This is what we’ve just done for The Hair Helper so they can start marketing before they launch.
My product isn’t ready
This week I heard this problem from a client who is waiting for her manufacturers to start producing her newly designed product… “I can’t build my website until my product is ready to sell… It’s so frustrating. I don’t have any images until I have a product. Everything is in limbo.”
Not so, friends!
You can still prepare to sell.
Mailing list
Get yourself a holding page on your website domain, set up a mailing list and start building that list of contacts. Word of mouth is the best way to start this process.
Talk to everyone you know and ask if they can help you. (Most people love to be asked to help, especially if they don’t have to do anything). Say, “Would you like to support me? Can I put you on my mailing list? Then you will be the first to see my new shop when it’s live.” And if they are enthused by you, they will mention it to their friends too.
Social media preparation
You can also use social media to identify people who may like to blog for you, or help you with PR, in an exclusive way, ahead of general sale, for example. Sometimes competitions are a good way to generate interest and add people to your mailing list too. (Be careful though, you must make sure that it’s optional to be added to a mailing list, not a requisite of entering a competition). Check out the ICO website for guidance.
Use your journey to market as a story for your Facebook page.
Be inventive and set up a Facebook page and Twitter account even before you’ve got your product or images ready. Tell the story of your business idea, your brand and your journey to market. Your personal story can be a great way to build relationships and be an inspiration to others.
Holding page SEO and Analytics
Just having a holding page on your website means you can get a head start with search engines. Google and Bing will still be able to index your “Coming Soon” page, so you’ll be listed from the word, Go! Don’t forget to add a meta title, keyword and description to your page and submit it via webmaster search consoles. Lastly, you can also set up a Google Analytics account to make sure you can track visitors from day one too! It all helps to build your understanding of what works or not.