A couple of years ago, there was a group of people who started doing this and everyone got sick of it and them. That gave birth to a new vanguard, the 'good' marketers, who showed us visions of non icky marketing that was client centric and tribe based.

Then, they did the same thing. So it got old. Now everyone's looking at everyone scratching our heads and asking 'what next'? It's already happening: talking about soft whisper marketing, starting conversations, getting creative with launch ideas, rebuilding trust and credibility, expanding your reach out of the seemingly incestous pools to find those who aren't saturated yet.

How? By taking it offline. Yes, internet marketing means being online and yet, with the information & product overload we're all facing, finding new people to pitch to = getting off our chairs and taking it IRL. Not talking about tech or blogging conferences either, I'm talking real life people. For that, being passionate about what you do, articulating your purpose and how you can help people and really, truly, caring for them (damn cliches!) is needed.

At Charlie's blog, I gave the example of Jeannette Maw @GoodVibeCoach who doesn't do affiliate product launches – instead, she'll do a series of calls about a topic, blog about them in a relatable this is my experience kinda way and send out ONE email about her product. That's it! From there, people buy her products, become affiliates and sell them on their sites if they like it. What stands out about her is 1) generosity and 2) genuineness you can smell a mile off.

Even when she doesn't have any new products to sell, she's always doing calls and guest interviews and giving her knowledge and gifts away. Not in preparation for the day she wants to sell, but because she really loves doing it and it shows. This doesn't harm her, it comes back to her tenfold. And yeah, she's doing damn well for herself.

This may not work for everyone so the point I'm making is – what do YOU resonate with? What feels good to you? Don't do what everyone is doing just cos that's easy or you think it's what works. Meditate on it, really ask “how does this tactic or this method make me feel”. If you are alive with joy and super excited about it, DO IT!!

If you're in doubt, throw it out. Be brave, let some of the instant profits go in favour of the long term profits and sense of real achievement you'll feel knowing you did it your way. I'm saying – be Intentional in your business AND your life for they are not separate. How you do anything is how you do everything.

So there you go, some thoughts & ideas on what we can be doing differently. Tia @TiaSparkles

It's all about research… well, maybe not all. But a successful product launch is roughly 90% research and 10% implementation. That research should not only include what your target customers are looking to buy from you, but where and how you are going to appeal to them to buy from you.

Big difference.

A great product launch to me (which I know I could do better at myself) includes connections and relationship building… and that's how you can break through all the noise in a saturated market. Question is, what strategy and then tactics are you going to use to execute that connection?

What I might like to see more of from you is how you go about doing your research.

Exactly Bitey. And that's where a revolution is waiting to happen. That's where we are headed, IMO. A movement of people realising that we can do what we're passionate about and make a good living from that. A good living doesn't mean just big $$ and 1st class travel, it can be way simpler if one chooses.

I was one of those people for a couple of years (in a 12 year working career) till I got out to travel and do what makes me happy. It hasn't been an easy road by any means but one I would not change for anything in the world.

Some people LOVE selling and being salesmen. Those are the ones that should do it, not the ones doing it for money and letting their souls get sucked out. I believe that we all have something we're good at and something we're good AND passionate about – and that's where we need to be looking when it comes to choosing a career.

Tough it out through the week to live on the weekends? Or find out what you love, and find a way to do that throughout the week without getting to the “TGIF” stage? It makes me sad every time I see that status update on FB or twitter.

How long can people carry on living that way? They don't. Comes a point when many people sit up and question what they're doing with their lives and that's when changes start.
Wouldn't it be great if we could see that change happen before, not as a result of burnout?
Why can't it happen that way? It can, it will and it is happening all around – we just need to reach a critical mass. I'm very positive about the future of passion based workforces.

This goes back to changing the education system & people's mindsets early on so not sure if it's within the scope of this discussion but thank you for bringing that point up. <soapbox> Tia @TiaSparkles

First, don't think I was going after you or anything. I'm not. I think your points on your post were VERY valid, and I agree. Here' the part I don't agree with:

(1) No affiliates.
(2) “No list-bombing. Just a few posts here at the blog, a few tweets, one mention on the Facebook page — that’s all you’ll get from me.”

