Establishing Ethical Launch Strategies in your Online Business
Does the thought of setting up a formal launch make you want to run for the hills?!
Have you been avoiding launching anything because you’ve experienced failed launches in the past or it just feels too overwhelming to tackle?!
If you want to be more strategic with how you approach launches in your business but you do not want to take any unethical approaches that add un-needed stress, excess work, or misalignment to your core values…you’re in the right place! Let’s map out and plan your next launch together so you can experience launches in a way that feels fun and true to you.
Though it may feel like there are countless steps that go into setting up a successful launch…
…When you break it down we really only need to think of launching in 4 core parts that we will break down in detail:
Part 1: PLAN
Part 2: PREP
Part 3: PROMOTE
Part 4: CELEBRATE!
When we approach launching in this simple 4 step process, it makes it much easier to strategize each step in a balanced, doable way. Each step to the launch process should get its own period of time, making it easy to schedule sprint windows of time for each part directly on your calendar! Depending on your launch goals, the time you spend on each part of this launch process will be either longer or shorter. The bigger the goals, the longer I recommend giving yourself for each step of the process! Every step to the launch process supports every other step, so its important that we do not skip any of the parts because it will effect the launch as a whole. When beginning to set up each of the above 4 steps, it is helpful to establish a preferred launch project management system. This will help you to establish a cohesive, high quality launch in a way that makes it easy to manage your time, meet deadlines, and clearly lay out everything that will help you experience a fulfilling launch. Let’s start breaking down each step!
Part 1: PLAN
The planning phase is my most favorite because it is where we get the opportunity to unleash our creativity and imagination. I find it important during this time to give yourself plenty of space to envision how you want to see your launch unfold, from how you want to be present in the launch to how you want to strategically execute the launch. Depending on your creative style, this envisioning and ideation phase can be approached by journal writing out your plan, working in Google Docs to outline your plan, or getting more creative by doing things like creating diagrams, flowcharts, or creating mood and vision boards. Personally, I like to start by taking the time to journal out my vision and goals for the launch, where I consider how I want to actively lead the launch, how I imagine the branding and content to be showcased, how I see myself marketing the offering, how I envision myself having conversations with people about the offering, and how I see myself providing an exceptional experience for my community as they learn about the offering. Once I journal this out, I then move into a more creative planning process, where I create a vision and mood board for the launch and begin playing with the branding and content goals. Next, I begin brainstorming marketing ideas, collaboration ideas, onboarding and enrollment processes, and the experience I want participants to have with the launch and the offering itself. Lastly, I reconnect with the offering that I am going to be launching, reviewing the curriculum and outline to make sure it is in alignment with the launch vision I have crafted. Depending on how large your launch goals are, this stage is typically anywhere from 1-2 weeks in length.
Here are some things to consider prioritizing during this part of your launch process:
Map out the key details of the launch (such as name, description, brand promise and proposition, value statement, etc!)
Identify your launch targets and goals (including how you will track them)
Establish your launch methods and strategies (such as your approach you are taking, what platforms you’re using to launch and promote, etc!)
Define how you will manage your launch project (tools and platforms to keep you on task!)
