A successful launch party is a great way to get a new business or product off the ground — if it succeeds. If you want people to spread the word about whatever you’re launching, it helps enormously to knock the launch party over the fences. Here are a few key tips:
Identify Your Market
Launch parties are intended primarily for early adopters — the kind of people who combine an adventurous spirit with enough money to be able to afford to try on something new, risking that it might not work out the way they want. Look at your company’s target market segments, and figure out which among them are most likely to be early adopters. Then figure out who the early adopters are listening to, and invite those folks to your launch party.
Don’t think of your invitees as ‘guests.’ Think of them as ambassadors, and treat them like you would treat an ambassador who will carry your important message back to their home country if and only if you knock their socks off with the perfect event. You want to target people who will not only buy your product and talk about it once they’ve bought it, but who have a large audience that is loyal enough to respect their opinion.
A Place that Wows
Because you know who you’ve invited, you should be able to deduce what kind of place will draw their attention. If you’re strutting your stuff to tech-focused Millennial social-media mavens, you’re going to want a much different locale than you will if you’re after the tech-focused Apple-oriented Gen-Xers. In particular, don’t be afraid to get exotic — an event held in an empty warehouse or on the roof of a company building can get a lot of mileage just out of being where it is.
Just Add Fun
Boring launch parties are failed launch parties — and you can hardly depend on the anticipation of the hype to keep guests focused for long. Make it a party! Hire a band or a DJ, make sure they’re plenty of food (of a decent variety, so vegans, diabetics, and those with food allergies can all find something without the mainstream folks feeling like anything is missing), and have several activities guests can participate in.
Swag Is a Mentality
…but that doesn’t mean you can slack on the swag. If you expect to get the word out, you should provide your invitees with ample enough swag that they can both display it and give some away. Swag doesn’t have to be expensive, but it can’t look cheap, either. T-shirts, buttons, pens, mouse pads — if your target market uses it and you can swag it out, consider it. Then pick the most cost-efficient options to actually give away. A few larger prizes given away by raffle or lottery is a good idea as well.
Maintain the Momentum
The end of the event is hardly the end of the hype! Build a social media page for the event beforehand, and then ask attendees to share their experiences, photos, videos, and opinions. Send follow-up surveys to find out what you did well and what you can do better next time. And, of course, be sure to give your invitees every opportunity to cross-promote both with you and with each other.
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