Advice for Launching a New Service

A reader asks:
We are repositioning our small business to focus on supplying specialized communications services that have been designed for legal professionals to law firms.Previously, we were selling a generic version across all industries.Other than promoting the benefits associated with this new feature set, what else would we be wise to consider as we launch this new effort? What are the most important things to do in announcing this new venture?What not to do?

The first things to ask whenever you launch a new product or service is who are you marketing to and why do they need your product or service? You mention you are positioning your services to target law firms – why? And what types of law firms are you targeting (size, areas of expertise, clientele)? The more specific you can narrow your target audience, the more you can tailor your marketing materials to their needs.

Next, if your solution is technology-focused, make sure your marketing clearly explains what you do and how it differs from others. Your readers will probably be non-technical and need plain-English explanations that highlight the business benefits of your service. Don’t use jargon. Don’t assume people understand acronyms and technological terms. What they will understand is case studies – offer examples of how your solution helped other firms save time or money, or provided a valuable resource that is now critical to their business operations.

Education will probably play a big role in your marketing. Does your target audience even realize they have the problem your service can solve? Do they perceive it to be a big problem? To find out, you might consider conducting a survey or interviewing a few law firms to find out how they perceive the problem. This is critical to the launch of any product or service – if you don’t approach the business problem like your target audience does, they won’t make the connection that your service can solve their problem.

You should also look at the current market – who else offers a similar solution and what are they doing? What does your service offer that the competition doesn’t? And are the advantages great enough that firms will switch to your service? Companies will only switch if they can see clear benefits to switching – not just that this service offers some cool new feature, but that by switching, they will save significant time or money in the long run.

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