Why Your New Program Launch Might Fail (And How To Prevent It)

The importance of the Personal Brand for Entrepreneurs

Thinking of launching a product or program to get quick sales? I read this first!

Over the years, I have worked with many entrepreneurs who are enthusiastic about their business. They have heard many webinars and courses promising riches with the next release of their program and they want to dive in to make money fast.

They are even told that they don’t need a website; all they need is a landing page and autoresponder sequence and watch the money flow!

If only.

The problem these “gurus” don’t share during these over-the-top presentations is that just because it worked for them, doesn’t mean it will work for everyone.

Why?

One reason is personal branding.

Those who have successful show launches have already established themselves in the market and have built trust and credibility with their followers.

And all of this is done through your previous efforts at personal branding. New entrepreneurs haven’t had a chance to do that yet and this is where the disconnect lies.

It’s very important for entrepreneurs to establish a personal (or professional, as the case may be) brand before diving into grand launch mode. This can be done in a variety of ways, but before I share it, here are 6 reasons why building a personal brand is so important:

1. Establish your identity in your industry. A brand will help you to be noticed and remembered in a crowded space. In order for people to pay attention to what you have to say and buy from you, you must consider yourself established in your industry.

two. It helps you stand out from the crowd.. Through your personal branding efforts, your “Unique Selling Proposition” is displayed. By doing this, you are giving your ideal customers a reason to buy from you instead of your competitor.

3. Help your business grow. Every time your brand is “presented” in front of your ideal target market, it becomes more and more memorable. People will start thinking of you when they, or someone they know, needs your offerings.

Four. Build your credibility. Whether real or perceived, a personal brand will help establish your credibility as someone who knows what they’re talking about in your industry. When you get in front of your ideal target market and demonstrate your knowledge, you will begin to develop a “Know, Like and Trust” factor with that audience. People need to trust that you know what you’re doing in order to give you their money.

5. It saves you time. When running a business, time is money. Therefore, by establishing a good brand presence early on, you will shorten the amount of time it takes to become profitable. You’ll cut down on your credibility building time, all without having to explain what you do and how you do it to everyone you know!

6. Attract your ideal clients. A good brand presence will eliminate you from wading through all the people who are not your ideal customer. An ideal customer is someone who would be immediately attracted to you and your offerings because the brand has positioned you in a way that speaks to their needs and challenges and gives them the confidence that you are the perfect solution they are looking for.

Let’s talk about your failed webinar

Why did you get so few people to sign up for your program or buy your product? Because you had not yet established enough credibility with your followers.

You may be an incredible expert in your field, but if you haven’t taken the preliminary personal branding steps required first to establish yourself as an expert in their minds, then it will be very difficult to convince people that it’s worth the investment.

For new entrepreneurs, this is a challenge. It is often the conundrum of the chicken and the egg. To create a brand, they need money. To make money, they need to launch their product, program, or service. To launch those offers, they need to establish a brand.

I get it.

And my advice is: before launching the next program, be prepared to invest in your business and personal brand first to expect any kind of meaningful results.

So before you get into launch mode after getting excited hearing “how easy it is” to make money, here’s a checklist of what you need to have first to establish your brand positioning. Here are also some tips on what you can do to ensure a more successful program launch next time:

– Have a professionally designed logo

A logo establishes the foundation of your overall brand. It’s what your target market will grow to recognize over time and become the symbol of your business. One they can trust.

Be sure to establish brand continuity and consistency by using this logo on everything you do, from your social media accounts to your business card and all your promotional materials in between.

– Have a professionally designed and developed website

If your website looks amateurish and/or doesn’t deliver the right message to the right people, then you’re not in the best position for your target market. You want to attract your potential customers, not turn them away thinking it’s not the best solution for them. Worse still is not having a website at all.

A website is a place for prospects to go and review before making a purchase decision. They need to determine your credibility, experience, and even your personality, especially if you provide a service. A landing page on its own will have a hard time doing this.

– Stay active on social media by putting yourself in front of your ideal target market

Participate in debates in which you can contribute something of value that helps you better position yourself as an expert.

Also use social media to build excitement about your next release. Build anticipation before providing details about the program itself.

– Set up a blog on your website

A blog facilitates your opportunity to write articles that showcase your expertise. Writing articles also helps with content marketing strategies that will expand your brand’s reach to those who might not otherwise know about it.

– Build connections with industry leaders

Industry leaders who share the same target market as you (who are not competitors) can be a valuable resource if they are willing to become JV partners. If you are lucky enough to meet someone who can do you this favor, go for it!

Having others who have established brand credibility endorse you and your offering goes a long way in increasing your own credibility and authority in your industry.

Remember there has to be something for them with this approach, whether it’s getting a commission from the sales they bring in or getting the opportunity to build a list included in the campaign.

– Get yourself booked for speaking engagements

Go to your community and look for opportunities for free talks in front of your target audience. Or look for podcast shows, webinars, and other interview opportunities where you can share your message with your target audience.

– Host a Free Webinar or Teleseminar

Offering something for free before you start selling provides an opportunity to showcase your expertise. Think of it as a “try before you buy” concept.

If your webinar presentation is exciting and engaging enough, you could win people over to buy, even if they didn’t know who you were before.

And if a webinar is too much, you can do a free video series or even create a powerful, value-driven free giveaway. By the way, all of these possibilities can also be a list building tool long after its initial launch.

Of course, aside from a lack of personal branding, there are many other reasons why a product or program launch can fail, but I’ll leave that for another article.

If you are one of those who have established their personal brand and are ready to launch a program but need help with strategy and implementation, let us know, we can certainly help you in all the necessary areas.