Suzanne Chadwick 0:00
Welcome back to the brand builders lab Podcast. Today, we are on episode six of our scaling with group programs series. And we're talking about marketing and launching your online program. Now, there are many sections to this. And depending on the strategy that you are going to go with your marketing and launch might look different. At different times. You could have short runways, long runways, all the rest of it. But let's give a little bit of definition. Because if you're new to the online program space, no matter what kind of program it is, then it's important for us to define exactly what we're talking about. So in my mind, and my understanding of a launch is basically a start date and an end date. Yeah, if your program is not evergreen, which means that it's not for sale all the time. So right now, majority, like 99% 90% of my programs are evergreen, which means that you can go and join them at any time, whether it's the club, Dawn accountability, membership, BBA, which is brandbuilders, Academy, etc. But there are certain programs, for example, like apify, which have start and end date. So those are the launch dates that we're talking about it is when is the cart open. And then when is the cart closed. And so that's why in the market, there's a lot of talk about live launches. So you're doing a live launch, you know, you might do timed live launches during evergreen strategies or evergreen programs. So one of my girlfriends who's got an online program, the doors are pretty much always closed or there's a waitlist, but then she will do live launches to the back end of that waitlist, so people who have signed up, etc. So that's why it's not just straightforward. This is what you do, it really depends on the strategy. But we're going to keep it as simple as possible today. So a launch is the start date and an end date we're going to talk about in a live launch period. And then the marketing is what is supporting that launch. So when I think about the marketing calendar, let me give you an overview is that when I plan my year, I take a look at the full calendar year. And I think, okay, when do we want to launch or have special time that launches offers, etc, throughout the year for different programs? Is everything going to be evergreen, where we have a special end of financial year offer on any of our programs, those sorts of things. So I'm planning my marketing calendar kind of six to 12 months in advance loosely, like I penciled it in and I think, okay, when do we want to promote different programs, and it could be seasonal, depending on what it is that you're offering. Like, if you're a fitness coach, then maybe, you know, launching just before summer or launching in winter, so that people have a summer body, whatever that means, could be a good time for you. There could be other things where you're like, Well, I teach people how to do X, and it might be seasonal. And so when you think about your marketing strategy, then it's really about looking at what's going to work for you and your audience. That makes sense. So if we're just talking about general marketing for a program, then usually there is a 9060 and 30 day marketing strategy. Sometimes people launch a lot sooner, and so they don't have that much time. But it's taking a look and saying, Okay, if I wanted to launch in 90 days, then these are some of the things I'm going to start doing. And the things that you can do are starting to build a wait list or starting to build your list more intentionally than usual. Because obviously, you should be looking to build your list all the time. But when you know that you might be launching something in three months time or four months time, you want to start to really build the audience for that, which is what we talked about in the last episode, and start to attract them into a central place where you can obviously then nurture them build the relationships so that when you're ready to launch, you've got your audience there as well. You might be posting on socials and talking about whatever the problem is that your program solves. You might be getting people onto your list. You could be running webinars this early, just to build your list as well. You might be Doing some collaborations. So really planning out how am I going to be reaching this audience? And what are the things that I'm going to be saying. So as part of your marketing strategy, you're going to be really honing in and focusing in on particular messages. And seeing like, what is really resonating with your audience and what's attracting them the most. Having a marketing strategy that gives you a bit more time allows you to test and see what's working and what's not, at that moment in time, because you've got to remember that the markets always changing. And so it's important to know what's working for you. So you might do that 90 days, 60 days, you're going to be thinking about what are the bigger marketing efforts that we're going to be doing. So for me, I like to do webinars that works for me, we run ads to our webinars, and then I have a couple of dates, depending on how long doors are open for. And that webinar is going to be very specific to exactly what the programs are about. Other things that you could do could be like a podcast series that's specific to the needs of the audience. And what they're looking to do as well. So I've been really transparent is that obviously, the doors to amplify are opening in August, I'm doing a number of live master classes, I'm doing a podcast series on building your online programs, we're doing other ads as well. And then I'm also doing things on social, I'm emailing my list. And so that is a really good overview of what your marketing strategy could look like. But it's just being really tailored and knowing what you're going to do and when you're going to do it. And so planning out your marketing is going to mean that you're not hustling as much, but that you've got these things like ready to go. And one of the things that I've done in the past, we're not doing at the moment, but that I've done in the past, and that I always recommend to clients is a rinse and repeat strategy. So if you've launched and you're doing live launches, if you've launched in the past, and you've got all the assets, you've got the social posts, you've got the email, copy, you've got the webinars, etc. And it's worked and it's converted in the past, then when you launch again, you can always do the same thing with some tweaks. Now, when I first launched BB a years and years ago, I think that I probably had the same strategy for about two or three years. And it worked really well. So because it converted, and it worked well, I didn't change it. But then we got to a point where it needed to be changed and the message wasn't resonating as much. And so that is something that obviously happens, that you need to stay on top of. But being able to measure what's working in your marketing is going to help to inform what you continue to do, what you stopped doing, and what you need to evolve or tweak as well. Once you get into that 30 days. Now you're really upping the ante. So you need to be focused in on. Okay, when an email is being sent. What are we saying? What's the open rate? What's the click through rate? Do we have a waitlist? Do we not? What else are we measuring when it comes to how people are responding or interested etc. For me, I am a big invitation market art type of person where I've got relationships, I know people who were interested, they've maybe come to me before we've coached before they've done say BBA or something else before. And I know that say online programs is something that they're interested in. So I will literally send a message and say, Hey, Sarah, I know that this is something