When a new product is launched, there will be a tense period of marketing, sales and customer service. This is because you want your product to land with its feet running, preventing it from stumbling and falling flat on its face. There is a long list of products that were great but ultimately failed because of the lack of proper naturalization. So what do we mean by product naturalization? This is whereby the market quickly learns a few things about the product and it becomes used to it. This could be in the form of what the product does, how it is different from the previous product and others on the market, how much it costs, what it is made out of, how it will benefit customers who buy it and what it means for the industry. So let’s get started.
A press release
Have you noticed how some companies always make sure to give the media exclusive access to their products months or even weeks before launch? This is very popular among technology companies because hey, tech is complex these days. They give the media time to get used to the product, ask questions about it and show them the cool features they have been working on. This is sometimes done by sending products out to the media company, as part of their press release.
Here is what you need in your press release package.
- A good brochure about the product. The fundamental questions about the product should be answered in your brochure. It needs to be very high quality, so get it made by a specialist print company like Action Mailing & Printing Solutions. They can print high-quality brochures, leaflets, posters and more. Design your brochure and import it into their system.
- Make sure you have the final or close to the final product packaging. They will review the box, protective filler, the plastic and the product in how it is opened. On YouTube, there is an unboxing trend whereby viewers watch a video of a product being opened for the first time. This is somewhat of an experience in itself, so make sure you think about how your product will make its first impression hands-on.
- Have a questionnaire and or frequently asked questions page where you have answered many industry or company-specific questions. Customers might not care about how many units you think you will sell and where, but the media will.
In-person hands-on experience
The Apple Store in New York City is legendary. Everyone knows about it, it’s somewhat of the quintessential Apply experience. It’s a modern building, that is below ground and made of glass. Here is where customers arrive for an in-person and hands-on experience. You should try to set this kind of event up for your business. Even if you don’t have a real-world store, you need to hire a space where you can hold an event whereby customers touch, use and feel your product.
We won’t go into too much detail of how you do that because well, there are lots of business event articles you can search for. What we want to show you how to do is hands-on experience. Have your team divided into sections. You need the introduction team who will get to know customers and what they want, and then direct them to the correct employee who will show them the product. The second team will be the showers and tellers, who actually give the show product to customers to use and get used to. If they want to buy it, the customer should be moved onto the third team that deals with sales, plans, packages and warranties, etc.
Effective online tutorials
No one wants to really read through a booklet that shows them how to use your product. They want to go online and watch a video of how to use it. So you need to create an online tutorial. Let’s say for example, you are releasing a new tablet. You want to create a video that shows customers how to start it up, boot up the system and what they should do first.
Checking the timezone and location is correct, updating the software if needed and start setting up their account are all things you need to show customers how to do in a 2-3 minute video.
Then onto the advanced stuff such as watching videos, streaming movies, using software for work purposes, connecting devices, cross-platform function and taking care of their tablet regarding charging, cleaning and transporting are the next videos you should consider making.
An effective tutorial showing people how to use their product will sidestep any launch hazards that create unnecessary frustration.
Returns and feedback
You can dramatically avoid product recall rates if you have a good returns policy and feedback process. Every product in the modern world should come with a return label that can be easily peeled and stuck onto the product for it to be returned to the correct depot it was delivered from. This speeds up the process of getting products back that are damaged or not wanted, and also creating a good relationship with customers.
The feedback process should be quick and easy. Send customers questionnaires through email marketing and or a document they can fill in as part of their returns policy. These will be asking questions such as what they didn’t like about the service etc. This feedback should be logged and sales should immediately be able to pass this onto the risk function and or management that can deal with any larger problems with the product.
Product naturalization should not take more than a couple of months. Things move so fast these days, that if you don’t plan for good product naturalization, your product will fall flat on its face within weeks. So, always have a good press release package ready months before launch. And invest in a launch event whereby customers are shown the product and given a hands-on experience.

What do you think?