Imagine unlocking a marketing strategy so powerful, it not only draws customers to your brand but keeps them coming back for more. 

That's the magic of aligning your brand's values with those of your customers. 

In increasingly crowded markets, where every brand is shouting for attention, value marketing whispers directly into the ears of your ideal audience. 

It's not just about making a sale; it's about forging lasting relationships based on shared beliefs and values. 

Get ready to discover how to make your brand not just another option, but a top-of-mind choice for consumers. 

Read on, because this is a guide you don't want to miss. 

What is value marketing?

Value marketing is a strategy that allows you to connect deeply with your audience by aligning your brand's offerings with their core values and beliefs. Imagine tapping into what really matters to your customers, whether it's sustainability, innovation, or cost-effectiveness.

In this approach, you're not just selling a product or service; you're providing solutions that resonate with your audience's lifestyle and principles. 

It's about creating meaningful experiences and building lasting relationships, where your brand becomes a part of your customer's identity. 

This method moves beyond traditional marketing techniques, focusing on long-term customer loyalty rather than short-term gains. 

By embracing value marketing, you're committing to understanding and meeting the unique needs and values of your target audience, ensuring your brand stands out from the crowd.

Researching your target audience

When it comes to differentiating your brand, competitive intelligence plays a crucial role. 

This involves analyzing what your competitors are doing and identifying unique opportunities for your brand to stand out, ensuring your value marketing strategy not only resonates with your audience but also gives you a competitive edge.

Researching your audience is like becoming a detective who uncovers the secrets of what your customers truly desire. It starts with digging into audience demographics, understanding their age, location, and interests. 

You delve into their online behavior, uncovering patterns in social media engagement and website interactions. This is where tools like audience analytics software and other sales tools become your best friend, giving you insights into customer preferences and buying habits. 

But it's not just about numbers. Engaging directly with your audience through surveys and feedback forms adds a personal touch, revealing their thoughts and opinions.

Imagine tailoring your content to fit their needs perfectly, thanks to insightful market research that unveils what truly makes your audience tick. By thoroughly researching your audience, you move beyond guesswork; you're confidently crafting strategies that accurately hit the mark every time.

Developing a value-centric marketing strategy

Developing a value-centric marketing strategy is about creating a blueprint that aligns your brand's values with those of your customers. Here's how you do it:

1. Identify your core values: Begin by defining the heart and soul of your brand. What principles guide your business? This could range from a commitment to environmental sustainability, a focus on cutting-edge technological innovation, or a deep dedication to community service. These core values are the foundation of your marketing strategy.
2. Understand your audience's values: Armed with detailed audience research, align your strategy with what your customers truly care about. Are they environmentally conscious? Do they value high-quality, durable products? Or are they looking for cost-effective solutions? Understanding these nuances allows you to create a connection that goes beyond the superficial.
3. Create value-aligned content: Now, it's time to craft your message. Develop content that resonates with both your brand's and your audience's values. This could be through informative blog posts, engaging social media content, or compelling video stories. The key is to make your audience feel seen and understood.
4. Choose the right channels: Not all marketing channels are created equal. Select the platforms where your target audience spends their time. This could be social media platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn, email newsletters, or even offline channels like community events. The goal is to be where your customers are.
5. Consistent brand messaging: Consistency is key. Ensure that every piece of content, every advertisement, and every social media post reflects your brand's core values. This consistency helps build trust and reinforces your brand's identity across all marketing efforts.
6. Measure and adapt: Like any good strategy, it's essential to track your results. Use tools to analyze the effectiveness of your campaigns. Are you reaching the right audience? Are they engaging with your content? Use this data to refine and adapt your strategy, ensuring it remains effective and true to your brand's and audience's values.

In this strategy, you're not just selling a product; you're building a community of like-minded individuals who share the same values. This approach sets you apart from competitors and fosters a deeper connection with your customers. 

It's about being authentic and staying true to what your brand and your audience believe in, creating a marketing strategy that's not only effective but also meaningful.

Characteristics of a value-driven message

Crafting a value-driven message is all about striking a chord with your audience by highlighting what truly matters. Here are the key characteristics that make up such a message:

1. Genuine authenticity: Your message should radiate authenticity, feeling real and honest. It's not just about what you say, but how you say it. This genuine approach reassures your audience that your brand values integrity and honesty, creating a foundation of trust.
2. Relevance: Make your message highly relevant by aligning it closely with your audience's current needs and aspirations. It's about understanding their daily challenges and desires, then reflecting that understanding in your message, making it feel personalized and thoughtful.
3. Emotional resonance: Craft your message to strike an emotional chord. Whether it’s inspiring hope, fostering a sense of community, or highlighting shared values, an emotionally resonant message creates a deeper, more meaningful connection with your audience.
4. Clarity: Your message should be straightforward, avoiding any confusion or ambiguity. This means using simple language that's easy to understand, ensuring your audience gets the point without any guesswork.
5. Consistency: Consistency across all platforms is crucial. Whether someone sees your message on social media, your website, or in an email, it should feel cohesive and unified. This reinforces your brand's identity and message, making it more memorable.
6. Emphasis on value: Your message should clearly highlight the value your brand or product brings to the table. It's about showing how you can enhance your audience's life, not just in practical terms but also ethically and emotionally, underlining the positive impact you can make.

Incorporating these characteristics, your value-driven product messaging becomes more than just words; it transforms into a powerful tool that resonates deeply with your audience, building trust and fostering a stronger, more meaningful connection with your brand.

Channels for value marketing

In value marketing, choosing the right channels is like picking the perfect stage for your performance. Each platform offers a unique way to connect with your audience.

Social media 

On platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, it's all about creating an engaging dialogue with your audience. Share posts that reflect your brand's values and resonate with your audience's beliefs. 

For instance, use Instagram stories to showcase behind-the-scenes looks at your ethical practices, or use Facebook posts to highlight community involvement. Employ a hashtag generator to extend your reach and participate in trending conversations relevant to your brand. 

Utilizing social media tools can make this task easier and more efficient. The goal is to foster a community feel, encouraging likes, shares, and comments, turning your audience into active participants rather than passive viewers. 

Email marketing

Think of email marketing as a direct line to your customers. Each email should feel like a personalized conversation, focusing on subjects that matter to your audience. For example, send out newsletters detailing your brand’s efforts in sustainability or customer stories that highlight shared values. 

Segment your email list to ensure that the content is relevant to each group of recipients. Email personalization can range from addressing recipients by name to tailoring content based on their past interactions with your brand. 

The aim is to make each recipient feel that your emails provide value, strengthening their connection to your brand. Make sure to clean your email list before segmenting them.

Content marketing

Your blog or website acts as a central hub for deeper engagement with your audience. Here, you have the space to explore topics in detail, from in-depth articles about your sustainable practices to thought leadership pieces on industry trends that align with your values. 

Use search engine optimization (SEO) strategies and the best AI SEO tools to ensure that your content ranks high in search results, making it more accessible to those looking for information in your industry. Consider using a variety of content formats like videos, infographics, and long-form articles to cater to different preferences. 

Remember, the content should not only inform but also engage and inspire your audience, reinforcing your brand's commitment to its values.

Community events and webinars

Community events and webinars bring a personal touch, offering direct interaction with your audience. Use these platforms for live discussions or workshops that resonate with your brand’s values. 

They are perfect for building a community vibe, allowing you to connect with your audience on a deeper level. These events are not only engaging but also provide valuable insights into your customer's preferences and opinions, helping you tailor your future marketing efforts more effectively.

Influencer collaborations

Partnering with influencers who share your values can significantly boost your brand's reach. These influencers act as credible voices, extending your message to an engaged and relevant audience. 

For instance, teaming up with an eco-conscious influencer can strengthen your brand’s presence in sustainability-focused communities. 

The key is to make sure these influencers resonate with both your brand ethos and your target audience, ensuring that their endorsements feel authentic and effectively convey your value proposition.

