October 12th, 2015
3 Launch Tweaks I Discovered Through Accidents, Mistakes, and Unintentional Hacks
Who doesn’t like a good story about a wrong turn that changed everything? Just think of you could make a few launch tweaks to your current product launch…and make more sales…
When you discover things “by accident” in your business, they seem like they were destined to happen, that all your decisions led to that one moment where things broke down and then exploded your business.
The truth about “moving the needle” in your business is this.
You can move anything unless you’re testing, trying, and acknowledging what works.
Launches are great times to try new things.
If you do live or scheduled launches, they are also perfect times for things to go wrong and then swing the other direction to go right again because:
- They last for a specific period of time
- You’ve set goals (even if you didn’t tell anybody or yourself)
- You try a bunch of stuff you might not normally do in your business
- You get to close it and redo it any time you want
So, for me…I sat down over the weekend and started looking at some of my own past launches–specifically my early enrollments for Fearless Launching.
I’ve been on a kick to go in, see what really did work for those launches — see what then I did the next time to prove that it was a working strategy, and then grab it and do it again.
Too many times, we think we need to change things up when we launch…as if the change alone will excite people. The truth is–your new look, new bonus, new whatever only goes so far.
People do rely on knowing what you’re about, what you offer, and if you’re giving them a moving target all the time even if it’s new, juicy stuff…then will they trust you to be there for them?
Evolve but provide stability.
So…what I discovered I’d been doing all along were three things that weren’t well thought out or strategic, but actually have had an impact on all of my launches (in the form of sales or NEW people to my audience) the second I did them.
If you’ve done mildly successful launches in the past and are looking for your own new strategies, OR if you’ve never launched anything before or maybe you’ve thought about it but aren’t sure you’re ready, you’ll want to pay attention today because this falls under the heading of best practices for not having more lucrative launches. <
As the title says, discovering these three strategies or really approaches to launches have had the most noticeable impact on my launch sales.
Depending on what you’re launching, these may or may not be right for you, but I do challenge you to ask, how can you do something LIKE this?
Now, I know that my own launches need to be seen by more people…because when you are visible to your right people, they will take action.
- I wanted to engage with people and give them my attention and value even if they didn’t buy during my launches (because they might buy next time!)
- I wanted more sales from my launches
- I wanted more subscribers as a result of my launches
Sometimes I need a dose of my own medicine. So really, today’s post and podcast are fully inspired by my friend Amy Porterfield and a post she recently did on her site about tweaks she made to her webinars (btw, something she’s a pro at doing…).
I challenged myself to find strategies in my past launches that had given me unexpected, amazing results, systematize them, figure out why they worked, and then make them part of my ongoing strategy or way of doing business.
Here’s what I came up with…
3 Launch Tweaks That Improved Sales And I’m Still Using Everytime I Launch
#1 The Personal Touch
I’ve always made it my mission to be as personal as possible in the way I run my business, teach my classes, and work with my clients.
So it goes without saying that finding that right way to connect with people during a launch can be super powerful.
My voice memo habit started because I was literally tired of writing emails. I opened up my iphone and started recording. Then, sent the reply to people who were reaching out.
There’s something about getting a voicemail from someone. You feel it. I’ve felt it before too.
And for me – it’s easy to hit record. Zero sweat. So, I didn’t leave the customer service to someone else during my launch.
Not only did I respond via these little audio notes, but I also made a point of telling people honestly if Fearless Launching was right for them.
The results were obvious and immediate. Many people I spoke to like this bought quickly…
So now I’m constantly on the lookout for other ways to engage with people personally that are also easy for me!
(Click here to listen to the full episode and find out the simple tweak that boosted launch sales within literally 24 hours and shocked the heck out of me!)
#2 The Plan
Don’t groan. I swear you will like my approach to planning.
Planning in advance doesn’t mean every single thing in the launch has to be done before you open the doors (though, my goodness does that help if you can!).
“Planning gives you a map to follow. The what, the when, the general how.”
annesamoilov.com
When you plan out some non-negotiables, you’re able to execute on them and not be in rush-mode or fire-fighting mode.
If you’ve ever worked on a project that was started at the last possible second, you know that it’s a lot of rushing, a lot of fixing things that could have been solved if they were thought about in advance, and you’re constantly trying to catch up.
