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Imagine how many products and services are being launched today. Now consider how many make their way into our inbox.

I am prompted to explore this subject as I witness the launch of Yahoo Mash unfold and consider our own pending Gooruze launch.

Oh before I share the NEW, indulge me as I recall the sequence of events in the “old days”:

1. Research, product user testing
2. Internal staff launch (get your salesforce on side)
3. Roadshow/expo launch to early adopters
4. Press release (if you could afford it prepared by journalist)
5. Print, radio or TV advertising campaign
6. Monthly reporting showing the success of your new star product or lobbying for more funds to keep the “dog you love” alive to show its promise
7. Other than that you didn’t touch it too much and you moved on to the next!

10 Secrets to successful product launch:

1. Exclusive invitation Beta. Invite only to create hype and anticipation, perfectly demonstrated by the recent Yahoo Mash. I’d love to know how they came about the list (and gosh would love that database) but suffice to say it doesn’t seem to be mere mortals.

2. Identifying “opinion leaders”. You need to join related community groups, hunt down popular bloggers, set up news alerts for your category to see who is writing about your news. Hard part is you have to get through to them – can you imagine how much spam they receieve! Tenacity and creativity will pay off. Of course it is not what you know but who you know – now more than ever get connected you have no excuse not to.

3. User Testing. Whilst many seem to launch with heavy bugs, my recommendation is to remove as many bugs as possible before launching. Your don’t want the person who is about to blog about it have a bad taste in their mouth. From what I hear there are still bugs in Yahoo Mash as early adopters put it through its paces. A few negative comments on techcrunch which could have been avoided.

4. Capturing the hearts of early adopters. How are you going to motivate and reward early adopters? What psych can you tap into – ego, fear, lifestyle, fun, ambition, competitiveness….. Anyone heard of Tesla electric car? I read about it a year ago – call me fickle but when I heard Brin & Page of Google were driving one – it instantly stood out as a potential winner.

5. Viral Marketing. Essential ingredient to any successful online launch. Sounds easy -not always - persavere the rewards will be great. A competition can be a great start but careful in chosing the prize don't let it overshadow your core proposition. Check out this great article on viral Marketing.

6. Strategic partnerships. There is the old saying not what you know but who you know. Who has similar target markets? Explore opportunities to work together and create a win:win formula.

7. Feed your new product. Much like sourdough your new product is your “pet”, unlike the old days, you can’t build it and move on you have to feed it regularly. Sure your early adopters will help you feed it, but boredom is the biggest risk today. Take the ipod – constant, constant improvement seeking to keep the early adopter waving the flag. And of course there is Facebook’s decision to Open API – what a great way to “feed” their pet.

8. Service Stickiness. What will bring customers back? Some personal observations; Facebook - new friend emails bring me back, Linkedin – just had to have at least the average. Twitter is addictive

9. Search engine Optimization – I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight the critical aspect of search to your product success. You need to build organic traffic for your new product fast. Obviously your website needs to be designed for SEO optimization but think about your blog and online social media interactions as they will all generate valuable traffic.

10. The x factor- Austin Powers had it – he called it his mojo, advertisers label it as brand. Some recent examples who have it; google, ipod, wii. Here is the hard part – everyone can pick it in the winners – but how do you ensure your product/service has it. How do we create the x factor? I suspect the winners will say it is the product of hours of craftsmanship seeking to deliver consumers with the perfect solution, one which you love and believe in passionately.

I intend to add to this story by posting analysis of new product launches and their online marketing strategies. Feel free to share with me any that stand out in your mind. 1st up - Yahoo Mash (Sep 2007) – invitation pending -can anyone help me out and invite me to join.