Are you maximizing the impact of your product announcements? For many companies, product launches serve as a major contributor to pipeline and revenue growth. To secure both the meaningful coverage and the resulting sales activity requires much more than the garden-variety press release drafted the week prior. You've secured briefings, but what about the assets you're providing to help those influencers cover your announcement? What additional tactics (surveys, blogs, op-ed pieces, 3rd party validators) have you employed to create a long-tail for your launch? In this informative webcast, product marketing experts from Gutenberg Communications will discuss the process, timeline and assets that go into ensuring your product launch is a lion, as opposed to a lamb. Who should check this out? - CMO/CTO's - VP's and Directors of Marketing - Communications Managers - Product and Product Marketing Managers

1. Today’s Webcast
Is Your Product Launch
a Lion or a Lamb?

3. • CMO, General Manager, Portfolio Marketing at
Gutenberg Communications
• Over 15 years experience in marketing high-
tech products to the enterprise
– CPUs, security, infrastructure, email, automation, IT
ops, collaboration
– Intel, Mercury Interactive, Quest Software, Stratavia,
eEye/BeyondTrust
• Contributor to industry publications, including
Wired, Mashable, SC Magazine
• Specialty in product marketing and strategy
3
About Our Speaker

4. For many technology companies, new
products are the lifeblood of pipeline and
revenue, but they’re also vulnerable to
market-entry failures, often related to a
single point in time –
the product launch
4
The Challenge and Opportunity

5. 5
Why is this True?
– Your markets have
gravitational pull toward
„the middle‟
– That‟s where all
messages start to collide
and sound the same,
where you lose you
differentiation
– Your product launch is an
excellent opportunity to
rise above the market
clutter

6. 6
What’s the Difference?
Goal Setting
Timing
Execution

7. 7
Setting Launch Goals
– Getting coverage;
generating buzz,
awareness
– New leads!
– X number of PR mentions
– % increase in web traffic
– % increase in qualified lead gen
– % increase in qualified pipeline
– X new acquired
customers/revenue by certain date
– X number of differentiator
mentions
– X number of inbound links from
PR mentions

8. 8
Launch Timing
–What compelling industry
events occur in your
market?
–Doesn‟t have to be
exclusive to conferences
or trade shows
–Government report filings
(new home starts, new
car sales, etc.)
–Competitor earnings
announcements
–Juxtaposition is great;
“me too” isn‟t

9. 9
What About Announcing Early?
– Pre-announcing has some
benefits, such as first mover
advantage, but there are also
risks
– Customer buys into your
education, and goes with a
competitor product now
– Reporters don‟t cover the bell
ringing twice
– Sales could stall or worse, be
delayed to actual ship date;
what if it slips?
Good Uses of Pre-Announcements
– Diffusing/diluting an expected competitor launch
– First mover for a completely defensible position
– Supporting strategic sales opportunities

10. 10
Launch Tactics

11. Two High Impact Deliverables for Your Launch
Surveys related to launch themes
– Long-tail type data; depending on data, 9-18mo shelf life
– Fresh stats and takes on common challenges
– Multi-purpose for post launch content marketing lead gen as well, via survey
updates, benchmarks, etc.
– Can be done as easily via online offerings, or as more scientific expert-
network engagements
Visual Storytelling
– Info-graphics, video, product tours
– Non-traditional communication formats create new options for press to
cover and syndicate for you
– Make your launches “known” for something
– “Rough-cut” type videos (Instagram, handhelds) easily relatable by end-
users; a lack of gloss is welcomed from those in the trenches
11
Making Your Launch More Impactful

12. 12
Merchandising: Not Just for Cereal
Merchandising is
key
• Preparation and
packaging of your story
• Presentation in such a
way that it stimulates
interest in a hyper-
competitive market
• Drives action

13. 13
Don’t Forget Your Press Kits
Press Release
Info-graphic
Survey results
Product screen shot tour
Quick value prop videos
Relevant Industry Research
‘Release Notes’
Press Release
Product Box Shots
Datasheets
Whitepapers
Don’t Sell Your Influencers a Story,
Help them Write One

14. Your Product Launch Will End Up
Being Just an Interesting Experiment if
There is No Resulting Revenue
Sales Training is CRITICAL
– If they don‟t know, they can‟t sell
– Avoid the “show up and throw up” sales
training
– Treat major launch sales training as a
nurture campaign (45-30-15-5)
What Do We Know About Sales?
They’re Coin Operated
– Can you set a new product sales
incentive?
14
Don’t Forget Your Internal Customer

15. How do you capitalize on your solid launch results?
Merchandising and ‘Weaponizing’
– Merchandising doesn‟t stop with the launch messaging; how do
you package launch materials and earned media for your sales
channels?
– Where do these new sales tools fit in your sales funnel?
– What stage of the sales cycle are they most useful for?
– Credibility setting early; thought leadership differentiation later;
value-adding at renewal time
What other groups can benefit? Be a Good Neighbor!
– CFO, valuation, funding
– HR, recruitment
15
Great Launch! Now What?

16. Was the exercise worthwhile?
– No doubt multiple stakeholders involved in getting the
coverage and results
– How do you demonstrate the effort was worth the outcome?
– This is where your pre-stated goals come into play
Manage expectations through measurement
– Inbound traffic from source (fight for the inbound links where
possible!);
– Launch impact on the funnel; do certain outlet visitors
convert faster?
– Going outbound with targeted mailings to base, pipeline or
retired leads, measuring engagement
16
Great Launch! Now What?

17. Some Key Resources

18. 1. Without Aggressive Goals, Why Do It?
– Establish tangible business drivers as goals (qualified
leads, 90 day pipe increase, 90 day sales
increase, upgrades)
2. Set Your Timing Opportunistically
– Don‟t be afraid to use some guerrilla tactics (competitor
earnings announcements) to highlight your launch
3. Ideas are Cheap. Execution is What Matters
– Stick to your launch checklists, fanatically
– “Go/No Go” decisions aren‟t a paper tiger – sound the alarm
if need be
– Go the extra mile; help the influencers cover your story
18
Things to Remember

19. Questions?
If you’d like to continue the
conversation, please reach out to
us at info@gutenbergpr.com
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