It doesn’t matter what type of product you’re launching, whether a new toy or a new car: whenever you release something new, you need a strong product launch marketing campaign to generate interest among customers.
Your campaign is far more likely to yield sales if you take the time to plan it thoroughly beforehand. While this involves many steps, a key one is choosing what type of content you want your campaign to focus on. You can typically choose either one-off or evergreen content for a product launch.
For example, maybe your nonprofit is releasing an app. Understanding the best way to build your nonprofit marketing strategy is key. However, neither option is inherently “better” than the other. To understand which is right for your goals, you first need to understand the differences between the two.
What Content Should You Use for Your Next Product Launch?
One-Off Content
As the name implies, one-off content doesn’t stay relevant for long. That’s because it involves leveraging current trends, news stories, upcoming holidays, seasonal themes, and other temporary interests to generate initial product buzz. However, one-off content can be very effective in this regard.
For example, perhaps you’re designing a product launch marketing campaign for a new app that allows users to create virtual outfits they can “try on” using augmented or virtual reality. Your marketing content might be articles or videos focusing on the season’s fashion trends.
On the one hand, that type of content is relevant to your target customers at that time. So it can certainly help to get them interested in your app. On the other hand, however, the content will no longer be valuable once fashion trends shift.
Evergreen Content
Evergreen content is somewhat less effective at generating initial enthusiasm for a product. However, it maintains its relevance for much longer. Using the example above, if you were to focus your campaign on evergreen content, your blogs and videos might cover topics like “how to match colors in an outfit.” This more timeless subject matter will always be as valuable to a customer as it was the day it was first published.
Factors to Consider
Again, neither one of these options is stronger than the other. Each has its pros and cons. To choose the right type of content for your campaign, it’s important to keep these factors in mind:
Workload
Consider the size and bandwidth of your marketing department when choosing a type of content to base your campaign around. Creating one-off content requires a lot of effort over a short period. Your team needs to work fast to ensure you create and release content while it’s still relevant. However, once the campaign is over, the workload will drop substantially. You might want to hire a strong team of reliable freelancers to avoid depriving your employees of work after finishing a campaign.
On the other hand, creating evergreen content doesn’t require as much effort at one time, but it does require sustaining your efforts over a longer period. In addition, iterating this content is easier when you have a dedicated marketing team.
Financial Patterns
Different types of content yield different sales patterns. For example, one-off content typically yields high sales after a product is released, with sales dropping off after a few months. On the other hand, evergreen content doesn’t yield as many initial sales but results in more consistent sales over a few years. You can also boost evergreen content sales by building a conversion or sales funnel with your content.
You may want to honestly consider what type of product you’re releasing when choosing the kind of content to focus on. For example, many consumer electronics become obsolete fairly soon after being released when upgraded products take their place. If you can’t truly expect your product to retain its value or appeal for a long period, one-off content may be the better choice.
Urgency
One-off content is useful for creating a sense of urgency in customers, which also helps to drive more sales. Unfortunately, evergreen content doesn’t naturally have that effect. However, modifying pieces of evergreen content to generate urgency is still possible. For example, you could share a relevant blog article with customers via email, including a countdown clock, letting readers know a promotion will end soon.
Keep these points in mind when planning your product launch campaign. Using content to generate interest in a new product is a smart strategy. First, however, you need to choose the right type of content.