Best practices for effective value marketing

For an effective value marketing approach, there are some best practices you should keep in mind. These guidelines will help ensure your strategy not only resonates with your audience but also achieves your business goals.

• Stay true to your brand: Ensure every aspect of your marketing aligns with your brand's core values. Authenticity is crucial.
• Understand your audience: Deeply research your audience's values and needs. Tailoring your approach to their preferences makes your message more impactful.
• Use consistent messaging across channels: Whether it's social media, email, or your website, your value-driven message should be unified across all platforms.
• Engage and interact: Don't just broadcast your message; engage with your audience. Respond to comments, participate in discussions, and create interactive content.
• Measure and optimize: Regularly track the effectiveness of your campaigns. Use the insights you gather to refine and improve your strategies over time.
• Educate and inform: Use your platforms to educate your audience about the values you promote. This builds trust and positions you as an authority in your field.
• Build meaningful relationships: If you have a membership option, prioritize cultivating strong connections with your members.

Implementing these practices will help you craft a value marketing strategy that's not only effective in reaching your audience but also in building lasting relationships based on shared values and trust.

Common mistakes to avoid for effective value marketing

Implementing a value marketing strategy is not without its challenges. By recognizing these common pitfalls, you’ll (hopefully!) be able to avoid them and make sure your strategy stays on track.

• Losing focus on authenticity: Remember, your audience values genuineness. Being overly sales-y can make your messaging feel insincere.
• Neglecting audience research: Skipping in-depth research about what your audience truly values can lead to a disconnect between your message and their expectations.
• Inconsistent messaging across platforms: A scattered approach with different messages on various platforms can confuse your audience about your brand’s values.
• Underestimating the power of engagement: Merely posting content without interacting with your audience misses the opportunity for deeper connections and feedback.
• Ignoring data and feedback: Not using analytics to measure the impact of your campaigns can lead to missed opportunities to optimize your marketing efforts.
• Overlooking the educational aspect: Failing to educate your audience about your values and the reasons behind them can weaken the trust and authority you’re trying to build.

Avoiding these mistakes will help ensure your value marketing strategy effectively resonates with your audience and fosters a strong, value-driven relationship.

Frequently asked questions on mastering value marketing

As you dive into the world of value marketing, it's natural to have questions pop up. Let's tackle some frequently asked ones to give you a clearer picture.

How do I align my products with customer values?

To align your products with customer values, start by understanding what your audience cares about. For instance, if they value sustainability, consider how your product's lifecycle, from creation to disposal, aligns with eco-friendly practices.

Communicate these aspects through your marketing channels, highlighting how your product is not just a purchase but a reflection of their values. Incorporate customer feedback into product development to ensure continuous alignment.

What's the role of storytelling in value marketing?

Storytelling in value marketing is crucial. It's about weaving your values into narratives that resonate with your audience. For example, share stories of how your product is made, the people behind it, or how it contributes to a larger cause. 

This approach humanizes your brand, making it relatable and memorable. Effective storytelling can transform a simple message into an emotional journey, making your brand's values stick in the minds of your audience.

How can I differentiate my brand in a crowded market through value marketing?

Differentiation through value marketing comes from highlighting what makes your brand unique in terms of values. Conduct a competitive analysis to understand what others are doing and identify gaps. 

Maybe your commitment to ethical sourcing sets you apart, or perhaps your dedication to customer service excellence. Amplify these unique value propositions in your marketing campaigns. By focusing on what sets you apart, you position your brand as a leader in a specific niche, attracting customers who share those specific values.

Key takeaways

Value marketing is more than a strategy; it's about forging a genuine connection with your audience by aligning your brand with their values. 

This approach is crucial for standing out in today's crowded market. Through channels like social media, email, and your website, you can effectively communicate and reinforce these values.

Key to this is authenticity and understanding your audience deeply. Avoid common mistakes like inconsistent messaging or overlooking customer feedback. 

Remember, it's not just what you sell, but how you resonate with your customers on a deeper level. Mastering value marketing means creating a bond with your audience based on shared values, which in turn builds a loyal and engaged community around your brand. 

Keep these points in mind for a value marketing strategy that's both impactful and enduring.

As we bid farewell to 2023, let's turn our gaze to the future of product marketing and explore what lies ahead in 2024. 

We surveyed 100 Top Product Marketing Influencers, asking them to gaze into their crystal balls and share their top predictions. From their insights, some clear themes emerged. This year, expect to see...

1. Integration of product marketing with product management and AI adoption
2. Product marketers as builders and AI adoption for high-impact tasks
3. Elevated status of product marketing and strategic upfront investment
4. Rise of product marketing tech stack and automation
5. AI’s impact on marketing messaging and personalization
6. Shift towards cross-sell/up-sell strategies and focus on differentiation
7. Data-driven and customer-centric product marketing
8. Leadership role of product marketers in marketing teams
9. Strategic role of product marketing in personalization and influencer marketing

Get ready to navigate the exciting twists and turns that await as we break down the key forecasts shaping the future of product marketing in 2024.

Integration of product marketing with product management and AI adoption

In 2024, our experts suggest that product marketing roles will undergo a transformation, with lean teams incorporating product marketing duties into product management responsibilities. Growth teams and mature organizations will witness product marketing managers (PMMs) taking on a cross-functional role, akin to traditional product managers. 

Becky Trevino, Executive Vice President of Products at Snow Software said, “I believe product marketing will find itself more tied to product management (PM) than it ever has before. This will require product marketers to become more comfortable understanding the process by which their product and engineering teams build new products and features. 

“For instance, today, most product managers do not see product marketing input as critical in product discovery. This results in PMMs claiming to be "strategic" but not really being as "strategic" as they could be. Because if you're not part of product discovery, then you are not really providing the "voice of anyone" into product.”

The integration will coincide with the emergence of a new wave of AI products, where progressive PMMs will leverage AI tools for tasks like user feedback analysis, ICP clustering, competitive research, and messaging ideation.

This shift is crucial as it streamlines operations, enhances efficiency, and aligns product marketing closely with product development. AI tools enable PMMs to handle tasks more swiftly, contributing to effective product launches and positioning them as strategic contributors in the product development process.

Product marketers as builders and AI adoption for high-impact tasks

They’ve also predicted that product marketers in 2024 will actively embrace AI-powered tools to build high-quality products, designs, and apps. This move enables them to execute launches at a faster pace without extensive reliance on large marketing teams. 

Plus, PMMs will transition from experimenting with generative AI for content creation to leveraging it for high-value tasks such as persona creation and deep data analysis.

Ryane Bohm, Head of Product Marketing at Clari said, “AI is influencing the future of business as a whole. We’re seeing AI revolutionize every field, and PMM is riding the wave. AI will start predicting needs to create hyper-custom marketing messaging, positioning, and narratives - allowing us marketers to talk to the most specific ICP. I’m excited to keep discovering inventive ways to use it in my everyday work.”

The adoption of AI tools for building products enhances agility, allowing product marketers to respond promptly to market demands. This trend reflects the growing recognition of AI as a valuable resource in creating compelling and tailored marketing content.

Elevated status of product marketing and strategic upfront investment

Eugenia Alfonzo, Product Marketing Manager at Netflix, predicted, “In 2024, I believe product marketing will finally shift from being a later-stage hire/role to becoming a fundamental core function of building any successful business and be more in demand than ever.

"In the current competitive and risk-averse economic climate, companies do not have time/money to waste on ineffective product offerings and need to find product-market fit as quickly as possible.  

“Through our discipline, product marketers help ensure the best product-market fit by partnering with our stakeholders to contextualize both industry trends and the voice of the customer in an effective manner. We've already started to see this shift in the last couple of years, but I believe that next year is the year that companies will understand the immense return on investment by investing in PMM upfront.”

Investing in product marketing upfront ensures a quicker and more efficient product-market fit, leading to a higher return on investment. The recognition of product marketing as a strategic function from the beginning emphasizes its critical role in building successful businesses.