My concern with this approach is that you're going so far in the other direction that nobody is going to even notice you. Having affiliates doesn't mean anything weird or dishonest is going on. And not using your email list to make an offer – that seems really dumb.

What I don't want to see people do is start carpet-bombing every single tactic done during a launch, and in one fail swoop saying it is dishonest. It isn't. Most marketers that we all pay attention to are perfectly honest people. The problem is only that they're all doing the same things – hence the pattern is getting tiring.

Yeah, I don't like to jump on the big launches as an affiliate for that reason. The last big one I helped with was John Reese's Outsource Force launch. My reason for that was because I wholeheartedly believe in what he's doing – so much in fact that I plopped down $2K of my own money to take the course.

But, if people come to expect the same copy/paste swipe file emails from me that other affiliates send, they'll write me off and not believe my endorsements. So, I'm careful.

It seems like it is a new product launching everyday

I personally don't think there is a right or wrong way to market, but as a buyer, and a seller, I like to see people do things different. Like when you did the uStream thing, I was there, and I saw how it made you “just one of the guys” to every person there. I think THAT is missing in most product launches, being approachable. (I know I have already said that to you several times, but it is probably what I like most).

I think it is finally time to check out Inner Circle for myself too…. see ya on the flip side!

I was just thinking about this topic the other day. I thought, if anyone can launch, David can! And not only that, he keeps it real and gives us real value! I am impressed each time you do something for us. I think, well sure, he's asking for money, he's in the business of making money. But he gives a lot of info out for what he takes in. Perhaps too much info. But keep on doing it!

I remember the first time I “met” you, David. You were pulling what I would call a USTREAM marathon! I thought you were “only” going to be on for several hours, but when the time came for you to end, you continued for several more hours! I learned SO much from you, and you had me hooked on your blog and products ever since. That's bc you are such a giver. I guess your potential buyers know that, even while products are being “marketed” to them, it's fine, even benificial, because you're going to sell them a quality product.

So, what would I like to see from a launch?
I'd like to continue to see more of Ustream as well as Webinars.
I love the idea of contests that are rewarded with a product.
I love the idea of giveaways, but find they are more valuable when preceded by an actual contest (in which we must work for something) instead of a random giveaway.
But a giveaway where a random reader wins a product is certainly fine also!
And, as aformentioned, nothing beats quality products. Continue to provide us w those and you'll always go viral!

Some ideas of my own for a prelaunch:
~ opening a traditional chat room where you chatted w readers and potential buyers, and they chatted with you. There would be pros and cons to this over using traditional Ustream as well as webinars. But bc of it's pros, you may want to consider it, if you could ever find an excellent chat venue.
~ a hashtag chat on twitter to launch a product. You could do #BlogMastersLaunchChat or if that sounded too spammy, something like #WinAMembershipChat. Okay, so I can't come up w any good hashtags, but you get the idea! Some people won't go listen to you on Ustream, but WILL read you on Twitter, and esp take part in a hashtag chat. The advantage of Twitter is that your influence could become very large, because as your followers and mutual friends tweeted, their friends and followers would see what they were tweeting and join in the hashtag chat also. It could become large.
~ If you feel this could be too spammy (launching a product on twitter in hashtag form), then perhaps you could have a #AskDavidAnythingChat. The purpose of this would be, of course, to give you and your blog more exposure. Drop your blog link a lot. With every other tweet! Why not, LOL? You may think it wouldn't be worth it bc you wouldn't be selling a particular product, but visitors would come by your blog, and would find your products, at least eventually. Remember, many people love hashtag chats, they usually only last an hour or two, and could bring you good ROI (more in the twitterverse would know you bc you are tweeting to your followers — whose followers then see THEIR followers tweets and join in, and so on), you should get more traffic to your blog, eventually you'll sell more products, more would come to know you through these chats, etc.). Perhaps you may feel tweeting in such a way would not be good ROI and not worth your time, but I think it's something to think about! I'd certainly join in!
~ Just an idea for a marketing tool, a little prelaunch idea — whoever tweets you or writes a blog post about your product could get a very small ebook (you could even let them know the ebook was two pages or something, so the tweeter or poster wouldn't be expecting more). If you did this, you would get tweeters and posters from many different places, who would be influencing different audiences. I think you would go more viral this way, and have many more readers of your blog tweet your launch this way. Word of your launch would spread wider, so I think it might be worth it to do the ebook to get the additional sales you would get. And we would get something that would be priceless to us, a little more information from you. Sure we could probably find it in your blog. Maybe. But everyone loves ebooks. It puts all the information in one place. As far as you and for those who would tweet your product, it would be a win-win situation!