Launch dates (including pre-launch and cart closing dates as needed)
Launch deadlines (and how you will hold yourself accountable)
Pricing options (ensuring your pricing is valid, ethical, and accessible)
Branding vision (mood and vision boarding)
Marketing vision (marketing and advertising strategies)
Participant journey and experience (your lead generation and funnel strategies)
Part 2: PREP
Following the planning stage, the prep stage will become so much easier! Most often when I am supporting clients through their process of establishing a launch strategy, they feel incredibly overwhelmed with confusion. What I find causes this is that we skip the planning phase and go right into the prep phase, which causes a lack of solid foundation to prepare from! Within the preparation phase, you have already gone through envisioning and ideation, two crucial components of a launch strategy that ultimately defines what you now will want to begin preparing. The prep stage is all about starting to solidify as well as develop what you clarified in part 1. This stage requires more front end action and asks us to start getting really diligent with our time management. If we aren’t careful with how we balance our tasks and deadlines, we can feel rushed through this stage…ultimately causing us to feel unprepared for our launch. Planning + preparation are what lay out a strong and sustainable launch strategy! During preparation phase, I personally enjoy moving my plan into a more formal development methodology, where I will begin to task manage out each of the core aspects of my launch so that each aspect has its own period of time for development. I will schedule when I will be finalizing the branding for the launch, when I will be creating as well as batching out the soft launch and open enrollment promotional content, when I will be writing sales and marketing copy, when I will be setting up automations, how I will be nurturing relationships and tending to conversations, how I will be managing collaborations, and so on. This is the period when I begin to set up my marketing calendar and campaigns, create and set up any freebies or lead magnets, and establish my content calendar. I will also craft any emails or onboarding sequences I need to establish to ensure an awesome experience for my community. This portion of your launch strategy is the most work, but the more time you give yourself for prepping things out, the smoother the launch itself will become. You will have far more free time during the actual launch to be present with people, answering questions and committing to relationship building if you have done the initial preparation work beforehand. Depending on how big your launch goals are, this stage of the launch process could be anywhere from 2-4+ weeks in length.
Here are some things to make sure you do during this stage of your launch strategy:
Time block the next few weeks of your calendar where you give the below items their own space and time to be developed
Set up your marketing calendar and begin laying out your marketing campaigns
Finalize the branding for the offer you are launching so you can begin moving into marketing and content creation
Set up your content calendar and begin batching content for both the soft launch and open enrollment periods of the launch
Write sales and marketing copy for your content as well as for your sales page
Begin automating any content you can, including email automation and content for the various platforms you are marketing on
Establish an ethical onboarding process for participants who enroll into and purchase what you are promoting
Establish any collaborations and partnerships you will be participating in throughout the launch
Determine your networking, relationship building and communication strategies to build rapport with interested community members
Make sure your links, call to actions, freebies and lead generators are all working effectively so they are ready to be accessed!
Part 3: PROMOTE
The first two parts of your launch strategy will make part 3 feel like a breeze! You have no completed the two most important parts for establishing a seamless launch, where you are now ready to fully immerse yourself into the promotional period. Before going into your part 3, you want to make sure your website, sales page, links, enrollment buttons, and everything is completely ready for people to begin accessing. During this stage it is important to determine whether or not you are running a soft launch window or if you are only doing a direct, open enrollment launch. Depending on which avenue you take, this promotional period will shift in length of time. As well, depending on your launch goals and the size of the offer you are promoting, these factors can also contribute to how you determine the length to which you launch and promote your offer. Personally, I enjoy giving myself a spacious amount of time to promote because I do not like to put pressure on myself or my community when it comes to accessing my offers. I love to run a casual 1 week soft launch period and then a 2-3 week open enrollment period. Now, this isnt typical in the realm of online marketing and launches, but if you know me you know I am not into doing things status quo! I find that the more alleviate pressure, force and rushed energy in my launches, the more joy and ease I experience in them. This is a personal preference so it is up to you as far as how you would like to establish your promotional periods length wise. During the promotional time of your launch, the most important aspect to consider is how you are focused on your community. Your community members should feel supported and comfortable connecting with you to ask questions and gain additional support regarding what you are offering. They should also feel like they are being provided a transparent, honest, and ethical experience when considering whether they want to invest in your offerings. In promotional periods of your launch, I like to amp up the self care and make sure I have plenty of extra space in my schedule in case anything unexpected pops up that will need my attention. After coming out of the first two weeks of your launch strategy, chances are you will have put in a lot of time and work, which makes it even more important to be mindful of how you balance your energy during promotional week. No one wants to go into launch week burnt out, overworked, and too busy to be able to be fully present in their community!
Here are some important things to take into account during this stage of your launch:
Make sure your website, sales page, links, enrollment buttons and so on are all ready for people to access
Schedule in time for self care and rest
Make sure you give your calendar some free space in case anything unexpected happens that will need your attention
Determine when you will be community nurturing, answering questions, and being present with your community throughout your launch period
Identify how you will track your progress throughout your promotional period
Clearly lay out your marketing and content strategy, whether it be automated or in real time that you run it!
