Have you considered presales to help out your business? There are many reasons to consider this strategy. A few are introducing a new product, looking to grow your client list, making more money for reinvestment, or simply making general sales easier.
The definition of presales
This is the sale of products and services before they are officially released to the public. A presale could be a beta or an idea of a product in its infancy. It’s a great way to get feedback before an actual product launch, giving you time to fix any issues. Presales are especially beneficial to new businesses. Products and services can be tested on various avenues to determine your target audience. But it’s not just beneficial to newbies. Veteran businesses can use it to grow anticipation of new products and services. With presales comes the need for good marketing. Plan them accordingly and presales will be the best thing that ever happened to you.
The reason for presales
As previously mentioned, having presales will give you the advantage of scoping out any issues that may arise with the product before a full launch. With the heads up before the actual launch, adjustments can be made that can save your business many headaches.
The hardships of presales
While it is a great advantage to have time to make adjustments and upgrades to your product according to feedback on your presale, the time itself can sometimes become your downfall. With the option of having more time, too much time could possibly be spent that could cause a delay in the actual launch. Just because you have a head start on a project doesn’t mean you shouldn’t practice time management. More time does not mean all the time in the world. Be sure to remain with the same tight deadlines you would have with a normal product launch.
How do you implement a presale?
Decide who you will pitch to.
Are you looking for funding or investors? Create a sample of the product and offer it up to potential investors to test out. Another way is to send out emails to customers you’ve already engaged with and offer them this new product as an exclusive to their “special customers”. Not only will this be a successful presale for you, but it will also enhance the relationship with your existing customers.
Market
Now that you’ve decided your target audience, work on the marketing side. Come up with the right content to post the news on social media. Social Media content can be more general. It will require to pull tactics to get people to sign up for your presale. Be sure to make it as simple as possible with new customers. If signing up is too difficult, a new customer will hesitate to do it. With existing customers, email is the best way. Content can also be more personal since you’ve already developed a relationship with these customers.
Follow Up
Once the product is out, be sure to set up a campaign that keeps in contact with all purchasers. The entire purpose of the presale, after all, is to make the necessary tweaks to the product before a full launch. Be intentional with your outreach and allow as much feedback as possible from your customers. Make them know that their feedback matters for the new and existing customers. New customers can become existing. Existing customers can be maintained.
Getting into the habit of performing presales is definitely a practice that could help grow your business. But with everything, there are risks. As long as you practice due diligence, you will be able to run a successful presale. It is also important to keep your launch dates and actually implement the changes or feedback. After all, people will follow you and support your business if they know you have their best interest at heart.