It’s hard to imagine any business, let alone any new product launch, without social media playing a significant role in its promotion. After all, social media channels are the greatest source of inspiration for purchases, with 37% of consumers finding their purchase ideas through some of the social media channels. Moreover, 60% of customers want to see companies share more content on their new products and services.

With your latest product almost ready to hit the market, here are a few innovative ideas on which social media tactics you can use to add some hype around your promotion.

Behind-the-scenes content

Customers love all sorts of behind-the-scenes posts, especially videos. Your most loyal fans and customers invest themselves in communication with your brand and your social media team, and are very interested to hear more personal stories and to learn more about how your company functions. Photos or videos about how your new product is created, a time-lapse video of the entire process, or a brief and interesting interview with the team or one of the creators can be a great way to introduce your new product to your audience and start word of mouth. The more details they get to see about your production process, and the more passion and the effort they recognize in your team members, the more connected they will feel to your brand and its products.

Deals and promo codes

One of the proven ways to promote your new product is by offering special deals and promo codes to your followers. Statistics show that 73% of customers want to see more social media posts related to discounts and sales, so providing them with special deals on a regular basis can keep them engaged. You can go a step further with this kind of promotion if you personalize these kinds of deals, either by putting your customers’ names on the coupons or by offering special discounts on birthdays, whatever you think will add a more personal touch.

Organize giveaways and contests

If you want to build excitement around your new product, the best way to achieve it is by organizing a giveaway or a contest. The best photo contest or your product-related quiz will do wonders for your product’s promotion, pump up your followers and get the word out about your product far outside your usual circles. Give away your goodies to a few successful contestants, and add hashtags your contestants can use with their own content to make your promotional campaign as viral as possible. One of the great examples of a social media contest done right is Dove’s “Real Beauty Should Be Shared” campaign, offering no extravagant prize for spreading the word, except the opportunity to become the next promotional face of this brand.

Leverage influencers

82% of consumers are likely to follow micro-influencers’ recommendations when making a purchase, so try to use this fact to your advantage. Potential buyers see them as more impactful, a recent study shows, and find them more knowledgable than the average customer, as they’re more credible and skilled when it comes to explaining the features and benefits of a product. Still, you have to choose influencers who are the most relevant in your industry, who align well with your brand and your product, and who could have the most impact on your target audience.

Offer some social proof

In the eyes of your customer, public approval of your new product by an expert in your industry or by a celebrity, is the proof of its quality, especially if it’s not paid for. User testimonials make great social proof too, so it’s a good idea to leverage social media monitoring tools and be aware of all user-generated content mentioning your new product. Users will often post about your brand or your product on their own profiles, in various communities or in their own networks. Sometimes, this kind of content can be invaluable when it comes to your product’s promotion, as it is genuine and spontaneous.

Be educational and informative

Your users want to know more about your new product before they even start thinking about purchasing it. They’ll need more technical details, to begin with, but that’s not really the information they long for – they want to know the unique value of your new product, and what makes it special in addressing their needs and solving their challenges. They want to know more about the ways they can best use it, as well as about all the benefits it brings. Use social media channels to share videos, promote webinars, live Facebook or LinkedIn broadcasts, and to connect with your users on a more personal level, by providing them with all the answers they need.

If you want to have a successful product launch and achieve your revenue and sales goals, use social media channels to generate buzz around your promotion.