you've been wanting to do. I wanted to let you know that if you haven't seen already, that we've got this happening, is that something that you're interested in finding out more about? Or if you've got any questions, let me know. Like, I am always somebody who's like, I just, I'm happy to have chats. I'm happy to have chats, I'm happy to think about clients that I've had in the past that I think could be good and that I'd love to work with again, and I have no problem in messaging them. It's not a hard sell. It's like a question. I know, this is something you're interested in. Why is this of interest. That's it. So I think that if you can also think about the relationships that you've got, as well as all of the automated things, you know, like doing ads and webinars and any funnels that you've got, etc, then that is also another marketing strategy or tactic that you can use. Now, with all of this, as I've mentioned before, you do want to be measuring what's working and what's not, so that you can tweak when you're in the marketing and in the launch. So I've had clients in the past where they've kind of run through their rinse and repeat. They've got the number of people that they want, but they're not potentially either getting the sales or things aren't going as well as they would like and so they Then we take a look. And we say, okay, what are some other fill the gap things that we can do, where it could be alive, it could be a q&a, it could be, you know, reaching out to people that have clicked on the links to the program during your email sequence. So I think that there is obviously the plan and the strategy. And then there's also just being somebody who is aware of what's going on. Like, you don't want to stick on your rinse and repeat, not look at it until can't close it and then be like, what happened, because the markets always shifting and changing, you've really got to stay on top of what's going on, when it comes to your program. And, and right now, different things are selling in different ways. So memberships, certain memberships are doing quite well, at the moment, which are kind of that midpoint of $100 a month. You absolutely people are selling higher ticket. But in the market that we're in right now, as I'm recording this, which is like July 2024. It's a tighter market. And so you know, we've kind of gone through that COVID bubble where everybody had a lot of money because nobody was going out. I actually had a dinner the other night with supper club with a group of business owners and somebody said, I'll remember when we were COVID Rich, which is basically when you weren't going on holiday and you weren't doing anything, you had all this money. And so really high ticket programs were selling like hotcakes, like people had the money. And so I still think people have the money when you sell it well, and you market it well, and you've got the right message. But I think it's also about understanding the market and thinking about what is the right price point for what it is that I'm selling. And obviously having those conversations and making sure that your messaging, right and you're targeting the right audience is going to make a big difference. But I also think, you know, going back to think there was episode three in the series was around the mindset is that you've got to like show up and believe when you are marketing, that this is perfect for the client that you're targeting, that this is perfect for the person that you're speaking to. So marketing is as much about energy as it is about strategy. You can have your 9060 30 day runway, you can have your rinse and repeat. You can have all of your ads and everything else that's happening. But it's also about the energy that you're showing up with, like,

how are people connecting with you? Are you speaking to them right now? Are they feeling like I want to work with that person, like they get me they understand what it is that I'm going through. And their energy is totally my vibe. And so I think that you know, because personal brand is so important. When we buy a program, especially if there are live elements to it. We're interested in the person. Yeah, we're interested in them what they have to teach their expertise. And so when you are in your marketing and launch phase, it's really important for you to show up as much as possible, so that you can be sharing that energy, and they're getting that vibe from you, so that they can make those decisions as well. So those are some of the things to think about. You need to absolutely believe until doors close if you are in a live launch. And one of my clients a couple of years ago, we had this discussion where she was in a live launch. And she had secured a number of clients. It wasn't her goal, I always say, what's your minimum goal? What's your that would make me happy goal, and then what's your like, knock it out of the park goal. And having those three I think is good. But she was kind of just edging up to her minimum goal. And she was doing her emails manually. And this is like a little thing that everybody needs to know, when they're launching, you need to like set up your emails and put them on autopilot. Because your mindset can get in the way at the end where you're like, I don't think I'm gonna send that because I don't want to bother people, or I've said enough or whatever it is. Whereas when you've got that email strategy, you've like written it out, you know exactly what you're saying, when you're saying it, why you're saying it, and you do the sequence, you do the automation, and you like, let it play out. And you've got to allow that to happen. Anyway, so she had pretty much gone through most of her launch. It was in the last four days, I want to say, and she was like, I'm not going to say I don't think I'm going to send any more emails. And I said to her no, like, you have to believe that literally people are sitting on the other side of their computer screen. And they're thinking I really want to join but I'm just not sure. And those last four emails that you send in the next four days or however long that's going to be the thing that gets them over the line. That's going to be the thing, like you're gonna say something where they're like Yes, this is what I need right now. And so really combining and making sure that you've got the mindset that is going to take you through to the end. And having a good marketing strategy is really important, as well. And being somebody who is agile and responsive and energetic and creating from a place of knowing, like knowing your client, knowing what you're here to do, knowing that there are people that are waiting for you to tell them why this is the right thing for them, because they want it, they want to work with you. But they're just waiting for that final push. And that, you know, there are stats that show that a lot of times, sometimes you'll get an influx right at the beginning of a launch, and then you'll get the doldrums in the middle. And then you'll get the influx at the end. Yeah. And that's people who are sitting on the fence going, Oh, do I don't I want to I want to but I'm not there yet. And so you want to make sure that you're really holding their hand to the finish line. So when it comes to marketing and launching, those are some thoughts. Like I said, it really depends on the type of program. It depends on the client base. It depends on what your personal strength is, and what you think will work for you and aligning all those strategies so that your marketing and your launch goes the way that you want it to go. If you've got any questions, let me know we are wrapping up in the next episode. I cannot wait to share it with you. So stick around and you'll be able to listen to that very soon. But otherwise, I'll see you then.