Planning gives you room to breathe.
One of the most important aspects of a launch to plan out is your communication. Even if you literally just list out the communication that will go out during a launch, this will help you see where you might need more, less, and if you’re going to get in front of the right eyes.
You can always change the message – you can always revise. But thinking about what you’re going to say (in video, in your blog posts, on social media, in your emails) allows you to be strategic.
There’s nothing worse or more difficult than writing emails DURING the launch…and figuring out what you’re going to say. Know what the message is at the very least…outline it, rough it out, do what you have to do to get the general idea down on paper before you open the doors.
The alternative is you’ll be writing emails, putting out messages that will be tainted (seriously) by the stress of you being in the middle of the launch! Not a great place to be.
Once stress is turned on…strategic thinking is turned off and your launch will suffer.
It didn’t happen overnight for me to get this one down (even though I’ve been managing launches and big productions overnight). And it’s something I have to remind myself to do every single time I launch. When I listen to my own advice, when I work with other people through this plan, I see amazing results.
Click here to sign up for a master class that shows you even more strategies to make more sales during your next launch (even if it’s your FIRST launch to a small list).
#3 Facebook Ads
This is one I learned first from watching Laura Roeder and also reminded of me by many Facebook Ads consultants over the years.
I started “playing” with ads back in 2014. Even though I discovered that ads going to my free opt-in was less expensive and converted better than directly to a free webinar, I didn’t really optimize for that reality.
The commitment level is LOW for an opt-in as opposed to deciding to attend an event. Start with the low commitment, then build up to invite to your free class.
And applying this idea even if you’re not running Facebook ads is something I started doing in 2015. Start with the lowest, easiest commitment.
Here’s an ad I’m running right now to share my newest version of my main opt-in. At the time it was a 1-page cheatsheet. Essentially, though, it was a quick list of the top-level things to do to set up an online launch.
[This cheatsheet is no longer available, but we have a Launch Roadmap. Click here to download.]
The next touch gives a little bit more information. If you sign up for the cheat sheet, I make sure you get the resources I also share inside my Launch toolkit, but only after you’ve had a chance to review the cheatsheet.
So…you go from cheatsheet to workbook first. Then, I’ll work you up to receiving the whole Launch Toolkit Library (which I also did an ad campaign to as well!)
The big discovery here is that not one type necessarily does better than the other but when compared to ads that were run straight to my webinar, there was a HUGE difference. You can hear all about that initial Facebook Ads test on a past episode of the podcast.
Plus, next, we’ve got another touch below… hopefully, by listening to my podcasts you’re already a little more interested and committed to hanging out (and learning more) with me.
Find out more about how to RAMP UP the value you’re giving to people and how much you’re asking people to commit to you. Click here to listen to the whole episode.
One More Thing
One other huge discovery I made — I want to say by accident but the truth is we all know this to be true: Focus and do things over and over again until you get GREAT at those things. Practice Makes Perfect.
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice!” – That’s what I know I need to do with webinars, teaching live, and giving more to you!
Me showing up live for you – is what I’m committed to and doing as part of my business and launches going forward. (Wow, that was a scary but true declaration! Who’s with me??)
You’ll get a lot more info about these tweaks, mistakes and soon to be called “hacks” for your own launches if you come to my upcoming workshop all about making more sales during your launch. That’s what it’s about right?
You’ll also get stories, case studies, and a lot more knowledge about what your fellow entrepreneurs are doing and learning too! Click here to register now!
Links mentioned in this episode:
FREE Workshop: Discover why no one’s buying what you’re selling – 5 strategies to help you fix your launch and make more sales the next time you launch. (No longer available)
Click here to check out our latest masterclass
More Resources!
1) Free Launch Planner: Grab this completely free launch planning workbook. Download, print, and start planning your launch today — don’t forget to add in the test and secure your website tasks!
2) Free Systems Cheatsheet: A Free Checklist & Cheatsheet to make sure your systems are in order before you launch — plus the one I mentioned on the podcast today!
3) Want to work with me one on one? If you’re a business owner who knows that you need a coach, someone to work through your launch strategy, figure out your launch plan, get spot advice as it comes up…then we could be a perfect match! Don’t see what you need here? Email me and let me know!
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