c results, with coverage across top tier media publications, helping us to well-exceed our first month sales targets. But these successes came with important lessons. From our experience, here are my top tips for nailing your brand launch. Know what drives your audience  Before you design your launch, find out as much as you can about the behaviours of consumers in your industry and how they make their decisions. Do you know where they spend their time and who they listen to? Knowledge of what drives them will help you to shape your channel strategy with the right elements. Viviology launched into a crowded market, where beauty journalists are the authority voice holding the keys to coveted reviews. We needed to show them we had cosmeceuticals expertise to gain favourable editorial coverage that would reach potential customers. Our primary channel was an intimate in-person media event – a dinner party (aptly named ‘Skin Soiree’) provided the perfect backdrop for Viviology’s creator – leading skin expert James Vivian – to spend 1:1 time with the most influential beauty media. This event resulted in earned media reach of 10+ million. Invest in multiple channels  Diversifying your launch channel mix creates a broader surface area for opportunity, and therefore maximises your chance of making an impact. With a good mix, you reduce your reliance on the success of any one channel – covering you if there is an unexpected hurdle, such as the media not being able to cover the launch, or high-cost influencers not delivering as anticipated.  On the same note, it’s important to strike the right balance so you’re not spread too thin. Trying to do everything will be harder than doing a few things well. Back your decisions and be brave enough to leave some things out.  For Viviology, we mixed the Skin Soiree media event with thoughtful product-seeding. Gone are the days of ‘spray and prey’ media send-outs. We were conscious of the need to tailor each and every engagement with media, giving journalists time to try our range and connect with the brand ahead of launch, ensuring their appraisals were based on their experiences of the products. We also invited prominent wellness and beauty ‘skinfluencers’, who embody the fun and educational elements of the Viviology brand, to a product discovery morning with James at the Ace Hotel in Sydney. Those influencers and content creators now understand Viviology and want to share it with their audience. Plan well The more attention you can give to your pre-launch initiatives the better. Don’t launch to crickets: start building community support well before you launch by inviting early adopters and supporters of your brand or industry along on the journey. In making them feel special, they’ll be excited, engaged and equipped to be your ambassadors on launch day. With a network in place early you’ll hit the ground running.  At Adore Beauty we had all the advantages of having our existing platform but still wanted a new set of Viviology supporters. A month before launch we set about creating our community by tapping into Adore’s top supporters via our Adore Society program, even inviting them to test the products for feedback. Inviting our biggest supporters into the process led to conversions from day one as a result. The same customers are making repeat purchases two months on and sharing their positive experiences with the brand. Build on early success Following through with your initiatives in the post- launch phase is an important step for achieving holistic success. Relationships are ignited during activations but need to be followed through to become authentic and translate into sales. Journalists and influencers go to hundreds of launches,so you need to do more than say hello and goodbye at a party or bask in the afterglow of a successful event! Seeking honest feedback validates their opinion and brings them closer. After the Viviology launch we asked our contacts how they found the products and offered to set up a call with our James Vivian to provide more information and support if they needed it.  Elevate your early adopters So, how do you keep up the momentum following your launch? Treat your customers like family and equip them to be your ambassadors. They bought into you before anyone else and can be an incredible asset to your business. Ask them for their opinions, ask them to share your brand or product within their networks, and importantly, remember to ask them for content.  We’ve learnt through Viviology that you can never underestimate the amount of content you’ll need to build your brand. A perfectly curated Instagram feed may only enjoy two-second swipes! Set yourself up for a minimum of 30 days at a time to keep the content beast fed and your brand launch flowing.  Put your experts to work If you’re lucky enough to be partnered with an expert, they’ll bring great credibility and personality to your brand launch. A trusted source goes a long way in delivering value to media, influencers and content creators, which in turn drives audiences to tune in. Making your expert(s) the hero of your marketing efforts can be key to conversions.  Through our Viviology campaign, we focused on bringing James’ expertise as an Australian skincare luminary to as many customers and audiences as possible. James embodies the Viviology brand – he’s serious about skincare but has a lot of fun doing it. Across all our launch channels, we strived to elevate his profile as the dermal therapist whose expertise you want in your bathroom vanity.