Launch Basics- Phase 1

1) Determine your target customer.
2) Learn where your target customers "shop."
3) Meet them there with a great product or service and a strong message they can't resist.

Website - if a designer has been hired, contact the designer to sample a mock-up of site before it goes live. Assure that the site is easily navigated; flash designed (can be partial), and industry specific.

Link Campaign – a link exchange program will enhance your number of visitors. Try to reach out to companies within your industry that have been established for years. Chances are they have faithful customers that visit their site and this serves as word of mouth through the net

Brochure/Catalog/Portfolio - it is important to have something to show your customers, affiliates, vendors, and distributors. Anyone you do business with will want assurance that you are professional. Your brochure should be of high quality and graphics to demonstrate your high standards

Marketing Video - Using some unique video promotion methods your company can dramatically increase the number of new and satisfied customers. Film and corporate video production have many uses but there is no substitute for having your clients on DVD or on the web telling everyone how great you and your products are.

E-mail Marketing - signing up for inexpensive e-mail marketing can only benefit your launch. Getting your name out there as much as possible is key in building a successful business. 6-12 months of e-mail marketing should suffice for your launch.

Who’s who - Find out who the unions, trade associations, etc. are for specific industry. Once a list has been generated, contact the associations and find out what journals/publications are most read. This will determine the best target audience for advertising.

Basic Database Set-up – Set up a minimal database of vital contacts for industry.

Stationary – A company is not a company without stationary complete with company letterhead, envelopes, and stamp.

Marketing - Phase 2

Direct Mail - Mail sent to large numbers of potential customers advertising a product or service and soliciting orders.

Voice-Broadcasting – Radio Promotions. Find out what radio stations your target customers listen to and promote your business over the air.

Guerilla Marketing - Unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources

Lead Generation - Lead generation is a marketing term that refers to the manufacture of connections between well-matched consumers and target corporate vendors. Lead Generation is frequently seen in the financial world. This would manifest itself as companies calling up on behalf of banks and loan institutions, gaining a commission on the leads they generate (pay-per-lead) or the sales made (pay-per sale) or a combination thereof. {This increases current database to Standard from Minimal}

Promotional Items – Order promotional items to be handed out in meetings, trade shows, and to general audience.

Internet Marketing - Leveraging the Internet as a means of communicating a company’s messaging, attracting prospects and customers, and conducting market research.

Email Marketing - The practice of sending sales letters or customer newsletters by email. While some individuals think it can be annoying, many businesses find it a cost effective marketing tool. Email communications are often more effective than printed direct mail, because a reader can click on a link and go straight to the sender's web site.

Advertising – Phase 3

Online Advertising Campaign - Delivering ads to Internet users via Web sites, e-mail, ad-supported software and Internet-enabled cell phones. Also called an "ad network," Internet advertising organizations act as a middleman between the advertiser and the Web sites and software publishers that display the ads. They make a profit by selling the online campaign to the advertisers and paying the sites to distribute them. Such organizations may also provide software tools and/or ad servers that enable an organization to deliver the ads it generates itself.

Publication Advertising - When it comes to magazine advertising, most people think of the large, glossy, national publications full of big brand advertisers. And it may seem like your own business doesn't belong alongside the "big guys," especially if you don't sell your product outside a one-hundred-mile radius--or even outside of your own state. But that's just not the case. In fact, it's quite possible the next time you open one of those national magazines to see an ad for a business that's right in your own town that just has that one location. That's because, like a lot of other forms of advertising, many national magazines have local sections aimed at smaller businesses. Of course, these local sections are a bit larger than what you may be used to, covering such areas as the "Northeast" or the "Southwest" parts of the United States. So while you'll be reaching people way outside your neighborhood, you'll also attract local business (and may just wow the locals who see your ad on those pages).

Who should advertise in the local sections of the national magazines? Although it doesn't seem so at first blush, these ads are really good for small, "niche-y" stores that carry very specialized products, like hobby items. People will travel great distances to find a new supplier or expert or specialist for their hobby, and they'll spread the word of your existence to others with similar interests. These ads are also wonderful if you have locations in more than one area of any state or in more than one state. You can probably cover most or even all of them with just one ad if they all fall into one of those wide geographical areas that are sold as "local." Check the first few pages of any magazine to find contact information for the advertising department, where you can ask for a media kit and
get information on rates and deadlines. And be sure to ask for a map that shows you what each local territory includes.

Of course, advertising in magazines with national distribution is going to be expensive even if you're only advertising in the local sections, and it's not be the way to go for most small or midsize

businesses. You don't really need to cast such a wide net--what you really need is to choose publications that are closely associated with your target market.

One option is to go really local with free magazines that you'd find in grocery stores or pharmacies. The focus of these types of publications is on home sales, cars, boats and other topics--you've probably picked up one yourself. Your business doesn't have to tie directly into the topics of any one of the magazines, as long as the readers of those magazines would also be interested in your product or service. Remember, it's the audience that counts, and you can find that audience in any number of places. The contact information for advertising in these publications will also be located within the first few pages. One thing to be aware of is that these types of free publications are published on different schedules, sometimes just a few times a year. And like most magazines, your deadline will be way ahead of publication, so don't wait until the last minute to call to place an ad.

One advantage of magazines, especially monthlies, is that they have a much longer shelf life than newspapers; they are often browsed through for months after publication. So your ad might have an audience for up to six months after its initial insertion. Moreover, newspaper, so there's more chance they will run across your ad.

No matter which type of publication you're buying space in, be sure to ask the following questions before you purchase any ad space:

• What's the magazine's circulation?
• What are the demographics of the readers?
• How often is the magazine published?
• How is it distributed?
• What are the special sections or themes planned for the year?

Banner or Billboard Ads - A graphic image used on Web sites to advertise a product or service. Banner ads come in numerous sizes, but are often rectangles 460 pixels wide by 60 pixels high. Also 460 x 55 and 392 x 72 sizes are commonly used.

Launch Party - A launch party is thrown by a company to celebrate the release of a new product or service. A company will throw a launch party to draw in potential new customers and to increase public exposure for their brand name, using a open bar, catered food, and a variety of entertainers. Most launch parties represent a substantial investment for the company, with some parties costing as much as 250,000 US Dollars (USD).

Upgrade Database to Premium – Finalize phase of adding contacts, vendors, and leads to company’s database.