Launching a startup can be so exciting that it is very easy to get caught up in the chaos and make some avoidable mistakes. While you shouldn’t beat yourself up about getting a few things wrong (you’re only human!) we thought we’d help out by listing 5 mistakes you can avoid making, simply by being aware of them ahead of launch day.
Skimping on customer service
When people purchase from a brand new company, they expect a few bumps in the road. After all, you’re learning as you go along, and nobody expects things to be perfect the first time. Website crashes, email receipt failures, and delivery problems are all easily fixed. What customers DO expect the first time, however, is a little communication if things do (and even if they don’t) go wrong.
If someone is investing their hard-earned cash in your brand new product or service, then the least you can do if keep them in the loop about where their order is and when it will arrive. You don’t need to do anything too snazzy, either, an automated (yet personalized) email will suffice.
While you may think you can deal with every query by yourself through the start up’s Instagram account, you can never completely predict what will happen on launch day. Having a small team ready to offer a helping hand to customers is the absolute best way to keep buyers on your side. It’s also crucial that you make it very clear to customers how they can reach your team quickly and easily – whether that’s via telephone, your website, an email address, or social media.
Forgetting to track your progress
We know that most entrepreneurs are nervous enough about successfully making a sale, without having to consider tracking a large number of them. When it comes to sales, it’s important to have confidence in your work and have the right systems in place to track your website’s traffic and conversion rate when the orders do arrive.
The truth is that without tracking how your company and website are doing, you’ll never truly know if you’re making progress. Sure, your profits may rise, but where is that rise coming from? Data tracking is essential to making sure you know exactly where your business is doing well, and where it’s lacking.
If you’re not sure how to track your data and want some help from a marketing agency, check out Cool Things Chicago’s list of the very best marketers you’ll want to start working with today.
Selling something you don’t have
While we’re not suggesting pushing your launch date back any further than you already (inevitably) have, you should make sure you’re never selling inventory to customers that you don’t actually have. While you may think you’ll be able to easily order more and keep up with demand, it’s likely that you’ll have enough on your plate with the orders you actually do have stock for.
It’s completely inevitable that selling stock you don’t yet own will lead to disappointed and impatient customers. You’d be disappointed and angry if a store offered you something they didn’t actually have in, so why should your customers act any differently?
Instead, track your inventory numbers and as soon as something is out of stock, remove the ability for customers to purchase it on your website. Don’t be afraid to start out with a leaner stock, either, as this will only create more buzz around your products ready for the next launch. This is one of the very few cases where it’s better to not have enough, rather than too much.
Choosing between SEO and SEM
Many entrepreneurs will spend hours upon hours deciding between using SEO or SEM on their B2B marketing journey. While they’re fussing over the ins and outs of each, however, they should be facing the truth- you shouldn’t have to choose, as you should be implementing both.
While SEM can generate profits very quickly, it’s also going to cost you more to do well. SEO, on the other hand, takes longer to spring into action but will serve you well over time. By choosing both, you really can have the best of both worlds.
Digital Authority Partners cleverly describes SEO as much akin to working out and getting fit in the gym, while SEM is more like an energy drink – most of the time, we all need a bit of both in our lives to stay energized. Yes, the costs, conversion rates, and engagement rates are different for both, but this is exactly why you shouldn’t be prioritizing one over the other. They each have their perks!
Waiting until the last minute to think about mobile app marketing
This is a mistake that many, if not most product owners in the world make. While anyone with experience will point out its weaknesses, entrepreneurs are still likely to wait until the very last responsible hour to consider a mobile app marketing strategy.
We wish it would, but an effective mobile app marketing plan for your business won’t just appear on your desk overnight – you should be putting it together at least 60 days before launch in order for your app to be successful on the Apple Store or Google Play.
Combo App suggests 20 great actionable tips to prepare for launch, including creating a great SEO strategy, recruiting influencers to promote your app, writing a great press release, and creating social media profiles. Other great tips include creating an app demo video, making it easy for users to share and rate your app, and reaching out to blog owners who rank high in Google to pitch content to them.
The bottom line
There they are – the most common (and most easily avoided) mistakes for your next startup launch. Remember that no matter how things go on the day, simply keeping this list of five closeby will ensure that your startup sticks around for a long time and becomes very successful.
Author bio: This article comes from Andrew Peterson at VegasForAll