Help with Product Launch (X-posted to r/entrepreneur)

[justinarnot]

Hi all,

Long time lurker here, first time posting. I've created a new product aimed towards a quickly expanding demographic. I've gone thru 5 iterations and I'm at a place where I'd like to bring it to market. I plan to use 3D printing as the main method of fabrication and social media for advertising to start out. I also know a local store owner who said he'd like to carry my product in store, as well as being added as a sponsor for a large tournament coming up this summer.

One thing I don't have yet is a website. I've been looking into square space, and have seen mixed reviews but on average they're good reviews. Anyone with experience please feel free to chime in. Is a website really necessary to start? The more I think about it, the more I lean towards yes.

It feels like everything is mostly in place (except the website) but I don't know how to go about officially launching my product for purchase. Haven't created a marketing plan or a business plan, which I know is likely going to be among the first suggestions. Where to start with this? I know that a lot of you have created greatness from the ground up, so give me your best tip(s) for starting out!

Thanks for reading

 

[613jono]

@justinarnot Your online footprint is one of the biggest factors regarding your product. Imagine you gave a salesman that works 24/7. That's what your site does and social media helps. I have my social media funnel people to my website which leads to sales. Shopify is another great platform for websites.

 

[justinarnot]

@613jono Exactly what I'm looking for!

Thank you

 

[vaseman]

@justinarnot 9 years of marketing experience / agency owner checking in:

I hate squarespace. Beyond not loving their "editing" tools, their technical integrations are abysmal. If you're a small operation and only need a couple of simple things, I'd genuinely recommend a paid Wix site before squarespace. As long as you put in some effort to learn how to use it (or pay someone to do it for you), use good images, and customize it, Wix will kick the pants of of Square on every level. It will also be better at handling more advanced payment and ad tracking solutions down the line. It's not as versatile as a truly custom built option but... for the money, I think it's the best option to do 98% of what you need for the next five years. It's also not the duck-taped-together fossil that WordPress has turned into.

As for your marketing plan -- if I'm reading between the lines correctly on the type of product you're launching, you're going to be really well served by short form video content. Showcase the production process, discuss your passion for the environment your product is used in, etc. Buying an ad spot on an industry newsletter might not be a bad option either. That's kind of old school but.... if there's an established publisher with a good mail list, it would be worth price checking.

Depending on your exact niche, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are likely going to make sense for you.

I'd also recommend hiring someone to manage this for you for one reason -- it's really easy to lose money on advertising by almost setting it up correctly. A little money on the front end can save you the cost of having to learn by making mistakes.

If you'd like to discuss specifics or get an idea of what a reasonable advertising budget should look like, my DM's are open.

 

[justinarnot]

@vaseman Fantastic advice, thank you!!

I'll have to return to read and re-read this from time to time for sure. I'm definitely going to take a look at Wix now, I was under the impression that Wix was inferior.

I don't have any further questions for you right now, but I'll be sure to message you in the future when something comes up!

 

[vaseman]

@justinarnot Wix used to suck - honestly it was a joke.

It’s still a joke if you use a basic template and don’t put any effort into making the site “your own.”

For that reason, it has gotten a bad rap but they really have gone hard the past couple of years to improve their business offerings. Ad tracking is way better, payment and commerce options are on par now and, for people like me, it’s easier to pop the hood and get technical with it now.

I just switched one of my hair salon clients over to it from square — in-store POS and everything — and it’s been a dream for them and us.

 

[justinarnot]

@vaseman I am glad I came here to ask these questions today.

Thank you for your insight!

 

[hyunrunj3w]

@justinarnot Getting a business and marketing plan in place is critical. Do it before you do anything else. The SBA actually has some good templates. Even if you dont know what you want to write for a particular section, spend some time thinking about it. Know what your knowledge gaps are and what you should be looking for help with.

Along those lines, do you have experience with product marketing on social media? If so, great. If not, find someone who does and start asking questions. You can burn through cash in a hurry and get nothing out of it if you aren't on top of it. This is a field where what works and what doesnt change rapidly.

Regarding the website: in my experience, Shopify is better for selling things while Squarespace offers a little bit more design flexibility. I would create accounts on each and try building a free site to see what it's like and which is a better fit for you.

The single best thing you can do? Find people who will actually buy your product. I don't mean people who say they would buy your product or who will buy it someday--people who actually hand you money.

 

[justinarnot]

@hyunrunj3w Thanks for the resource! I'll definitely take a deep dive into developing a comprehensive business and marketing plan. I wasn't sure if it was justifiable as such a small scale business, but having a plan never hurt anyone, right?

Oh how I yearn to find someone to hand me money...

 

[jessieward]

@justinarnot hey am waiting for your response for the website.