Rise of product marketing tech stack and automation

Product marketing tech stack and associated budgets are predicted to become more prominent. The emergence of a robust product marketing tech stack highlights the growing reliance on technology for effective marketing strategies. Automation, coupled with AI tooling, is expected to streamline workflows and enhance strategic value, enabling product marketers to focus on core responsibilities.

Mike Berger, VP of Product Marketing at ClickUp, told us, “I predict that we are going to see the product marketing tech stack, and associated budgets, emerge in a more meaningful way.

"With solutions like Ignition, GTM Buddy, Tribyl, Wynter, Klue, Crayon, Klozd, and many, many more, I think we’ll increasingly see product marketing buying and leveraging technology in order to accelerate GTM success. Currently, there are over 200 tools listed on the PMA site, and that list is growing quickly for a reason.”

AI's impact on marketing messaging and personalization

AI is anticipated to revolutionize product marketing by predicting needs and creating hyper-custom marketing messaging, positioning, and narratives. The focus will shift towards shorter-form content driven by more Gen Z individuals entering the workforce.

Eve Alexander, VP of Product Marketing at Seismic, gave this prediction, stating, “PMMs will move from dabbling in generative AI for lower-value use cases (such as creating content) to leveraging it for high-value use cases such as persona creation or deep data analysis. 

“Another prediction: with more Gen Z’ers entering the workforce, the way we enable GTM teams will continue to change - shorter form content, lots of videos, targeted just-in-time information.”

The use of AI for personalized marketing messaging aligns with evolving customer preferences. Shorter, more targeted content is likely to resonate better with the incoming workforce, emphasizing the need for adaptability in marketing strategies.

Shift towards cross-sell/up-sell strategies and focus on differentiation

Jeanne Ford, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Zuora, predicted, “As companies tighten up operations and investment decisions, the focus will shift from what used to be more net new sales-driven to cross-sell/up-sell through the entire customer journey. 

“This is evident with trends such as product-led growth, as well as the growing demand for a tighter partnership between product marketing, product, sales, and demand gen at most companies.”

As companies adapt to changing market dynamics, the collaboration between product marketing, product, sales, and demand generation becomes pivotal for sustained growth. Strategies focusing on cross-sell/up-sell acknowledge the importance of the entire customer journey.

Data-driven and customer-centric product marketing

But we’re not done! Another prediction amongst our Top 100 Influencers is that product marketing will see a significant shift toward data-driven, customer-centric approaches fueled by AI and advanced customer journey analytics. The focus will move from general market trends to understanding each customer's specific intent and needs.

This was suggested by Akshita Kanumury, Product Marketing Manager at Freshworks, who said, “2024 seems to be an exciting time for SaaS in general with so many innovative product offerings being built and scaled using AI. I feel that SaaS product marketing will prioritize personalization through data-driven insights and leverage AI for automation and customer-centric experiences.”

This shift towards data-driven approaches ensures more effective and efficient market messages. Analyzing customer journey metrics and intent signals enables product marketers to tailor communication strategies, validate assumptions, and refine strategies for successful go-to-market strategies.

Leadership role of product marketers in marketing teams

As product marketing matures, it’s forecasted that there will be an increasing trend of product marketers leading marketing teams. These strategic minds with a deep understanding of the market, business, and product are invited to contribute to growth marketing strategies and review PR/brand positioning.

This was a prediction from Parth Mukherjee, Vice President of Product Marketing and GTM Strategy at Mindtickle, who said, “Product marketing will work even more closely with other parts of marketing, and in some cases, product marketing leaders might even be expected to take on additional responsibilities, including content marketing, customer marketing, and growth marketing. 

“This trend can deliver great results for businesses. For example, with product marketing and content marketing coming closer together, I foresee product vision and company thought leadership being more integrated. Companies that rely on PLG motions can benefit greatly by ensuring that product marketing works closely with the PLG team.”

Product marketers leading marketing teams reflect their holistic understanding of the market and the ability to align marketing functions with overall business goals. The shift towards hybrid strategies, encompassing both product-led growth (PLG) and enterprise approaches, signifies the need for diversification in revenue sources and strategic leadership from product marketers.

Strategic role of product marketing in personalization and influencer marketing

Finally, in 2024, it’s said that there will be an increased emphasis on personalization in product marketing efforts. This includes personalized product recommendations, tailored messaging, and individualized user experiences. 

Additionally, the rise of influencer marketing platforms is expected, with Rekha Srivatsan, Vice President of Product Marketing at Salesforce, saying, “Influencer marketing is expected to evolve with the emergence of specialized platforms that connect brands with influencers more efficiently. These platforms might offer advanced analytics, streamlined collaboration tools, and improved transparency in measuring ROI.”

The shift towards personalization reflects a response to evolving consumer preferences, ensuring more targeted and engaging marketing strategies. The emergence of influencer marketing platforms signifies a more organized and data-driven approach to influencer collaborations, enhancing efficiency and accountability in marketing partnerships.

Final thoughts

Overall, the future of product marketing in 2024 is marked by adaptability, integration of advanced technologies, and a strategic shift towards data-driven, customer-centric approaches. 

As product marketers navigate these trends, their ability to build connections across functions, leverage technology, and prioritize personalized, impactful strategies will be the cornerstone of success.

Welcome to the frontier of product marketing consultancy, where expertise converges with innovation to redefine the industry's landscape. 

As we step into the evolving terrain of 2024, the demand for seasoned guidance and forward-thinking strategies has never been more palpable. That's why we've compiled the definitive list of the top 10 consultants pushing product marketing to new heights. 

This distinguished cohort is made up of leaders whose impact resonates deeply within the industry, providing strategic insights and groundbreaking solutions. These consultants navigate the shifting dynamics, empowering companies with the expertise necessary to not just survive but thrive in the ever-changing market. 

They've seen every challenge and know how to strategically overcome them. That’s why we’re thrilled to present this list of trusted advisors and bring you their predictions, hot takes, and tips to help guide your path to PMM excellence and beyond. 

When the pressure's on and you need an expert, these veterans have the savvy and technical know-how to deliver results. Lean on the hard-won wisdom of the best consultants out there.

Let’s get into it.

Meet your Top 10 Product Marketing Consultants...

Shari Diamond

Shari Diamond

Principal at Fluvio

Shari has led consulting engagements for B2B and B2C companies across a variety of industries including adtech, fintech, healthtech, martech, analytics, logistics, and even fish farming technology.

Before joining Fluvio, she led the product marketing team at Cox Automotive and was instrumental in launching their first dealer-to-dealer listing app. She has previously held marketing leadership roles at companies such as Coca-Cola, Newell Brands, Time Inc., and Rent the Runway.

Shari is an Expert in Residence, Speaker, and Ambassador with the Product Marketing Alliance, serves as a GLG Council Member, and has been a featured speaker at various product marketing conferences and events.

What’s been your personal highlight in your product marketing career so far?

My most proud achievement is being on the leadership team at Fluvio, and helping to build this incredible resource for companies who are looking for best-in-class product marketing support.

It’s so fulfilling to see client after client benefit from our team’s expertise, and no matter what their challenges are, we’ve likely seen them before. I’m really proud of the team of consultants we’ve built and hearing that we’ve made an impact for a leader, team or organization never gets old. 

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?

More product marketing jobs! The growth has been slow and steady, but we are continuing to see more and more companies – and not just in tech – understand the value of having a product marketing function in their org.

I think it may take some time for that path to be paved, but every year we see this discipline grow, and I think that will continue into 2024. 

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?

Have a POV. Our running joke in product marketing is that we are the master of all things, but it gets us into trouble when we shift into reactive mode, versus being a more strategic thought leader. Having an opinion, and pushing back (nicely!) by setting priorities based on knowledge and data will put you in the driver’s seat, and ultimately earn respect and a seat at the table.