Set time aside daily to review your marketing, content, and automations
Set time aside daily to check emails, answer messages, and have a rapport with people showing interest in your launch
Make sure your onboarding process is all set up and that do whatever you need to in order to be prepared to deliver your offering
Part 4: CELEBRATE!
You’ve made it! Part 4 of your launch strategy takes place after your launch has completed. Many people skip this part, which is unfortunate because it will provide you with so much valuable data to support your future launches in experiencing success. This stage of the launch process is very important because you will be able to document information about your launch that will help you understand what worked well and what didn’t, therefore supporting you in strengthening your launch methods for the future. There are no failed launches in my opinion. Each experience we have with a launch is an opportunity for us to receive feedback that can help us improve our strategies. When we do not take the time to do this stage, it can cause us to continue repeating strategies that may not actually be helping us to experience the types of results we desire. This is also an opportune time for us to reflect on what our actions were that we took in our launch and how those actions reflect our core values, mission and vision for our business. This stage is how we hold ourselves accountability to practicing socially responsible business in an ethical way! In this part of the launch strategy, I personally enjoy taking a week to sit down and do a deep reflection of how the launch went. I will do a full audit of the launch, gathering data by reviewing analytics and stats… and then I will also audit myself, my behaviors, my approaches, and my methods. This gives me the chance to look at my launch technically as well as intuitively, considering how I stayed true to what my business and I stand for paired with how I executed my initial vision for the launch! I end this stage by taking note of what I would love to do again moving forward into future launches versus what I would not want to do again, giving me a clear understanding of what I need to work on in future launches so to have a great experience! By the end of this stage, it is important to celebrate yourself, your launch, your offering, and the people who were involved in the entire process. During this time I usually schedule something special for myself such as an celebratory event or I will treat myself in some way! Self celebration as well as celebrating those who were involved in your launch, regardless of how it went, is how we approach our launches in the energy of abundance while also staying a student. There is never going to be a perfect launch. Each launch is simply an opportunity to learn, grow, try new things, and figure out ways to best support the people we want to serve!
Some things to prioritize during this phase of your launch:
Conduct a full audit of your launch
Pull analytics, stats and data for all of the components of your launch
Review your marketing and content strategies, making note of what went well versus what you would do differently next time
Reflect on how you showed up to the launch and the actions you took, making note of how they aligned (or didn’t!) with your core vision, mission and values
Make a list of all the things you are proud of yourself for doing during your launch and determine how you would like to celebrate yourself!
Make a list of all the things you would like to update, revise or approach differently in future launches so you have a game plan moving forward
Now that you have a breakdown of the 4 core parts of establishing an ethical launch strategy, I want to also mention how important it is to establish a code of ethics document to guide you through your launch processes. A code of ethics document can act much like a product or service brief, yet it will focus on laying out important information that will help you stay connected to what you stand for as a business owner.
Here are some helpful things to consider in your code of ethics document:
A summary of the community needs you are working to meet
The impact you want your product or service to have on your community
Service / product development and delivery standards
Clear description and talking points about your offer that are aligned with the core values of your business
DEI statement describing what your business stands for and how your business prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion
Paragraph describing how you want to be perceived by your community and how you will practice transparency
Paragraph describing the purpose for you doing business including your mission and vision statements
Clarification of your policies and procedures, including how you plan on approaching refund policies, cancellations, etc
Paragraph describing the culture you are upholding within your business and how you plan on enforcing that
And there you have it! I hope this article helps you see just how doable it is to have a well planned launch that also honors who you are and how you want to do business! The more we bring intention into our approaches for launching as business owners, the more ethical our launches can become.
Finding this article helpful yet still feeling a bit of overwhelm when it comes to thinking about implementing this process?
I would love to support you. My mentoring and consulting containers focus on guiding individuals through every stage of their launching journey. Having someone right by your side every step of the way to provide guidance, feedback and help with seeing aspects of the launch process that you may not be able to see can influence not only how you feel about launches but the results you experience from them! Learn more about my mentoring and consulting services or drop me an email directly and let’s chat about how we can map out a launch strategy that works best for you!
Until next time…
Natalie Brite
