6 tips to launching your new service, product or website as a makeup artist.
It’s something I have done a few times now - the L word. Launching! I have launched my mentorship three times, I have launched my Etsy and this new brand with great success and I have branched into products, which of course, meant a launch. It’s a word that scares a lot of makeup artists and something I hear time and time again “I have no need to launch” “But I have nothing to launch” ect ect..
Here’s the thing - if you are creating a new website - launch it! Introducing a new service? Launch it! Statistically speaking, launching new products, new services and creating a buzz and excitement around them leads to more customers, more sales and more brand recognition. So here are 6 things I have learned when launching that can hopefully help you!
1) Prepare for it to take twice as long, cost twice as much and be twice as much work.
This might put you off, but don’t let it. Whenever I have launched anything, it has always been a lot more than I anticipated. My planner took double the amount of time to ship. My mentorship launch required double the effort than I initially anticipated and this is fine. Launches are funny things that until you do them a few times, you don’t really know how its going to go. As long as you prepare yourself for this and add it into your plan. Now, I look at a launch plan, and think OK - I’m allocating double the amount of time for prep. I look at my planner design time and add on double the resources. This is the recipe for success. If you are adding on a service, anticipate there might be delays and add that into your launch prep. If you are planning to relaunch your website and branding, anticipate there might be extra funds needed or extra work and work that into your plan.
2) Prepping is 90% of the work.
Something that surprises people who haven’t launched before, but its all in the prep. Right now I’m in the midst of my Season 3 mentorship launch and I have been prepping for that since November (so about 5 months ago!). I’m in a really comfortable position right now, where I can sit back and enjoy the launch and be present on stories, because all the hard graft was scheduled and pre-prepped months ago. Making sure you have your socials scheduled and ready to post in the weeks leading up, making sure you have relevant blog posts and marketing, ads and copy - all linking back to whatever it is your launching. These are key components to your strategy that can’t be overlooked.
3) Build excitement!
You might not think launching your new branding or website or service is exciting enough because WE are in the industry, but others do. But by creating a buzz, creating an excitement, showing WHY we are doing what we are doing. This is what sells. NOT hardcore sales tactics. Build excitement from a genuine place and let that genuine spark shine - that is what people see and buy into. Create a buzz, use testimonials, show the behind the scenes of what you are doing.
4) Just do it
Fear kills more dreams than anything else and it is the number one thing that holds people back from launching something. Fear of failure, fear of being judged, fear of looking silly. I’m here to tell you, nothing is more scary than not achieving your dreams and always thinking what if. If I ever feel a little bit of fear, I immediately head to social media and put it out there. I give myself a date, I give myself a time and I hold myself accountable in front of all of my followers. This helps me and pushes me to complete the task, complete the launch, because if I’m scared of anything, its disappointing the people who follow me and enjoy my content (as well as disappointing myself). If you are holding back because of fear - I encourage you, head to social media and make the annoucement! In that moment, I guarantee you will feel free and you will instantly feel better and encouraged to work on your launch.
5) Market, market, market
Marketing yourself is the number 1 thing you can do during your launch to introduce yourself to new audiences. I would encourage you to create a small but sturdy (or it can be big if you like!) but manageable marketing budget to allocate to ads. Do some ad research and create some ads that really entice people to learn about whatever it is you are launching. If its a masterclass, make sure you are targeting people who are likely to be interested in coming. If its a product, look into Pinterest and Facebook ads. Even having a small budget of £50 - can introduce new audiences to your brand. It is also a well known fact that most people need to be exposed to your brand 7 times, before making a purchase off the cuff, so ads put yourself in front of their eyes and get you known - building the branches to forming a relationship!
6) Don’t be afraid to be your own biggest cheerleader.
“But I don’t want to annoy people, I don’t want to post to much” I hear ya - this was my biggest struggle too. I thought, gosh I should really put the breaks on my promo because I don’t want people to get sick of me. Here’s the thing, if you believe in your offer, your course, your class, your product - you SHOULD scream about it. Nobody else will if you don’t. If people get sick of you, they are not your people. If you aren’t sick of yourself, you aren’t saying it enough. If you back what your offering with your whole heart and soul, people will see that, they will understand that and see the value in what you are offering. It is your job to get this word out to as many people as possible to benefit them - once you understand this, you will find it much easier to sell and to promote what you are offering.
Those are just 6 of the main things I learnt whilst launching, but one I failed to mention is to enjoy it. Launching is exciting and we don’t get to do it often, so by doing all the prep work beforehand, when it comes to launch week or month, you will be ready to go and have the freedom to enjoy the moment and be present. Let me know in the comments what launches you have coming up!