April Dunford

April Dunford

Founder of Ambient Strategy

April Dunford is an experienced startup executive with a deep interest in how companies bring new offerings to market and get them into the hands of customers who are willing to pay for them.

April has held executive roles in a series of successful startups as CEO, COO, and VP of Marketing. She’s also held executive roles at global companies such as IBM where she launched and grew a new product division.

April has fundraised for several startups and has worked through acquisitions both on the buy and the sell side. She has acquired a SaaS business and has been an angel investor in several startups.

In addition, April is the author of two books. Her best-selling book on positioning "Obviously Awesome - How to Stand out in Noisy Crowded Markets," and the recently released "Sales Pitch - How to Build a Story to Stand Out and Win."

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?

The past few years have seen a rise in interest in and understanding of Product Marketing. I see that accelerating in 2024 as companies are forced to get back to the fundamentals of strong positioning and a great story to win in the market.

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?

Spend more time with sales. Understand their processes and procedures. In B2B, having a great understanding of what is happening in sales is a superpower.

Devon O'Rourke

Devon O'Rourke

Founder and Managing Partner of Fluvio

Devon O'Rourke is the Founder and Managing Partner of product marketing consulting firm, Fluvio, an occasional angel investor, and the host of the Embracing Erosion podcast.

Devon has over a decade’s worth of experience working alongside growth, marketing, product, research, design, sales, PR, and engineering teams to successfully bring new software and technology products to market.

Before founding Fluvio, Devon held a number of strategy and product marketing roles at companies such as The New York Times, Getty Images, Publicis, ESPN, Tremor Video, Etsy, and Amazon, in addition to being an Advisory Board Member, Ambassador, Mentor, & Speaker for the Product Marketing Alliance.

What’s been your personal highlight in your product marketing career so far?

Putting all of my PMM experience together to build a company, Fluvio has been super gratifying. Prior to that, I’d say building the GTM plan for Amazon Marketing Cloud – proud to see how much that has grown into an industry-leading cloud solution for marketers.

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?

PMM focus areas pivot to support ACV and renewals/upsells – 2023 was a year where companies dropped the barrier to entry, at times taking on new customers at a loss. The next few years will require companies (and PMMs) to resurrect growth through net revenue retention.

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?

Execute! I worry too many folks are prioritizing positioning themselves publicly ahead of actually contributing significantly to the practice. There is no shortcut. Put your head down, find a mentor/champion, and execute relentlessly. Recognition will come.

Andrew Hatfield

Andrew Hatfield

Founder and CEO of Deepstar Strategic

Andrew Hatfield has over 28 years of experience helping startups and enterprise tech companies launch products and scale their business. Fanatically buyer-driven, Andrew focuses on solving problems customers really care about.

Combining data, insights, and experience, Andrew Hatfield has a track record of launching new products, scaling startups, building teams, and turning businesses around.

Having started his career in tech, he’s worked in software engineering, solution architecture, sales, and marketing, having personally sold over $196M and built more than $1.34B in qualified pipeline.

As Founder and CEO of Deepstar Strategic, Andrew Hatfield focuses on building and executing the right strategic foundation to quickly scale companies to their next stage of growth - whether that’s fixing conversion leaks, building growth loops, or driving demand engines.

When he’s not growing revenue, Andrew enjoys the subtle tones of Islay whisky, low ‘n slow BBQ, and snowboarding.

What’s been your personal highlight in your product marketing career so far?

In my product marketing career, the standout highlight has been my ability to consistently drive success across a variety of products, even in the most challenging situations.

Two examples include significantly increasing APAC revenue of a non-core product, overcoming substantial opposition from regional leadership. My efforts led to APAC becoming the second-highest revenue-generating region behind North America, surpassing even the sales of the company’s two hottest new products. Furthermore, I spearheaded the revival of a Series C startup that had failed to meet its revenue goals for five consecutive quarters.

My strategic leadership resulted in two consecutive record-breaking revenue quarters, culminating in a successful acquisition.

What’s your prediction for product marketing in 2024?

With no foreseeable changes in the current macroeconomic climate, costs continuing to rise, and the change in how buyers buy - product marketing will continue to play a strategic role in ensuring the foundations are in place by applying the fundamentals of marketing and business.

What advice would you give to someone looking to level up in product marketing?

Build something alongside whatever you’re doing now and get hands-on experience. Share what you learn graciously and know that you’ll never stop getting better.

Kirsten Jepson

Kirsten Jepson

Fractional Product Marketing Leader at Kirsten Jepson Consulting

Kirsten Jepson is an accomplished fractional product marketing leader. With over 20 years of experience, she solves complex marketing challenges for B2B and B2B2C organizations ranging from startups to global enterprises.

Kirsten’s expertise includes building new product marketing functions, revitalizing existing ones, and providing fractional PMM leadership to fill skill or bandwidth gaps. She has led dozens of new product launches and has been involved in 10 major acquisitions and an IPO.

With a passion for bringing sales, marketing, and product together, Kirsten offers a unique blend of industry marketing, content marketing, and product management experience. She has led cross-functional teams around the world, influencing and engaging at all levels.

As a logical problem-solver, Kirsten can quickly analyze complex situations and devise targeted strategies and action plans. She has successfully driven digital transformation and launched conversational AI bots, RPA, hyperscalers, and other technologies for contact centers. She has also been deeply involved with the Financial Services industry immersed in cards and payments.

Kirsten thrives on imagining future possibilities and making them a reality for clients. Whether optimizing go-to-market planning or testing new product ideas, she delivers pragmatic solutions tailored to each client’s growth goals.

What’s been your personal highlight in your product marketing career so far?

Building a high-performing product marketing team for a fast-growth organization, this work contributed to a successful IPO.

The reasons for product marketing success here included having a diverse, generous, hard-working team with multiple talents and a collaborative mindset. 

What’s your prediction for product marketing in 2024?

The use of technology to improve outcomes will become more and more important. Harnessing the power this brings to the Product Marketing world in the form of analytics, content generation, and research. We will be nimble, invest brainpower, leverage, and apply this technology - essentially creating a tech/human handshake like never before.

Fractional work will become the norm.  Leveraging the expertise and talents of tenured Product Marketing professionals becomes a cost-effective way for companies to get the talent needed to scale.  

What advice would you give someone looking to level up in product marketing?

Generously share learnings.  

Harvey Lee

Harvey Lee

Product Marketing Consultant

Harvey Lee is an experienced product marketing consultant who helps individuals and organizations unlock growth by demystifying and implementing results-driven product marketing strategies.

With over 25 years in senior product marketing roles at global companies like Virgin, Microsoft, Kaspersky, Avast, and Seiko Epson, Harvey has a proven track record of helping startups to large enterprises discover and communicate the true value of their products and services.

His areas of expertise include strategy planning, messaging, positioning, product innovation, and portfolio optimization. Harvey takes a hands-on, pragmatic approach to product marketing, equipping clients with the frameworks, knowledge, and confidence to use it as a superpower that drives business results.

Harvey is passionate about making product marketing accessible. He provides actionable and inspirational tips on product marketing and career development. His debut book, Backstage Pass, shares insider advice to help readers excel in product marketing.

With his depth of experience across B2B and B2C products and services, Harvey enables companies at any stage to clarify their product vision, penetrate new markets, and accelerate growth.

What’s been your personal highlight in your product marketing career so far?

It’s hard not to say being on the original Xbox launch team, as it was such a huge pop-culture event. But the business of Xbox is the great untold PMM story, one that I tell as a keynote.

Going from a $0 business that was a massive sunk cost to what is now a $16B business line is something that can’t be ignored.

My book, Backstage Pass is a hot personal highlight right now. We all know the pathway into PMM is the biggest unintentional career, and my story identifies that in great detail (and humor). The response from the community (and the media) has blown me away.

Being a leader and Top Voice for PMM on LinkedIn and throughout the community is a source of great personal pride and satisfaction. Bringing the next generation of PMMs through is a personal goal of mine.

