• Inertia: Your offering is competing against entrenched products that are the default choice for many customers.
• Approach awareness: Even if you are fortunate enough to have strong company brand equity, your new offering may not be in the considered set for your target customers.
• Defined value: your product’s features and benefits are not aligned to your customers’ needs.

These issues often lead to unmet growth KPIs.

Build the Right Product Launch Structure

If your company wants to help ensure your launch is successful, it is crucial to set up the right architecture. RH Blake has developed proven best practices that help connect your marketing efforts to the sales channel, and effectively communicate the product story.

Define Success: What value will this product bring to the organization in the specified timeframe?

• It is critical to detail and delineate expected value. Is the focus of the new product vertical market penetration, line extension, base business protection, showcasing innovation, or adding distribution channels?
• Once expected value is defined, the organization can implement production, channel marketing, pricing and sales strategies that deliver against that metric.

Align Your Business: Are your core functions including engineering, manufacturing, marketing and sales teams aligned on the launch?

• Product portfolio management is also a critical element in the launch process. Often, the product is a line extension to an established, comprehensive portfolio. Therefore, the value of the new product must be defined within a larger performance or price context.
• Business leadership and sales need to prioritize the launch through the channel. This could include identifying growth accounts, mapping target distributors or setting up a commission structure.
• It is crucial that the business prepares for success. Product development must be aligned with marketing and sales on inventory availability, shipping and distribution to ensure new sales aren’t delayed to meet demand.

Commit to the Channel: Where and how are your target customers researching their challenges and potential solutions?

• It’s important to map the buyer’s journey for your new product and competing approaches. This will identify how your customers are researching new product information and help you focus on opportunities for influence.
• Once you have mapped your customer, you can leverage marketing activities including SEO, keyword advertising, email marketing and social media to create multiple touch points. This will introduce your product to customers where they are most receptive to new information.
• No marketing channel delivers meaningful immediate success. Momentum is built, so commitment to the right channels will, over time, support offline sales efforts and deliver marketable leads.

Differentiate and Define: How does your product stand out in the market?

• Define your product’s value proposition. Communicating your product’s unique value proposition can be challenging. The clearer the product use case and story, the easier it will be to demonstrate value, gain customer trust and influence purchase.
• Build support for your value proposition and show demonstrable proof. Don’t be afraid to compare your product to the competition and competing approaches. Even small performance or feature improvements can create real value for your product in the eyes of customers.
• Focus on creating compelling content that creates a need for your product. Content pillars can amplify your product’s value proposition through videos, infographics, blogs and guides that connect with customers.

Jumpstart Your B2B Manufacturing Product Launch

No product launch is assured of success. But you can help ensure effectiveness by creating the right launch architecture. Defining your product, aligning your organization, and creating a compelling, relevant story will elevate your company and connect customers to your product.

RH Blake has helped many B2B manufacturers successfully launch and introduce products and offerings. We created the Industrial Marketer’s Guide to help address marketing strategy, and content and digital marketing in support of product launches.

The guide features powerful information to help you create a winning program, and features  actionable tips, advice and insight. Whether you’re new in your role, want to improve your positioning, or optimize your site for lead generation, The Industrial Marketer’s Guide will help you put the proper plan in place to drive growth.