I opened an e-mail from Brad Callen recently advertising his new product, Affiliate Elite. I go to the website only to find out that the product won't be available for another month and the price hasn't been revealed yet. Again??? Anik Signal did the same thing with PPC Classroom a month before. I've also seen quite a few other online marketers that seem to promote their products in similar ways. Does this technique work? Is this marketing technique seriously worth all the frustration for potential customers?
I think its just about drumming up interest first and see whos interested.. He might have no product at all yet !
sparksflying had a good point, there can actually be no product at all and it's a good way to check the market and see who and how many people are interested. I don't know if I would do it if having a product, it's a risk of creating antagonism, especially considering the fact many of the potential clients lives the web and are aware of every small change and new sites and services.
Actually this is a very good strategy. What is basically does is creates hype about your product in the market. Moreover it triggers anticipation in the potential buyers. This is very useful and it almost a sure shot that your potential buyers will buy your product. It creates excitement too. So overall this strategy is very effective and it is almost a sure shot to increase your conversions. And if your buyers buy your product even before its released or atleast decide to buy then what better can you ask for ?
Yes, it absolutely works. It's called the "pre-launch." I'm actually writing an e-book that's going to be released this Winter on building pre-launch buzz for books and e-books. I'll later be doing the same for webmasters about pre-launching products and sites. Every big company serious about a new product does a pre-launch phase. Small companies do the same. If you're not doing it, you should be. Pre-launching can involve a lot, from getting media interest build to pre-launch publicity tours and interviews to newsletters.
Oh yeah...it's a good strategy. Building your list and keeping potential customers pumped up and informed about the product I'm sure produces big sales numbers on launch day.
i'm a newbie to non-traditional media/pr, but pre-launch/buzz is crucial to those of us in manufacturing/distribution. Oftentimes, companies at tradeshows are simply marketing a prototype and buyers take orders knowing that it's still 6-8 months away from being delivered.