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?

The PMM landscape is changing. The core PMM titles will remain, but the growth will be in the orbit of influence of our skills; you’ll see that play out in the jobs market with titles such as portfolio manager, and GTM (go-to-market) manager. These are essentially specialisms of PMM, forged as their own roles.

As budgets tighten, we’ll see growth in fractional product marketing, especially in the start-up/scale-up world. A product marketer is unfortunately not a "first five hire," but companies are switching on to the undeniable value of having product marketing on the ground earlier. A fractional PMM enables that to happen.

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?

Throw yourself at opportunities, and do not wait for the perfect time to do it. There’s no perfect time.

Start writing, speaking, or even participating in the PMM community… you can only gain. There’s no downside.

When the time comes, be open to broader opportunities, ensure you have depth and breadth to your experience, and try not to pigeonhole yourself into a category. Moving categories during your career will widen your funnel for future opportunities.

Erin Parkins

Erin Parkins

Product Marketing Consultant

Erin Parkins is an experienced B2B SaaS product marketing consultant and co-founder of The Honeybee Collective. With over 14 years in edtech and 5 years leading PMM teams, Erin offers deep expertise in persona development, market research, competitive intelligence, product launches, and sales enablement.

Erin’s special talents include crafting GTM strategies for cross-sell, upsell, and M&A integrations. She excels at building marketing programs tailored to a company's growth stage, market maturity, and team strengths. Erin also has a proven track record of marketing technologies within “frenemy” ecosystems and generating cross-functional excitement for PMM.

As an Enneagram Type 1 with strengths in strategic thinking, ideation, maximizing others, learning, and analysis, Erin brings structured creativity to every project. She is available for project-based consulting, short-term PMM coverage, and fractional PMM roles. Erin loves helping clients clarify their messaging, penetrate new markets, and scale their businesses.

What’s been your personal highlight in your product marketing career so far?

Starting my consulting business last year was a huge highlight for me. I love seeing how different PMM teams operate and how I can help them scale. You learn so much so fast as a consultant!

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?

In 2024, I think PMMs will embrace generative AI as a way to accelerate output so we can spend more time on input, like market research and insights.

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?

Be curious! The best product marketers all do one thing consistently: Ask good questions in every conversation.

Anthony Pierri

Anthony Pierri

Cofounder and Partner of Fletch PMM

Anthony Pierri is the co-founder of FletchPMM, where he shares his expertise in messaging with early-stage B2B horizontal startups. At FletchPMM, Anthony helps founders position their products, crush launches, and write compelling messaging.

He brings over a decade of experience creating engaging content and building online communities. Anthony previously wrote for an email newsletter with 200,000 subscribers and started a podcast that averaged 11,000+ downloads per episode. He has also grown Twitter and YouTube audiences into the tens and hundreds of thousands.

Before launching FletchPMM, Anthony was part of the product marketing team at Headway. There, he helped founders position their products and develop effective messaging.

Leveraging his background in content creation, community building, and messaging, Anthony is dedicated to empowering founders to clearly communicate the value of their innovations. He aims to equip startups with the messaging they need to share their products with the world.

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?

I think product marketing will continue to rise in importance as buyers look more to find answers to their questions before getting on a sales call (which will mean being better about product clarity in assets that live higher up the funnel).

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?

Learn how to be as clear as possible in your writing. Write about a feature, show someone it without any commentary, and see if they can understand what the feature does, when someone would use it, what benefits it drives, etc. without you having to clarify.

April Rassa

April Rassa

Product Marketing Consultant

April loves to co-create the future, whether it means launching a new idea, reinventing an old one, or navigating a changed world to create something better. With extensive experience in business, brand, and marketing, she brings a fusion of strategic, creative, and organizational expertise to every client engagement.

April’s approach to every problem is with curiosity, objectivity, and a yen for what is authentic, distinctive, and true. She thrives on helping clients discover and articulate their purpose, vision, and values – and crafting the roadmap that brings these to life.

April’s specialties include business strategy, corporate marketing, positioning/messaging, product marketing, competitive analysis, and communication strategies, to name a few.

She helps companies outperform their industry rivals by instilling new thinking into the core of the organization, and works closely with clients to identify, develop, and act on profitable growth opportunities and game-changing business strategies.

What’s been your personal highlight in your product marketing career so far?

I've had the privilege of collaborating with exceptional teams, and what stands out for me are the diverse challenges and stages of growth across the companies I've been involved with.

From contributing to the formation of high-performing product marketing teams to guiding product marketers in transitioning from reactive to strategic approaches, and even playing a role in shaping product roadmaps through customer insights and data – each experience has been a unique highlight.

The variety in my journey has allowed me to not only witness but actively contribute to the evolution of teams and companies, fostering a dynamic and impactful professional trajectory.

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?

2024 will be a pivotal year for product marketers. The widespread use of AI tools is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of tasks like win-loss analysis, persona development, and competitive insights.

This practical integration of AI will enable product marketers to generate more precise key insights across various customer segments. The impact? A tangible shift in how product marketers operate and excel in their roles.

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?

Building a strong product marketing profile requires time, consistency, and a curious mindset. My advice is to focus on these areas:

Deep Industry Understanding: Know your industry inside out, including market trends and customer behaviors.

Specialize and Showcase Expertise: Choose a niche and showcase your expertise through case studies or presentations.

Network Effectively: Connect with professionals, attend events, and engage in online communities for learning and opportunities.

Build Online Presence: Establish a robust online presence on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter to increase visibility.

Continuous Learning: Stay updated on industry trends and best practices for ongoing success.

Seek Mentorship: Learn from experienced professionals to shape your career.

Showcase Results: Highlight measurable impacts in increasing visibility, engagement, or conversion rates.

Adaptability: Embrace changing market dynamics with an open mind.

Portfolio Development: Create a strong portfolio with case studies and successful campaigns.

Soft Skills Matter: Develop excellent communication and collaboration skills for effective cross-functional teamwork.

Emma Stratton

Emma Stratton

Founder of Punchy

As founder of the consulting and training firm, Punchy, Emma guides the biggest and brightest companies to market-winning strategies and trains product marketers to create clear, simple, human messaging that stands out.

To date, she’s consulted with 100+ companies (Loom, Miro, Outreach, and Uber, to name a few) and trained over 800 product marketers from teams at leading companies like Akamai, Atlassian, Oracle, Splunk, and more.

What’s been your personal highlight in your product marketing career so far?

I love teaching product marketers how to write clear, simple, and human messaging.

Over the last two years at Punchy, I’ve had the honor of training close to 900 marketers. This was never something I planned to do when I started out as a consultant, but it’s been the best thing I’ve done and incredibly fulfilling to help people master critical skills for their career growth.

Product marketers are always so smart, kind, and keen to learn.

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?

On the consulting front, I’m seeing markets getting noisier by the day (let alone the year) and solid positioning and clear messaging are becoming more important than ever. Companies are finding it harder to differentiate and are realizing that going back to marketing fundamentals – like getting crystal clear on how they can stand out – is a way to rise above the mellay and win.

On the training side, we’re seeing more investment in PMM teams (and the wider marketing org) again. More (and bigger) companies want a standardized approach to creating value-based messaging. There’s a growing appreciation that marketing, product, and sales need to get on the same page, and that good messaging helps drive results.

And long may it continue! 

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?

1. For younger marketers, take your time. The months spent executing yet another product release, learning from a mentor, figuring out what you like, or honing your craft is time well spent. Push outside of your comfort zone here and there, have confidence in your voice, and be good to people. You’ll be seen, known, and opportunities will arise.
   
2. Invest in yourself. Share your experiences and knowledge on LinkedIn and in peer communities. Go to meetups and attend PMA events (product marketers are so damn friendly!). Enjoy what social media gives you, but always balance that with face-to-face conversations and real human engagement. Product marketing is a very small world… you got this! 😄

There you have it!

