Two Questions I Ask Before Every Launch

Marketing used to be a lot more straightforward.

Just a few years ago, you could get your customers’ attention and bring them into your world by offering them something for free.

But everyone is wise to this tactic now. And the online business boom means it’s harder than ever to stand out, get noticed, and attract customers. 

It’s the same for every business owner and entrepreneur, including me. 

Right now, my team and I are putting together a brand new workshop. And even though it won’t cost you anything to attend, we’re still working hard to create something amazing. 

Because we know the marketing game has changed – “free” alone is no longer good enough.

So before we even think about ads or copy – any marketing, really – we ask ourselves a couple questions that will help us best serve our audience.

They might seem basic. But after twenty years of doing this, I still begin every launch by asking these two questions…

I am currently putting the finishing touches on a new workshop I'm developing, titled Countdown To Launch. It's not available yet, and there isn't a sign-up yet as we're not quite there, but it's on the horizon. I'm genuinely excited about this as it's shaping up to be one of the most succinct, impactful trainings I've ever conducted.

I want to ensure as many people as possible can access this workshop, which is why I've decided to make it free. I aim to deliver significant value, and yes, there will be an offer for something else during the workshop, because that's how this world operates. My objective is to maximize the number of attendees since that translates into more learning opportunities for the participants and more prospects for me once the workshop concludes.

During the planning phase, I met with my team to strategize. One crucial aspect we kept revisiting is the promise we're making to the attendees. People won't attend just because it's free; there has to be a promised outcome or result. It might seem rudimentary, but this is a core aspect of marketing. Despite teaching people how to grow their businesses online for almost 20 years, I still focus on the promise every time I put together a new workshop or offer.

One key question I constantly return to is: “Who is it for?” This question might seem basic to some, but even after selling over a hundred million dollars of my products online and having my students achieve a billion dollars in sales, I find it crucial. It all boils down to the fundamentals – what's the promise, and who is it for?

We often refer to our target audience as our ‘avatar', a composite of our ideal client. It's paramount to determine who you want to serve before you can articulate your promise. Only once you've clarified these two elements can you start creating your marketing strategy. It's easy to get entangled in the complexity of the business world and lose sight of these basics, especially when launching a large-scale campaign like this one.

But remember, at the very beginning, it's all about figuring out who you'll serve and what your promise to them is. You need to give them a reason to disrupt their day and focus on what you're offering. This principle applies regardless of your market, niche, geographical location, or the language you're selling in. If you don't get these fundamental aspects right, your marketing efforts will be futile.

This is currently at the forefront of my thoughts as we're writing copy, creating ads, and designing the program. Even though we've been selling in this general market for 20 years, we still have to revisit the basics. We have to understand who we're selling to and their current state of mind. Broadly speaking, my target audience is people who want to grow or establish an online business. This demographic hasn't changed since 2005. However, the mood, the mentality of the mainstream, and my prospects have evolved over the years.

No matter how deep you go down the rabbit hole, never forget that you must be absolutely clear on who you're serving. Even for a free offer like this one, you have to work hard to get people to sign up and attend the training. Free or not, the fundamental focus remains the same.

So, I'm Jeff Walker, and wherever you're watching this, feel free to leave a comment for me below. Let's go get them this week.