If you have a new product idea – software or physical – then you should consider using social media as a testing ground. It’s a great way to gauge reaction, and it can help you build an enormous buzz to build up to launch day. In this guide, I’m going to take you through several ways you can use social media to test the water on your new product’s popularity. Read on to find out more.

The basics

First of all, make sure you have a product to talk about. In an ideal world, you will have everything ready to send out or sell straight away. But, prototypes from a plastic injection moulding company or beta software can often be a great pull, too. You also need to concentrate on priming your audience for some big news. People love to be ahead of the game and will take a lot more interest in your product if they believe they are getting insider knowledge or exclusive info.

Teaser shots

Next, use the good old art of photography to share teaser shots with your followers. If you are creating a physical product, it is worth hiring a professional photographer to make your images as striking as possible. They will be able to create moody lighting, and give your photos a lot more impact. For software on online products, a screenshot can work in your favour. Again, just give a little glimpse of what people can expect, without revealing too much. The idea is to build excitement and to keep people coming back for more and sharing your news on their feeds.

Take notes

Make sure you are taking notes of any reactions that your audience is giving you. You might find some interesting ideas that you can apply to your product, or it could even open up a market that you hadn’t considered before.

Offer opportunity

Once you have created a little buzz about your product, consider offering your audience the chance to get their hands on it. You can do this via a competition, or a draw where you put the name of everyone that shares your page with others into a hat. It’s a great way to build up even more of an audience and get more eyes on your product.

Send out the first batch

Now you have a bunch of people who want to use your product, take down their details and send it to them. As part of the T&Cs, you can ask them to share their thoughts with you on your social media page, or their personal blogs. Again, it’s a great chance for you to spread the word even further. And, given the product is free for the recipient, they are likely to be more positive with their opinions.

Use video

You can also create a video about your product – they are popular, and give people a more in-depth look at what you are trying to do. If your video – and product – is good enough, you can almost guarantee it will spread like wildfire.

As you can see, social media is a fantastic tool for testing out the marketability of a new product. Make sure you are using some of these tips – and let me know the results!