The frontier of product marketing consultancy has never been more dynamic. As we stride into 2024, the demand for strategic guidance and inventive solutions has hit a fever pitch.

We hope the diverse expertise and wealth of experience of these PMMs has inspired you, and you've gleaned valuable perspectives from their predictions and advice to inform your own product marketing efforts. 

Should challenges arise, don't hesitate to tap into the hard-won wisdom of these seasoned professionals pushing the boundaries of the field. Their innovative approaches and commitment to empowering product marketers promise to shape the trajectory of the profession for years to come. 

We thank these experts for sharing their insights and wish you the greatest success on your own product marketing journey!

2023 was a groundbreaking year for product marketing, witnessing a surge in industry entrants and heightened competition. As we stride into 2024, we see new frameworks and strategies emerging daily.

To get these updates as soon as they arrive, PMMs turn to the masters – those pioneering coaches who've not only seen it all but shaped best practices themselves. 

We've scoured the industry's sharpest minds to bring you the top 5 product marketing coaches to watch in 2024. From positioning gurus to launch legends, these leaders represent the next wave of product marketing excellence. 

This esteemed group comprises visionaries, strategists, and creative minds who have not only made waves in the space but are reshaping the very fabric of product marketing. 

Join us as we delve into the minds of these distinguished coaches, unraveling their career highlights, future predictions, and words of wisdom to level up your PMM game!

Meet your Top 5 Product Marketing Coaches...

Tamara Grominsky

Founder of PMM Camp

Tamara Grominsky is an award-winning product marketing leader, coach, and founder of PMM Camp. With over 10 years of building and scaling high-impact PMM teams, she is on a mission to help PMM leaders unlock career growth and own their voice at the table.

Tamara has leveraged her expertise across strategic product marketing roles to help B2B SaaS companies identify winning segments, pricing models, and product strategies to accelerate revenue. She also excels at coaching and mentoring the next generation of product marketers to embrace a new philosophy and mindset.

In addition to founding PMM Camp in early 2023, Tamara spent two years as an Expert in Residence at the Product Marketing Alliance. She is dedicated to facilitating meaningful connections and conversations that help PMMs refine their craft.

Through high-value training programs, an exclusive online community for PMM leaders, and one-on-one coaching, Tamara provides the guidance PMMs need to build rewarding careers and expand their skillset beyond PMM foundations.

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?
I think we’re going to see more specialization within the product marketing function, moving away from product marketing generalists and towards subject matter experts. Many PMMs are feeling burnt out, overextended, and underappreciated.

I find the happiest product marketers are the ones who have taken control of their career – they’ve done the work to understand where they can have the highest impact and then they find roles and projects that set them up for success (think lifestyle design, but for careers).

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?
Identify what you want to be known for as a product marketer (you probably need to niche down more than you think, at least at first). Then, draft a list of core beliefs or hills that you would die on, and infuse these concepts into everything you create. Show up consistently (and authentically) every day.

Jasmine Jaume

Independent Coach

Jasmine Jaume is an accomplished tech marketing leader turned career and leadership coach who empowers high-achievers to find fulfillment, success, and happiness in their work.

With over a decade of experience in marketing at fast-growing startups like Intercom and Brandwatch, Jasmine has led high-performing teams and executed strategies that fueled company growth. Her areas of expertise span product marketing, positioning, market research, and sales enablement.

As a Director of Product Marketing at Intercom, Jasmine led initiatives including redefining Intercom's core messaging and ideal customer profile to support an upmarket shift. She also coached and mentored talent to maximize their potential.

After discovering a passion for helping others thrive, Jasmine completed coaching training with the Co-Active Training Institute. She now works with ambitious professionals navigating challenges like burnout, imposter syndrome, career changes, and more.

Jasmine takes a holistic, empathetic approach to coaching. She provides clients with strategies tailored to their unique goals and empowers them to find fulfillment in work and life.

What’s been your personal highlight in your product marketing career so far?
Building a successful, happy product marketing team at Intercom. I’m incredibly grateful to all the awesome PMMs who trusted me enough to join my team, and it has been such a privilege to work alongside them and support them in their careers. I’m proud of the work we did and am thrilled to see many of them now leading their own teams.

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?
It’s hard to ignore the proliferation of AI and the impact it’ll have on us all, especially on PMMs working in the tech industry. I don’t believe there’s any risk of AI replacing us any time soon, but I do think it represents an interesting challenge for marketers; with AI being integrated into seemingly every product, how do we differentiate those innovations?

I think PMMs will need to be creative to make AI features stand out—simply having “AI” in your product will quickly become table stakes (if it isn’t already!). I hope that means we’ll see much more focus on what you can actually do with the AI and the outcomes it delivers.

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?
It’s the same advice I’d give about building relationships in any situation: Be helpful, be authentic, and be kind. The PMM community is ever-growing, and there are so many people looking to connect with others who can relate to the experiences and challenges they’re facing. I’ve found that most people are willing to share their experiences and advice if you are equally generous with yours, and people will remember you if you are kind and helpful.

I’d also like to say this: You don’t have to love “networking” to make connections and build your profile. I’m an introvert and networking events give me the fear, but I’ve always welcomed opportunities to share advice or connect with others 1:1 – whether that’s responding to a question in a product marketing Slack group, sharing my experience on a podcast, or spending 30 mins with someone who reached out on LinkedIn asking for help. 

Say “yes” to things when you can (even if it scares you!), and proactively look for opportunities to help others by sharing your experiences and expertise.

Jason Oakley

Founder of Productive PMM

Jason Oakley is a talented product marketing coach, consultant, and creator who helps early-stage companies build high-impact PMM functions. With over 10 years of experience as a founding product marketer, he has built PMM teams from the ground up at three successful startups - Klue, Chili Piper, and Uberflip.

Having been in the trenches as the first PMM hire multiple times, Jason understands the unique challenges facing new and growing product marketing teams. He works closely with founders and PMM leaders to help them scale faster, prioritize the right activities, and drive measurable impact across their organizations.

Now as the founder of Productive PMM, Jason is on a mission to equip product marketers with the frameworks, knowledge, and confidence needed to demonstrate value and become a strategic driver of business growth. He offers coaching and consulting tailored to the specific needs of early-stage startups and their product marketing functions.

When he's not helping clients level up their PMM capabilities, you can find Jason spending time with his family, cheering on the Raptors, or working on children's books inspired by his fox named Rocco. As a proud Newfoundlander and morning person, he also loves cracking dad jokes.

What’s your prediction for product marketing in 2024?
The companies that can remove obstacles for customers and make buying easier are the ones that will win. You're going to see more companies leading with their product.

More messaging that clearly describes capabilities and differentiators. More interactive demos and visuals that actually show the product. More buyer enablement content that aims to help buyers evaluate.

What advice would you give to someone looking to level up in product marketing?

• Consume a lot of content. The most valuable things for me have been LinkedIn and podcasts.
• Accelerate your learning and build a supportive network with courses, communities, and coaches.
• Build a strong POV — on the definition of product marketing, your market, and the value of your product.
• Don't be afraid to try new things, fail, and share what you learn. It’s the only way to make what you learn stick.

Yi Lin Pei

Founder & Career Coach at TechGrowthCoach

Yi Lin Pei is a skillful career coach and product marketing leader who helps high-achieving professionals pivot into and thrive within marketing, product marketing, and other no-code tech roles.

With over 12 years of experience spanning B2B/B2C SaaS, IoT, CPG, and consulting, Yi Lin leverages her diverse background to equip clients for success. Since 2021, she has helped over 150 professionals land roles at leading companies including LinkedIn, HubSpot, Uber, and TikTok.

Yi Lin began her own career pivot from transportation engineering to tech marketing in 2016 despite lacking relevant experience. By developing a strategic approach, she landed her first role in marketing at Autodesk. From there, she rose to become a senior product marketing leader and a top 100 global PMM influencer.

