By Celeste Miranda

This is Part 2 in a three-part series, because there are basically three parts to a product launch.

What must your launch content do in order to get your audience to buy? Also learn four power plays that increase cannabis product or service sales, and finally, the three most effective channels to get people to click and buy.

In Part 1, we discussed the “Discovery Phase.” There are three steps in all this: Discovery, Build-up, and Sales. If you missed the first part, I definitely recommend you go to our blog (thecannabismarketinglab.com) and read it first. Don’t skip it or these other two steps simply will not work. The three pieces of the puzzle build on each other. Once you’ve figured out all the questions we posed in Part 1, what do you do with all that information?

The Build-Up Phase

So, welcome to the “Build-up Phase.” One mistake the Cannabis Industry seems to  make is that they put an offer together but fail in the execution. The problem is that even if you target Phase I perfectly, if you just simply send an email one day saying, “Thanks for the answers to the survey, I’ve put together something I think you are going to love, here’s what you get, here’s the link, go ahead and buy,” yes, you will get some sales, especially if you have done your research in Phase I, but there needs to be a period of time where you are warming your audience up, getting them ready to want to buy.

How is that done? By taking that trust factor and really ramping it up even more, and maybe even tapping into some influence triggers. You have to close the gap of anticipation. Let them know you have this thing, it’s not quite ready yet, but you have it. It’s like a movie trailer — it makes you think you just have to see that movie. Movies are dependent on that build up. It’s the same concept.

You can do a similar thing with your cannabis product by releasing similar content that gets anticipation built up, while at the same time, removing any potential friction or anything that keeps them from hitting the buy button so when you do send that email, they are ready.

The Build up Phase consists of releasing, over a period of time that could be days or weeks, anticipatory information. The bigger the price point, the longer the Build up Phase should be.

Emails, webinars, videos, social media, these are the channels that we are using most often in this phase in order to communicate messaging that gets people anticipating and ready to buy the product. The mix is going to depend on your audience. There are three things that you have to make sure you are doing within the content you are putting out:

1. You need to empathize with your audience. This is pretty easy to do if you did your Discovery Phase, because basically, you are just reiterating everything back to them that they told you. What would it mean to people if you accomplished what they need? What would it mean if you didn’t? The goal is to show them that you understand what they want, why they want it, and why they are struggling with it right now.
2. You need to build awareness within the cannabis community. Ask yourself what do they need to be aware of in order to buy your product? If you’ve targeted the problem and understand the problem well, you probably have a solution you want to introduce to them. But are they aware of what that solution is or are there things they may not understand? Connect the problem and solution. Educate.
3. People have to believe. People want to believe. You have to help them get there, that’s all. They need to believe in you. Empathy plays a part here. They also need to believe in themselves, and they need to believe in the solution.

Ok, so let’s move directly into the power plays…

• You have to describe that big promise. It can be believable. You have to show them the proof.
• Bust some myths. Everyone has heard myths. Remove the objections. Fill in the gaps and misunderstandings.
• Give them a taste of the results. This is where you get them to believe in themselves. People see you or other people get the results you are saying can be accomplished, but do they believe they can do it? Show them something that has a quick result.
• Share a case study. This helps them relate and believe. Again, everyone needs proof. While you do this, bust some myths along the way.
• It helps them believe and be aware. Wrap it all into stories.

Just doing these things will completely change your launch time. I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. Now you have a backstage pass.