7 Tips to Generate Buzz When Launching a New B2B Product

Is your B2B company preparing to launch a new product? For a successful launch, you must spread the word so that prospective buyers know about it. Buyers might be familiar with your B2B company's existing products, but it's a different story for new products. As a result, you may experience abysmal sales after putting the new product up for sale. The good news is that you can generate buzz when launching a new product by following these tips.

#1) Allow Pre-Orders

A simple and effective way to generate buzz for a new product is to make it available for pre-orders. When a product is available for pre-order, it creates the perception of strong demand. When a buyer sees your B2B company has a new product available for pre-order, he or she may buy it so that the product doesn't sell out. You can even offer a discount on pre-orders to drive even more initial sales, all while generating buzz.

#2) Announce on Social Media

You can also generate buzz for a new product by announcing it on social media. In the B2B industry, of course, no social network is more valuable than LinkedIn. Research shows that LinkedIn now has over 660 million users, most of whom consist of corporate executives and professionals. As a result, you should announce the new product on your B2B company's LinkedIn page. If your B2B company is active on LinkedIn, buyers will likely check out its page where they can read about its upcoming product.

#3) Create a Countdown Timer

If your B2B company has a website, consider using a countdown timer to raise awareness and generate buzz for its upcoming product. A countdown is a website feature that counts down to zero from a specified number or numbers. If you're planning to launch the new product in two weeks, for instance, you can place a 14-day countdown timer on your B2B company's website. Buyers who visit your B2B company's website will see the countdown timer slowly ticking down, allowing you to build buzz for the new product.

#4) Partner With an Influencer

Another way to generate buzz for a new product is to partner with an influencer. If a person is recognized as a credible authority in your B2B company's industry -- and assuming he or she isn't a competitor -- contact the individual to inquire about a partnership. The individual or "influencer" may be willing to promote your B2B company's upcoming product if you reciprocate the favor. A tactic known as influencer marketing, it's highly effective at generating buzz for new products; you just need to partner with the right influencer.

#5) Leverage a Newsletter

You can leverage an email newsletter to generate buzz for your B2B company's new product. Email is one of the most popular and widely used channels for promoting B2B products. Rather than just cold emailing buyers, though, try using a newsletter. Once a buyer has subscribed to your B2B company's newsletter, you can send him or her emails promoting the upcoming product. Best of all, you aren't limiting to sending buyers a single email; you can send them a series of emails, each of which revealing a little more information about the upcoming product.

What's the best way to generate buzz for a new B2B product with an email newsletter? Here are a few newsletter strategies that can help:

• Reveal as little information about the product as possible during the initial email.
• Gradually reveal additional information in subsequent emails.
• Explain how your B2B company's new product is better than its competitors'.
• If your B2B company is accepting pre-orders, include a link to the product's pre-order page.

#6) Go Visual

Don't underestimate the power of visual content when generating buzz for your B2B company's new product. Studies have shown that the human brain processes visual content over 60,000 times faster than plain-text content. You can use this to your advantage by creating visual content that promotes your B2B company's new product. Rather than only writing blog posts about the new product, for instance, try making some videos of it. B2B buyers often search for video content because it's easier to consume than text content. In many cases, video content can offer a more accurate representation of a new product as well.

#7) Create Press Releases

Press releases, when used correctly, are extremely effective at generating buzz for new products. What are press releases exactly? They are articles -- either with or without visual content -- that announce a time-relevant event or change within your B2B company. You can distribute press releases to media outlets in your B2B company's market to reach prospective buyers. Press releases are designed to announce something to the press, so they are useful for generating buzz. As media outlets pick up your story, they'll share it with their own audiences.