Oh, the joy of introducing new products and services to a company. This can be both the most exciting and stressful time for an internal communicator, as now you have been assigned the task of communicating both the internal and external launch of the product to the rest of your company. Communicating product launches internally is a big job and an important step in product development. After all, your staff needs to know what’s going on in the company to be able to do their jobs.
A successful internal launch will help prove the strategic importance of the product which will be extremely useful when it’s time to launch it externally. As well, I think we can all agree that we’d rather test new products on our co-workers so they can find topical issues with the product before our customers do.
Now, this all sounds great, but as an internal communicator you might be thinking “how am I going to pull this off?” Well, it’s a good thing you found your way to this post because we’re going to break it down for you in five easy steps. Here’s how you should go about communicating this type of news to your internal audience.
Five steps to communicate the launch of a new product
1. Communicate the Key Points
When sending this type of information out to your team, make sure you highlight the key points to help answer any or most of the questions they’ll have about the process. Some of these points might include:
- The objective of the internal product launch
- What’s expected from the team in terms of testing, usage, feedback, etc.
- Key messages surrounding the product to provide some context
- The core problems the product is meant to solve for the consumer
By highlighting these simple points in your message, your audience will be able to have all of the essential information up front. This helps reduce the amount of back and forth you receive from your team.
2. Use the Right Channel
Oh, the never-ending battle of finding the right channels. We know… it seems impossible. Now that you’ve crafted the perfect message with all this amazing information, sending that information out to people where they will see it is crucial. Using an internal communications software will help make this step a lot easier. If you know what channels your audience members use most then this step should be a breeze for you.
3. Use Language that Everyone will Understand
Awesome! They got your message and are about to read it – it’s showtime, don’t blow it!
Sometimes when we spend all day talking about the features and benefits of a product, or the marketing and technicalities around it, we get stuck in the horrible world of “department-specific jargon”. When sending information about a new product to your staff, make sure to use simple, easy-to-read language so that everyone can understand exactly what it is and what it’s there for. If they don’t understand what you’re saying, it is likely that they will disengage themselves and move on to the next task.
4. Define Timelines
Defining the timeline between the internal launch to the post-launch follow up to the external launch is important when introducing a new product to your team. Everyone is busy, so establishing that timeline upfront will help keep track of all the milestones and testing points that need to be hit before the product goes to the public.
As well, this helps build a better understanding of how your team should prioritize this information. If you only have one month, they may feel more urgency to act, but if you have six to eight months, they may take more time.
5. Support – Be Available
Ever heard the saying, “it’s not over till it’s over”? Well, that applies here too. Product launches are something that requires a lot of attention and support. Have all the key stakeholders of the new product available for staff to ask questions, challenge the concept and give feedback. The last thing you want is to introduce a new product and then have your staff be confused on how to use it, which would likely result in them not using it at all.
Ta-Da! Not so scary after all… right? Just simply follow these tips and BAM, you have a perfectly communicated and well-connected workplace. Still facing challenges? Don’t be afraid to reach out – we at IC strive to help build a world with better internal communications. Contact us today, and challenge us with your challenges!
