Case Study:
Go-To-Market Strategy
The 21-Day Sugar Detox
Digital Marketing Strategy | Customer Research | Product Positioning | Full-Funnel Integrated Marketing | Content Strategy | Email Campaigns | Sales Funnels | Social Media | Paid Media | Automated Sales Funnels | Platform Integration | Facebook Group | Copywriting | Sales Pages | Book Launch
BACKGROUND
As a newly-certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, the client developed a 21-day program to break sugar cravings and sold it as a PDF on her website.
Following the success of her first book, the PDF was published as a book and a cookbook. Those books became two New York Times bestsellers.
I began working with the client in 2014, and together we morphed the PDF in to a successful digital course and certified coaching program.
For these projects, I provided integrated marketing strategy, customer research, sales funnel copywriting (email, sales pages, Facebook group content, scripts), customer journey mapping, team leadership, and project management.
References to "we" indicate collaboration with the client and a team of specialists contributing to subject matter content, design, social media, public relations, and video production.
PLANNING
Summary
In 2017, the client wrote a new book that streamlined the detox program and provided daily support. The digital program, a companion to the book, would provide daily emails, videos, recipes, and community support.
Unfortunately, the book's release date put both holiday and end-of-year sales at risk.
Customer research identified the client's perceived superpowers and a timely pain point. We built a strategic plan around them.
Starting early put us ahead of the holiday noise and competitor's campaigns.
A relationship-focused approach allowed us to activate her existing audience, generate leads, and establish her as the go-to resource for health and wellness during the holiday season.
And then we sold the heck out of that book.
This launch is a masterclass in the power of research, crafting an offer, supporting each stage of the customer journey, and investing in your customers before you ask them to invest in you.
The Challenge
The holidays are peak sales season for the health and wellness industry, with most people planning their New Year resolutions in the last week of December.
Slated for a December announcement with pre-sales leading to a January 2 release, the new book faced one major challenge.
Pre-sales are a critical factor in the success of a book launch, and they don't make great holiday gifts.
Without a physical book available during the holiday sales period, there was risk of missing pre-sale targets and compromising long-term success of the program.
We couldn't let that happen. Not on my watch.
The Goal
Book pre-sales are considered the leading indicator of demand, a robust response to pre-sales can unlock national distribution and prominent placement with major retailers.
We developed a full-funnel, omnichannel marketing plan with multiple KPIs. We would know the launch was successful when we saw the book on the table at Costco.
The Research
As always, we started with the customer.
We began with an audit of existing websites, downloads, and social content. This provided insight on popular content, customer segmentation, and key selling points for the program. But we wanted to know more.
Why did they choose this program? What other programs had they considered? How did they feel after completing the program? What was the current success rate? How did success align with the products purchased? How many enlisted support from a group or certified coach? What did they like best about the client?
We developed a survey that answered critical questions and segmented customers in to groups based on their response to key questions.
The response clearly defined how customers identified, how they perceived the client, key selling points, and critical content for the digital program.
The Approach
Using customer insight as the True North, we crafted a strategic plan.
Research showed that the client's greatest appeal was her no-nonsense approach to setting boundaries.
It also showed that customers struggled with making healthy choices during the holiday season.
Using this information as our True North, we got to work.
Phase One: Pre-Launch
The key to the pre-launch period was the Healthy for the Holidays community.
A pop-up Facebook group packed with value, it provided a survival guide with recipes and tips, weekly themes, live sessions with the client, and regular prompts to foster community engagement.
The survival guide was offered as a lead magnet when members joined the group with frequent CTAs that made it an essential part of the program. Downloading the survival guide activated an automated email series kept members engaged through the entire book launch.
We developed ad campaigns with messages tailored to the unique needs of each customer persona, reactivating existing customers and expanding reach outside of the existing audience. Additional ads were created with messaging that supported each phase of the launch.
Phase Two: Pre-Orders
The book's pre-sale period began in December, with a scheduled live announcement, email campaign, and paid media.
To encourage pre-orders, we offered two digital cookbooks with popular detox-friendly recipes.
At this time, certified coaches were activated as ambassadors for the new program. After completing a live training on the program changes, coaches were provided with early access to the digital program, affiliate codes, a promotional timeline, and professionally designed graphics for social media, empowering them to create and market services around the launch.
IMPLEMENTATION
Phase Three: Soft Launch
Reimagining the digital program created an opportunity to move to a more robust platform. Course content and landing pages were built in Kajabi, with an automated system that guided the customer journey from opt-in to course onboarding. In the world of sales funnels, it was a masterpiece.
When customers provided proof of pre-order to download the bonuses, they received an offer to purchase the digital program and receive immediate access to a quick start module.
The quick start module provided everything the customer would need to prepare for the detox before the book arrived. It provided us with an opportunity to test the new platform, and created demand for the digital program before the product was officially released. High fives all around.
Phase 4: Launch
The book launched on January 2, with the client leading the community through a group detox the following week. Because the audience was already engaged, they created the largest group detox in the history of the program. Social participation in the group detox created awareness, leading to sustained book sales beyond the initial launch period.
THE RESULTS
The impact of the launch showed across all KPIs, and robust pre-sales unlocked prime retailer distribution.
Mission accomplished.
In March of that year, we celebrated the win with a contest. Fans entered by sharing a picture of the book at their local Costco, and we all admired the blue beauty in the place where she belonged - right next to Joanna Gaines.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOU.
I'd love to hear about what you're working on. If you're interested in working together, grab time on my calendar for a quick Zoom call.
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