New Website Launch Announcements: What to Say Where, and How
Ideally, a launch campaign starts weeks or even months prior to the availability of a new product or service. The idea is to create "buzz", meaning favorable anticipation, for something new about to happen. In reality, few therapists, coaches, or healers promote a new specialty service, blog, or website until it is finally ready to take new clients or readers. That's okay, nothing wrong with that.
But you definitely will benefit from doing a launch campaign when your website is ready for business. Not only will this help drive traffic to your site, it will also help Google see that your site has interest and relevance to a specific audience.
BTW, a "campaign" is just the marketing world's way of saying you are running a (1) specific plan for a (2) narrow purpose for a (3) certain time.
The basic intent of this plan is to get new people aware of your new service, niche, or info products (including your blog and social media pages and posts).
A launch campaign has the purpose of letting potential referral sources, old and current clients, friends and neighbors know that you have something new to offer.
The time period is up to you -- typical would be around 2-4 weeks with new reminders or announcements every few days.
Where to Promote Your Launch
I recommend using all possible media for a launch plan, which normally includes:
1. blast emails to current and old clients
2. a post on your own blog
3. posts on your own social media feeds
If your new service includes something out of the ordinary such as concierge counseling or adding a new skillset, you might also want to think about submitting a press release to your local community newspaper. If your launch is about a new product such as an ebook or audio download, you definitely will want to do a press release.
What to Say
Start with your blog. If you have had an old website and you are launching a new one, maybe start out something like this:
Have you visited my website before? You might be noticing that it looks different this time. That's because I've updated the site with new design, new features, and new content. I hope you like what you see, and easily find the information you are looking for.
If you haven't been to my website before, welcome! Looking for some help with a specific issue? You'll find the problems I specialize in addressed on their own pages of this website. And I'll look forward to hearing from you when you are ready for the kind of help I can provide.
It's likely that I have some good tips for coping with your struggles in my collection of blog posts. It's worth the time to browse the blog and get a reminder or learn something new. Want me to write about something I haven't thought of yet? Send me an email.
Are you on social media? While I can't discuss personal issues in the public forum of Facebook, LinkedIn, and so on, I do often post links to great articles there, and let you know when I've published a new blog. I'd love to have you like my Facebook page or connect with me on LinkedIn. And feel free to share my blog posts to your own social media feeds by using the icons below.
When you see friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors going through a rough time emotionally, I'd appreciate you suggesting they check out this website. Referrals are always welcome, and if I'm not the best counselor for the problem at hand, I can recommend a colleague who is.
Send similar message in email. Once the blog post is done you can make the slight changes needed so it makes sense when read as an email. Maybe the first paragraph would sound like this:
Friends and Clients: Great news!! My new website is done. I'd love it if you'd go take a look. Here's the link: www.NameOfWebsite.com
Have you visited my website before? When you visit now, you might notice that it looks different this time. That's because I've updated the site with new design, new features, and new content. I hope you like what you see, and easily find the information you are looking for.
And so on. There is no need to write something completely different because usually people who read email aren't the same people who regularly visit your website. No need to worry about duplicate content here.
For social media promotions, your posts have a mission, which is to entice people to click over to your website. In a launch campaign you'd want to post something different about your new website every few days and be sure to include a link. I'd recommend linking to a different page each time.
For example, you might want one post to mention your new specialty in counseling for trauma. The post might read --
If you or someone you know have suffered a traumatic event, whether recent or some years in the past, and are struggling with the difficult lingering emotions and other after effects, help is here. I have completed new training and am now taking clients who want to go forward in life strengthened and confident. See my new webpage about trauma counseling here:
www.NameOfWebsite.com/traumacounseling
Add a photo to the social media post if you have a relevant one because images always get more attention.
When you run out of specialty niche pages to promote in social media, you can use the same approach for promoting blog posts on your site. It doesn't matter if the blog was written a couple years ago. People don't read everything the first time. And they forget what they've read. Promoting old blog posts is always a good idea.
How to Encourage, Entice, and Invite Readers
People respond best to messages that are directly and immediately relevant to them. Just like writing the content for your pages, the content of your launch campaign messages will work best when you are connecting with the experience of pain, problem or yearning that the reader is feeling in the moment.
Be direct and clear about what you want readers to do. Your calls to action might be something like:
Visit my page now
See what's new here
Click here for more about trauma (or whatever niche)
Don't waffle or be conditional with calls to action. Saying if you feel ready, creates a doubt that leads to blocking follow through. Saying take your time, think about it, and if you have questions I'm here, is asking the reader to never contact you at all. That's not what you want, right?
