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Using Social Media for a Product Launch

Social media is used for many purposes — sharing relevant industry information, having discussions with your clients or customers and general promotion of your products and services. But have you ever thought of using social media before your business even opens? Well before the release of a product or opening of a business is the perfect time to kick off your social media efforts. Your business can leverage social media profiles to create a following, and drum up excitement and engagement before you even open the doors.

An example of a Columbus business that successfully used social media for an opening is The Blowout Bar, a hair salon with expertise on styling. It integrated multiple social media channels, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, well before the opening of its Grandview location in October 2013. Cross promotion among all four accounts helped to increase the company’s social reach, grow awareness, generate brand advocates and expand its potential customer base.

Let’s take a look at how The Blowout Bar successfully used social media to create buzz and excitement for its new location.

• Sharing pre-launch highlights through photographs. To generate excitement, The Blowout Bar posted milestones such as location decisions, new staff members, stylist training and salon construction. Photos and albums of these events were posted across all accounts, growing awareness and providing intimate glimpses at the store’s development.

• Running contests. To grow its following, The Blowout Bar ran a Facebook contest that included daily giveaways in addition to a grand prize. Once they hit 1,000 Facebook Likes, winners were announced each day for a week for a free blowout. One grand prize winner won free blowouts for an entire year! Followers became eager to experience The Blowout Bar’s services and they had more incentive to like their Facebook page and stay engaged for updates.

• Sharing follower content. Another way The Blowout Bar generated pre-launch excitement was through its Instagram account.  People were encouraged to share a photo every time they passed The Blowout Bar location using the hashtag #theblowoutbar. The Blowout Bar’s account would regram the photos each time they appeared, making future customers feel involved with the launch. This activity got followers excited for the grand opening and familiar with the location.

• Tapping into area influencers. The Blowout Bar regularly engaged with well-known people in the Columbus area by talking to them on Twitter. Additionally, The Blowout Bar engaged with neighboring businesses, tagging them in posts. Tagging and engagement with influencers and neighbors helped The Blowout Bar gain a presence with followers of those individuals and businesses. Additionally, the company did a great job replying to followers who asked any questions and retweeted mentions they received.

The Blowout Bar’s social reach and engagement really picked up right in time for their grand opening. They continue to be proactive on social media by holding contests for giveaways, posting pictures of customers who get a blowout, sharing hair styling tips, and more. Check them out as an example for great use of social media.

Remember that there are many ways to use social media for a product, service or business launch. In addition to the specific examples shared from The Blowout Bar, you can grow your presence and generate a following with tactics such as behind the scenes posts, in-depth interviews, influencer engagement and countdowns.

What other businesses have used social media successfully for a product launch? Let us know in the comments section below!

Mworks740 • March 6, 2014

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