have ahead.
When your website launches, consumers expect content delivered to their email addresses and your blog regularly. If you're not meeting these needs, consumers will quickly stop engaging with your brand and move on to marketers that deliver personalized experiences.
Don't forget to create a small library of articles for your blog on your launch day. People want to read content from brands before they make purchases, and not having posts on your website can hurt you. Start planning content now if you want to ensure your success on launch day.
You should consider diversifying your content to keep everyone interested in what you have to say. Video content can easily end up viral on social media, so you may want to consider creating a YouTube channel where you upload videos every week. Leading up to your website, you can post videos explaining the progress on the site.
Your coming soon page, email list, and social media marketing strategy all benefit each other if implemented correctly.
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to set your website up for success. The tips we mentioned here are general strategies that you can use, regardless of your industry. If you take steps to build up your social media profiles, an email list and your reputation with consumers, you'll have no problem generating sales and traffic on your big day.