Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wed on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Peter Shankman @skydiver is an Entrepreneur, an Adventurist, and the CEO of The Geek Factory, a PR and Marketing boutique firm in New York City. He’s also the founder of HARO, Help a Reporter Out http://www.helpareporter.com/ which is an expert source for over 50,000 journalists who use HARO to locate experts for on-air interviews, article quotes and more. If you want to be known as an industry expert you should be a member of HARO.
Smallbizlady: What are first things you should consider when planning to launch a product online
Peter Shankman: Know your audience. Find out how they like to know things. Find out what they want, how they like to get their information, then act accordingly.
Smallbizlady: What kinds of products are launched best online?
Peter Shankman: It varies. If your audience is primarily online, they you can launch your product online. And online should NEVER be your only form of launch.
Smallbizlady: How early should you start planning the launch?
Peter Shankman: As early as humanly possible. PLANNING can never be early enough. The LAUNCH needs to be timed well. They are two different things.
Smallbizlady: Do you have 3 tips for building a social media presence prior to launch?
Peter Shankman: That’s like asking “how important is it to have sales.” Social Media is a part of marketing. It’s part of life. It’s important. You need to listen, listen, then react. We were given two ears and one mouth for a reason.
Smallbizlady: Do you have any suggestions for effectively using Twitter?
Peter Shankman: Be smart, say interesting things. The art of Twitter lies in the RETWEET.
Smallbizlady: What kind of infrastructure do you suggest a new business owner have in place prior to launch?
Peter Shankman: At least one customer service person, one marketing person, one tech support person – all minimum. More if possible.
Smallbizlady: Can you start selling a product without a database or list?
Peter Shankman: I don’t recommend it, but if you have a good small core audience who likes your product, they’ll tell people FOR you.
Smallbizlady: What are the pros and cons of launching a product online before it is ready?
Peter Shankman: People won’t remember. Have the product first. You’re not Apple computers. You can’t make that kind of hype.
Smallbizlady: With the basics in place, what are top 3 tactics you should use to launch your product?
Peter Shankman: Listening, reacting, an answering. Be prepared to change on a moment’s notice.
Smallbizlady: How important is social media strategy to your product launch?
Peter Shankman: That’s like asking “how important is it to have sales. It’s common sense. It’s important.
Smallbizlady: Do you need a 90-day strategy and business plan?
Peter Shankman: Yes. One that can change by the minute, though. I’ve never had a business plan – All three of my companies sold from the back of a napkin.
Smallbizlady: What are some tactics for generating PR for your product launch?
Peter Shankman: PR is producing such a great product, that people want to talk about it themselves. Focus on that first, the rest will start to fall into place a lot easier.
Smallbizlady: What is the biggest lesson you learned from launching HARO?
Peter Shankman: You don’t control what your company’s direction is. YOUR CUSTOMERS DO. Listen to them!
If you enjoyed this interview, join us every Wed 8-9pm Eastern and follow @Smallbizchat on Twitter.
Melinda Emerson “SmallBizLady” is a Veteran Entrepreneur, Small Business Expert and Social Media Coach who hosts #Smallbizchat on Twitter. #Smallbizchat is the trusted resource on Twitter to discuss everything entrepreneurs need to know about launching and running a profitable small business. Melinda’s first book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-By-Month Guide to a Business That Works was released by Adams Media in March 2010.
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