Having personally overcome the challenges of switching careers, Yi Lin makes it her mission to help driven professionals achieve their dreams. Her customized coaching focuses on resume branding, interview preparation, salary negotiation, and onboarding success. Yi Lin also provides ongoing career growth support tailored to each individual.

Past clients highlight her ability to boost confidence, develop strategic career plans, and open doors to new opportunities. Whether looking to get a foot in the door or grow into leadership, Yi Lin enables professionals to thrive in marketing, product marketing, and no-code tech roles.

What’s your prediction for product marketing in 2024?
More product marketing work will be AI-assisted. With the increasing adoption of tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, and ChatGPT, many PMMs already use AI daily to automate more repetitive tasks.

Using these tools smartly will make PMMs more productive and do more strategic work. On the other hand, overreliance on these tools can lead to more cookie-cutter messaging and content – so please be aware!

What advice would you give someone looking to level up in product marketing?
First, reflect on what you want to achieve at the next level, whether it be new skill sets, influence, or purpose. Then, map out where you are today to identify the gaps. This will help you focus your efforts to close the gaps, which you can do by getting mentors/coaches, taking on more opportunities at work, and focusing on learning.

If you already have the skills to operate at the next level, don’t be afraid to ask for exactly what you need, or take a leap and pursue a new opportunity!

Shyna Zhang

Go-to-Market Advisor, Consultant, and Coach at Growth Marketing LLC

Shyna has built and led go-to-market and product marketing teams in Seattle, Singapore, and San Francisco for 10+ years. Taking that experience, she runs a go-to-market advising and consulting company for Silicon Valley's fastest-growing companies.

Her passion for developing talent in Product Marketing has led her to create Real World Product Marketing Academy, a case-based approach to learning not only the “what” but the “how” of product marketing.

Shyna has curated a group of marketers who are able to combine the art and science of marketing – storytelling, deep empathy for the buyer, and the ability to drive impact and influence across the organization – with a “General Manager’s” business perspective.

Her core competencies include: Go-to-market strategy, messaging & positioning, storytelling, creative problem-solving, sales enablement, product marketing, and category creation.

What’s been your personal highlight in your product marketing career so far?
Having had the opportunity to work with SaaS clients in industries from manufacturing to fintech to enterprise software to workforce productivity has allowed me to learn about so many different approaches to go-to-market.

Whether it’s sales-led, product-led, partner-led, community-led, or (most often), a combination of both, I really enjoy the process of learning about the industry landscape, the competitors, the whitespace, and partnering with the leadership to create a tailored go-to-market strategy.

Product marketing isn't just words on paper, rather, it’s a business strategy. So the process of sitting with the leadership team to come up with new categories, truly identifying differentiators, and developing a narrative for the market is really satisfying.

The best feeling is logging onto LinkedIn and seeing your messaging and positioning “in the wild” or seeing your clients’ CEO launch their new thought leadership centered around your recommended strategy and category. Feels like I’m making a true impact 😄.

What’s your top prediction for product marketing in 2024?
With the proliferation of hosting, storage, and developer tools, it’s becoming easier to spin up products and solutions overnight that are “good enough,” AI accelerates this. Differentiation is HARD and becoming harder in SaaS. Regardless of industry, you’ll often hear buyers say “All of the options sound the same.”

The front-line sales team is feeling this pain the most. Although relationships and go-to-market strategy are important, most companies don’t actually understand what their differentiators are (hint, it may not actually be a feature in the product). 

Product Marketers will continue to be at the forefront of working together with the leadership to understand and develop moats across the business, not just with technology. Is it our community and thought leadership? Is it our integrations and partnerships? Is it our consultative go-to-market approach? Is it scale or network effect? Is it a combination of both? 

More than ever, PMMs will be in the driver’s seat to help drive differentiation, value, and ultimately, growth. 

What advice would you give to someone who’s looking to build their profile in the product marketing world?
As Aristotle says, “Know Thyself.” Figure out what your superpower is. This may require some reflection or conversations with people who have worked with you (it can be hard to see the label from inside the bottle 😄).

There will naturally be parts of PMM that are more interesting and exciting to you, you’ll probably be better at them as well. Focus on building your profile with your team, company, and online around this area. Voice of customer? Storytelling? Competitive Intel? Pricing and Packaging?

Not only will you be able to work on projects you love, you’ll probably excel through your own curiosity, passion, and hard work. 

That's a wrap!

And there you have it – our roundup of the Top 5 Product Marketing Coaches poised to shape the industry in 2024. This elite group of leaders represents the vanguard of product marketing excellence. They’ve not only pioneered new frameworks but are actively guiding the next generation of PMMs to refine their craft.

We hope you've found inspiration in their words of wisdom and are eager to implement their advice. Don't hesitate to connect with these coaches on LinkedIn to continue the conversation – they’re dedicated to facilitating meaningful discussions to help fellow product marketers level up.

As we stride into an exciting new era for product marketing, let us embrace these visionaries' pioneering mindsets. Stay curious, creative, and laser-focused on customer value.

This article was created in partnership with Vocal Video.

In the fast-paced world of event marketing, the real game-changer often lies in capturing the magic of your event in promotional videos. 

You know that you’re hosting an extraordinary experience, but the trick is to communicate this to your target audience, instilling excitement and anticipation – as well as de-risking a serious investment of time and money on their part.

If you're a product marketer looking to create some buzz around a new launch, or an event marketer hoping to attract a packed house, event promotion videos should be your new BFFs. 

This is precisely where Vocal Video steps in – an all-in-one video creation platform that makes it easy to collect and edit customer testimonial videos like a pro. This is a game-changer for product marketers (PMMs) seeking to make their mark in the industry.

The relationship between event marketing and product marketing

Event marketing and product marketing are two important strategies that work hand-in-hand to promote a business's offerings. 

Events allow potential customers to directly experience a product or service first-hand, providing hands-on product exposure, raising initial interest, and providing demonstrations. This experiential marketing creates excitement and buzz around new product launches or brand initiatives.

For example, Apple is known for hosting major media events to unveil new iPhones. These high-profile product announcements generate anticipation and coverage for each new device.

Meanwhile, product marketing focuses on educating potential customers about product benefits and use cases, fleshing out the story behind the physical items, and nurturing continued engagement by communicating broader value propositions. 

The two strategies are mutually reinforcing, and effective implementation of both events and product marketing is key for successfully promoting new offerings, building brand affinity, and driving sales.

Now that we've established the importance of event promotion videos, let's explore how Vocal Video simplifies the process, making it accessible to even those without extensive video production experience.

The power of event promotion videos

Elevate event registration with preview videos

Engaging your audience and industry with the words of your speakers, performers, and sponsors is a sure-fire way to engage them.

Providing a sneak peek

Imagine offering a tantalizing glimpse into your event, sparking curiosity among attendees, and offering up a taste of what's to come. These preview videos are the perfect recipe for getting prospective attendees hyped up and driving early registrations.

A word from past attendees

Showcase testimonials from past attendees – it’s one thing telling people how great you are, but it’s even better when it comes, authentically, from someone who’s already attended one of your events. Let them sing your praises and share their experiences in their own words. Providing genuine reviews packs some serious marketing punch and builds buzz for your future events.

Testimonials shot on site

Capture the energy and atmosphere of your event with attendee testimonials shot right then and there. Showcasing all the action and excitement is a surefire way to pull people in.

Shout it from the rooftops

Once your masterful event promo videos are good to go, spread them far and wide across your channels. Getting the word out is key to maximizing your reach and making sure these videos shine bright.

Create show-stopping videos that resonate

Captivate with stories

Why settle for boring slideshows when you can inject some real emotion into your event promotions? Begin your video journey by gathering compelling stories from past attendees or speakers. Testimonials carry the authenticity and emotion that can make your event promotions truly resonate. 

Customization at your fingertips

Make sure to customize your videos to fit your specific event or product. Tailor your visuals, branding, music, and messaging to align with your goals. Put your unique stamp on every frame.

