Ideally, you should have a finished version of your product. A prototype could work in a pinch, but only if you’re looking to attract investors. The average consumer wants to see products complete and ready to be shipped as soon as they pay for it. Investors also appreciate a finished item but may still show interest in a promising prototype. In short, the state of your product is important.

On the other hand, some inventors use social media right from the start, showcasing the entire process. Even if all they have is a basic idea, they’ll create accounts promoting their product and highlighting its development. This transparency and trust in the consumer could be seen as a plus to some. It also ensures a dedicated fanbase once you begin production or a fundraising campaign, giving you comfort in predicting its reception. Of course, this is all dependent on if the product gains any attention.

If you’re already partnered with an investor or company, make sure to double-check your agreements before beginning any social media campaigns. There may be certain stipulations or clauses in your contract that prevent you from advertising your product yourself and instead require you to rely on the company for promotion. For those who are looking for a partner, read the fine print carefully and always ask if you’re not sure.

Even if “when should I advertise” is established, the questions of “how, where, and who” remain. How do I go about promoting my product? Where should I advertise (what site should I use)? Who should I set as my target demographic? Unfortunately, these are even more specific questions that are extremely dependent on your actual product. It may be useful to find demographics for various social media sites and use that as a starting point. If the initial campaign succeeds, you can branch out to other websites and apps.

No matter which site you end up using, remember to remain professional. Social Media users can give all sorts of feedback, so be prepared. It’s also important that you interact with users that interested in your product. If a customer asks a question through a Facebook comment, answer it. Being approachable and candid about your product will be a huge draw to those who value transparency.

One final note: even if you launch your social media campaign at the exact right point, are professional and honest, and use the features of the website to your advantage, it’s still not a guarantee of success. Various algorithms and sponsored advertisements may result in your campaign being pushed to the side and garnering little traffic. If this happens, don’t be discouraged! It’s not a mark on your product or how you handled the situation; rather, it reflects the current state of the advertising market.

If you have a new product idea contact the team at Davison to learn all about our 9-Step Process! Click HERE or on the button below.

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Late last year, we burst onto the social media scene with the launch of our Facebook and Twitter pages.  This year, we’re expanding our social media presence from “likes” and “tweets” to include ”pins” and “circles!” We’re excited to announce the recent launch of Davison Pinterest and Google+ pages!

And, we’ve got to say, if you haven’t caught on to the Pinterest craze just yet, you definitely will now!

The online pinboard allows users to share images of all of the things they love!  Since everything we do (i.e. drawing, designing, engineering, creating prototypes) is so visual, Pinterest is the perfect place to show it all off!

Some of our current boards include “Inventionland,” where we can share more of our creative design facility, “Davison Products,” where we’re able to show Davison-designed products in action and on store shelves and “Inventors Never Quit,” where we’re able to keep inspiring and motivating prospective inventors to pursue their ideas!

Check out Davison’s new Pinterest page here!

Once you’ve pinned all of your favorite things (be careful, it’s addicting!), visit our new Google+ page!

As if Google didn’t already have everything you could think of and more, they now have social media, too!   And, Google+ allows you to do… well… everything!

We’re especially excited because Google+ will allow us to connect and chat with other inventors, plus share information and photos with friends and clients!

Plus, unlike any other social media forum, the ”Circle” function on Google+ allows you to group your followers together, so we can tailor what we share (i.e. our licensing partners may not have the same interests that our fellow inventors do)!

Check out the new Davison Google+ page here!

Whether you “like it,” “retweet it,” “pin it” or “+1 it,” make sure to share all the great news about Davison on social media!

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