Before I get into things, let me first start by saying, I’m not here to talk about what Bruce Jenner has done/ is doing and if I agree with it or not. I am here to talk about HOW he is doing it. And what he is doing (let’s face it) is a form of “break the internet” marketing which is clearly working because #CaitlynJenner and #?BruceJenner is all I see trending in my newsfeed.
So with that being said…
When the news broke last night of Kim Kardashian’s 2nd pregnancy, and that began trending, I thought this would be a fab blog post to write with her name in the title to make a point about product launches. Okay, I know a baby isn’t a product but the announcement is what I’m referring to. As a social media trainer, I teach people to capitalize on pop culture and use trending topics in blog and social media posts. Let’s face it, Bruce Jenner upstaged Kim’s baby news with his “Call Me Caitlyn” spread on the cover of Vanity Fair, hence the title of this post.
Side note: Remember his BIG Dianne Sawyer Interview that built the anticipation to his big Vanity Fair reveal? Keep reading and you’ll see what you can do to imitate this sort of marketing for your new program, course, series or book.
So where is all of this going? Stay with me here…
Last week I had a phone call with one of my past workshop attendees. She plans on launching a course next month sometime and was contacting me in regards to email marketing and social media, not necessarily the course she is creating. After getting in the conversation it was evident to me that she needed coaching on her course launch just as much as she did her social media, email marketing, blogging etc. Now without giving too much info on the discussion I will say, she was so focused on her course creation that she did not think about the promotion of the course before it was actually finished! Understandable mistake, many of us don’t understand the power of a BIG reveal. That was my situation last year. You see, most people put their blood, sweat and tears into a new program, service or book and when it’s all done hear crickets when it’s time to sell it. (Which is why I’ll be teaching how to prepare & profit on your new program on July 11th for the #BLMLunchLab.)
Here is what I can say, the difference between creating a course, program, series, book etc. and not promoting it or building an interest list before you launch, can literally be the difference between 5 sales and 50 or 500 sales. In my case, this mistake was a $10,0000+ mistake.
In 2014 I launched my 1st group coaching program. At the end of the year it generated close to $12,000. Now for me that was a personal best because I had never launched a product of my own and made that much. I had made great affiliate income in the past selling other people’s programs. Some as much as $2000 per product. So the fact that I was able to sell a program that was 100% mine was super exciting and something to be proud of.
Fast forward, this year in 2015 I revamped my program, changed the pricing, spent about month and a half of intense pre launch marketing (and some other important things I’ll cover on July 11th in Los Angeles.) The week of my launch I generated over $20,000. That’s nearly double that I did last year, and this time it was in 10 days. Now that’s a personal best!
Another side note: Please don’t start comparing yourself to me or anyone else doing something similar. I had humble course and webinar beginnings. Some things grossed as low as $159 when I first started. We all have our own journey. This is just mine. 🙂
Now, here are a few things I did differently from 2014 to 2015.
1) I had a “coming soon” page that collected emails (like this) well before my course had even been revamped
2) Instead of just revealing my new course out of the blue, I created an absolutely free value packed video series (that targeted my ideal audience for my new course) to get them prepared for the new goodness that would soon be released. FYI, I recorded my video series with my macbook air, a set of affordable softbox lights and a $15 white canvas backdrop. Can you talk about “Getting it done!?” #NoExcuses
3) I engaged with and focused 90% of my effort on those who had opted into my free video series and clearly would be ideal candidate for my course. I didn’t bombard my entire social media audience or email list with the course. ** My major point here, you must have an interest list for your new course, program or book.
With a few strategic tweaks I was able to make a big change in my revenue. And guess what? This course is done and continues to generate income for me. Anytime I want to turn the revenue faucet on I simply will rinse and repeat. How would you like to create something like this?
I’d love to see you on July 11th in Los Angeles. Bloggers Like Me is hosting and I am teaching.
I’ll be covering how to:
- Come up with a product using your existing expertise
- Do proper research on topics and pricing
- Build anticipation for your product release
- Promote your new product
- And more!
Bring your laptops fully charged and let’s “Get ‘er done!” I’m excited! Are you?
UPDATE: Testimony for Private Coaching Client Carol Walsh on program creation and social media strategy
Are you seeking private guidance? Do you want to skip the mistakes and get a proven system? I’d love to work with you personally. Apply for a 30 minute (complimentary) social success discovery call with me here.