Just-in-time social marketing for FMCG organizations

New product releases are one of the hardest things to undertake from a marketing perspective.  On the one hand, you’re taking a huge risk on an innovative idea.  On the other, you have no idea how the market will react, what aspect of the product it will like and who the exact target demographic will be.  I recently met with a digital marketing manager at FMCG company about a recent product launch, and it made me think about how Social Media could help the company react quickly with its marketing message… at least from a digital perspective.

• Ask for comments – If you have a brand that is going to get people excited and coming straight to your website to learn more about the new product, come right out and ask for comments.  Put up a product blog and respond back to comments as they come in. 
• Setup channels – In addition to a product blog, setup a separate Facebook page and Twitter account for your product and direct people to create buzz.
• Look for conversations – People are going to be talking about the product launch on other channels as well, and it’s probably a good idea to listen in to what they are saying.  Here’s where you can get some really meaty information on what people like about your product and what they really think.
• Engage in conversations – Once you start listening to conversations, become a part of them.  Talk to your customers directly, and ask for suggestions.

And once you have all of this free flowing dialogue, use it!  Feed it back into the way your company markets and distributes the product over the upcoming weeks.  Digital marketing allows you to change things on the fly, so take new social insight and put it into action immediately.  Normally, you would only have one chance, but now you have the foresight of your customers.