Slow Down to Speed Up: 'How to Find Success in Marketing'

The owner of a business that offers a new dating app for local singles who are also dog owners is excited. She’s come up with a great idea to market the app to prospective users and is determined to make a splash in a crowded market full of other options.

She hires a design firm to help finalize the app design, enlists the help of a digital marketing expert to write sales copy and get some marketing campaigns, and all systems appear to be ready to go. She can hardly wait to launch the app and watch the revenue start pouring in from user memberships and advertising.

But then something odd happens.

Users aren’t flocking to the app like the business owner anticipated. In fact, the numbers are actually fairly embarrassing. How could something like this happen?

It can seem revolutionary to have a bright idea and implement it quickly, before anyone else can think of the same idea and beat you to the punch. But taking the time to properly plan and execute the launch of a product will be much more instrumental to long-term success. Let’s take a step back and identify the pitfalls this business owner fell victim to.

Don’t Launch Without a Long Term Strategy

Yes, things can change suddenly and call for a tweak in the original plan. This is common in any industry and should be anticipated. However, there is still a strong argument for having a long term, big picture plan. This helps business owners keep sight of the bigger picture and the true end goal.

For example, this business owner could have rolled out her app in phases, after generating a buzz with a strong pre-launch marketing campaign. Instead, she surprised users with an app that no one had heard about, with little content behind the launch to really drive home the purpose and selling points of the app.

Not Every Product Can Sell Itself

This business owner made one critical mistake: she anticipated that the app would simply sell itself because of the element of owning a dog. But instead, she found that users were skeptical of the app because of its design and lack of user-friendly features. They also were turned off by the lack of online presence for the business, which causes them to lose trust.

Instead, the app could be revealed to a small focus or test group prior to launching. Just because the app appears to work and is functional does not necessarily mean it will be automatically popular.

Making mistakes is not going to derail an entire strategy, but it can jeopardize the success of a product or service. If this business owner had just taken a bit more time to develop her strategy, generate a buzz surrounding the product, and ensure that the app was ready to be used by everyday users, the launch may have been a more demonstrated success.

However, it’s not too late. By taking a step back, doing an audit, and taking responsibility for mistakes and learning from them, this app can still be a great success. Marketing does not have to be rocket science, but it is helpful to listen to the tried and true techniques and strategies to ensure ongoing success.