Don't forget building your hot list...

So, you're about to launch a new product, service or website.

On your timeline, you're a few months away from your target launch date. What marketing can you do during this time between planning and execution?

Build a hot list. You can start by creating a simple webpage with some strong copy about your product/service/website -- teaser copy that doesn't give too much away -- and have an email sign up form. Also, it's important to include on your page your product/service/site's name, logo and tag line for branding.

This way, you can start seeding forums, blogs, bulliten boards, tweeting...where ever you can spread the word and drive traffic to your sign up page.

What you're doing, in addition to branding, is creating buzz ... you're building anticipation and a pent up demand with your targeted audience.

You can also start using this landing page in media buys or reciprocal ad swaps with industry publications. Then, as you collect these "qualified names" (as they already displayed an interest in your product/service/site before it launched), you can send them updates, do a count down to launch, or even start "soft" cross-promotional messages.

So instead of looking at a pre-launch time as taking care of pre-launch operational issues, start building your hot list and hit the ground running when launch date arrives!