Of course I've never done any marketing and don't know much about traffic. I just have a blog (page rank 3) and I haven't even been able to start my niche blog yet as my husband keeps going back into the hospital. But I do have lots of ideas! Do I think a little like a marketer, LOL? I've never been trained…

So that's a little of what I'd like to see! Hope you liked some of those ideas.

krissy knox
connect on twitter: http://twitter.com/iamkrissy

Or — here is what I experienced this week.

InfoMarketer A (not in MMO) announces a product relaunch. Says — until Jul 11 it's going to be this special discounted price from normal.

Discounted price — closer in line with what I think it's actually worth than normal. I buy. I get NO email — no receipt, no confirmation, no download page. I contact them.

They tell me — oh, yeah, so many people are responding that our shopping cart is having problems. We didn't get your order. You have to repurchase.

YEAH RIGHT — no thanks — lost my sale right there.

About an hour later, InfoMarketer A sends out a letter — oh yeah our mentors told us we were crazy for dropping the price this low. They were right! We've got more sales than we can handle and our shopping cart can't handle the volume. So we're pulling our offer — now you only have til Jul 5 (24 more hours) to get it at the low discount price. Seeing as how we're being too successful for our own good at selling this.

Ticked me off — so much I unsubscribed from their list.

That is a great post. I am quick sick of all the product launches that come through my email account. Sometimes there is something of interest but the only one that I have really gone for was one with a cheap entry price that offered tools in addition to training.

You know, I didn't mind all the product launches. I sign up to someone's list, I'm pretty much expecting to get email from them, and to get links to stuff they want me to buy. It's cool.

What's annoying me is the live webinar (or link to pre-recorded webinar you can't fast forward) that lasts 90 freaking minutes. Is MY time worthless??? I'm interested in what you have to say and your product, but don't be disrespectful of the time I'm affording YOU. I stopped watching at least two because I'd invested enough time for them to get to the freaking point. I'm a business owner, blogger, mom, etc., etc., I have a life that I need to get back to. Your product caught my attention, but don't make me choose between it and making dinner for my family or answering an important email from a client or simply shutting down for the night. You're gonna lose.

Those are excellent ideas to make launches more unique and less predictable.
I guess my answer to your question is to see more of those techniques you mentioned.

I totally agree. Even knowing the content is going to be quality stuff, the manner in which it is being “launched” is very… predictable. And then it loses it's mojo.

I'm not sure I'd put Reese and Shoe in the same category. I'm actually taking Reese's course (the last one he launched) and the man delivers. A lot of people got weird over the $2/hour reference, but trust me, when you see what Reese is teaching, he treats his people overseas like absolute gold.

I look at each product launch as a “learning tool” I am already predisposed not to buy because I have all the tools and IM products I want over the years. Nothing new or ground breaking in the past two years. But I liken to observing all product launches like I save all my junk snail mail. “Success leaves clues.”

Take the time (and notes) to break down what each maven uses in their product launch campaign. It can teach you tons if you just pay attention to the verbage, the colors, the size of the headline, the style of the graphics, the videos, etc. It is a complete package revealed on what to do in a launch. And you could easily “tweak” it to your likening based on your attitudes toward your customers.

Like many people said here, David puts on a class act presentation and that includes his launches. Obviously David took bits and pieces of the biggest launches here and tweaked it with his own personality and values. It works when you use it in that fashion….

I email the sales and no real help from internet marketers with the information most tired. Well I know almost nothing at all about the sales pitch sales promotion or JV is really annoying is shipped with every email. I have reasons why we in the first place marketers sign up for the list some other useful information is expected.