It’s common to oversimplify marketing to being the same as “sales” or “advertising” but it’s actually much more involved when creating a successful product launch. Conducting market research is important to do early on — while your product is still being developed. This research can be gathered one of two ways: through primary research (very expensive) or by reviewing existing secondary research (free). A good source for secondary research is the U.S. Census Bureau.
Overall, there are 3 phases to marketing:
- Choose the value. Determine your target market, their needs and the value proposition you can offer them.
- Provide the value. Deliver your marketing through an combination of distribution and customer service.
- Communicate the value. Employ advertising, promotion and PR to get your message out about what you have to offer.
Internet marketing companies are great to work with to help you develop an overall marketing plan. If, however, you don’t have the budget for that level of expertise, consider working one-on-one with a viral video producer to develop a cost-effective strategy that will use your website and social media sites such as YouTube and Facebook to get your message out to the world.