Vocal Video offers a diverse range of 46 customizable video collector templates, meticulously organized by event type. These templates are designed to facilitate a seamless process of gathering testimonials.

Tailored questions for impact

Crafting the perfect video is all about asking the right questions. If you ask the right questions, you’ll be able to elicit the reactions and feedback you need to put together promo videos that seriously impress. 

Vocal Video comes equipped with questions tailored to elicit top-quality responses from your respondents, ensuring your event promotion videos are nothing short of spectacular. From capturing the essence of the event to highlighting unique experiences, Vocal Video's questions are designed to create impactful content.

Custom calls to action

Don't be afraid to highlight your call to action within the videos. Dropping in a link to your product page, booking portal or mailing list can persuade viewers to convert then and there.

Vocal Video enables you to include a custom call-to-action button on the final collector page. It's a strategic move that allows conference or event organizers to seamlessly link to their booking portal, website, or mailing list, encouraging attendees to participate in their next event. This is where conversion happens.

Live preview for perfection

Throughout the customization process, Vocal Video provides a live preview of your collector, ensuring every detail aligns perfectly with your brand's identity and vision. It's about precision and attention to detail and reflecting your brand's essence.

Streamlined video editing and sharing

Soundtrack of success

Music can totally transform a video, so start by picking some awesome tunes to set the mood. With Vocal Video, you can access a library of licensed tracks or even upload your own music that expresses your brand’s style and offers a personalized touch.

Dynamic visuals

Keep your viewers glued to the screen with slick transitions and animations that add visual flair. Dynamic movement and effects will ensure your videos pop off the screen. In the digital age we live in, our attention spans are short, and every second counts when you’re trying to break through the noise of fast-scrolling content.

Branding beyond borders

Dial up your branding by adding your logo, color palette, typography, and more. Seamlessly weaving in your visual identity will tie the videos back to your company or product. You can create the most engaging video out there, but viewers need consistency and to know whose video they’re watching.

Tweak with ease

Editing is a key part of video creation, whether it’s tweaking colors, themes, text, subtitles, video length, or modifying aspect ratios, subtitles, and even the order of clips, flexibility is the name of the game, and Vocal Video gives you full creative control.

Highlight the best moments

TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) – it doesn’t matter what type of content creator you are, viewers will often want a shortened version of what you have to offer. Vocal Video’s 'Add Scene' feature within the editor allows you to insert clips from different respondents or footage from your event, so you can craft highlight reels that showcase specific moments that pack a punch.

Unlock the potential of testimonial galleries

Carousel and slideshow galleries

Carousels and slideshows are perfect for prominently featuring a handful of videos on your homepage, landing page, or booking page. Display your most compelling content front and center in a horizontal layout that seamlessly integrates with your website.

Testimonial carousels often find their home at the bottom of pages, serving as compelling social proof – and the trust needed – to prompt visitors to take action.

List galleries

List galleries help to guide viewers on their journey, encouraging them to check out video after video, keeping them hooked with binge-worthy video content. These galleries are perfect for maintaining engagement. It's about storytelling, and list galleries enable you to narrate your story effectively.

Wall of love and grid galleries

These formats let you display a number of videos at once, showing off the breadth of experiences at your event or reactions to your product launch.

They embrace a mosaic-like approach, showing video cards of different sizes to create a visually engaging effect. It's about making a statement, and Vocal Video's galleries ensure your testimonials are impossible to ignore.

The benefits of event promotion videos

Now that we've explored the impressive features of Vocal Video, let's delve into the tangible benefits of incorporating event promotion videos into your marketing strategy.

1. Creating anticipation and excitement

Event promotion videos have the unique ability to create a buzz among your target audience. By offering a sneak peek into your event, you kindle the curiosity of prospective attendees. This sense of anticipation can lead to early registrations and heightened interest in your event.

2. Building trust and credibility

Social proof goes a long way. Testimonials and authentic stories from past attendees carry immense weight in the world of event marketing. When you showcase authentic feedback through video, you're not just telling potential attendees about the value of your event; you're showing them.

3. Highlighting unique selling points (USPs)

Every event has USPs – those aspects that set it apart from the competition. Event promotion videos allow you to demonstrate your product’s features and add value. Whether it's the caliber of speakers, the exclusive experiences, or the key takeaways, seeing the product in action adds major credibility.

4. Encouraging action

Ultimately, the goal of event marketing is to encourage action – you want your target audience to register for your event, sign up for updates, and share the event with their network. Event promotion videos are powerful calls to action. They not only inform but also inspire individuals to take the next step. 

A final note on the power of event promotion videos

Whether you're a product marketer looking to generate buzz or an event marketer hoping to attract a crowd, event promotion videos bring the magic. 

These powerful marketing assets tell your brand's story through the eyes of real people. They’re the catalysts that transform ordinary gatherings into extraordinary experiences. So take advantage of everything event promo videos have to offer. 

With its innovative features and user-friendly approach, Vocal Video offers endless possibilities to take your marketing to the next level and leave a lasting impression on your audience. You can try out their platform totally free here.

Interested in partnering with us? Look no further. 👇

This article is based on Ben Munroe’s talk at the Product Marketing Summit in Singapore. As a PMA member, you can enjoy the complete recording here. For more exclusive content, head over to your membership dashboard.

I recently asked ChatGPT to write a joke that would make product marketers laugh. Here’s its attempt:

Not the most hilarious or PMM-specific joke, but it did include a laughing emoji, as if that would help the joke land.

So, I tweaked my prompt a bit, this time asking it to include some product-marketing-specific references. The next joke was even more painful:

Awful. There aren’t enough random emojis in the world to make it land. 

I hit regenerate and got this:

ChatGPT had lost the plot.

Comedy was clearly beyond the capabilities of ChatGPT 3.5, so I upgraded to ChatGPT 4 and gave it the same prompt. The result?

Well, it was worth a shot.

Next, I tried Bard and a bunch of other large language models (LLMs) and the jokes they told were, unbelievably, even worse. One of them even gave me quite a lewd response – I’ll leave that one to your imagination. 

It’s clear that AI is not likely to become your funniest colleague any time soon, but could it become your most valuable colleague? That’s what we’re going to explore today. Then (spoiler alert!) we’ll delve into the various ways AI can revolutionize product marketing, including:

1. Gathering customer insights, 
2. Delivering personalized and impactful marketing campaigns, and
3. Streamlining product marketing processes.

Let’s get into it.

The rise of generative AI in marketing

Like many people, I spend a lot of time thinking about AI. 

Truth be told, I spend a fair bit of time worrying about it too. 

AI is something of a double-edged sword. I work in cybersecurity at Cloudflare, and AI allows us to detect, block, and mitigate threats faster. It also allows attackers to write malware faster and more efficiently. 

As a marketer, the idea of letting machines loose on all the valuable work we do, while exciting, gives me pause for thought. 

AI is also kind of controversial – much like our friend Elon Musk. At a recent summit in the UK, he claimed that AI would create a future where “no job is needed” as “AI will be able to do everything.” To be fair, he later clarified that this means there'll be no need for jobs as we know them today, but “you can do a job if you want a job.”

Still, the question of whether AI will replace human jobs is an interesting one. To answer it, I did what any good product marketer does and turned to data. 

In a survey of small and medium-sized businesses in the US from mid-2023, 70% of respondents believed they'd save $5,000 or less per year by using AI-powered marketing tools. Let’s be real: most companies are not going to lay off their staff for a $5,000 saving. 

In short, based on this data and my personal experience, I'm not worried about AI taking our jobs. 

Just to be sure, I asked ChatGPT to give me some reassurance that AI won't replace us. It replied, “I’m offline.” Even with a paid subscription, the bots aren’t always on our side! 

Eventually, ChatGPT did provide an 800-word essay explaining why we needn't worry. The concluding paragraph nicely captured the essay’s essence: “Embrace AI as a supportive partner in your journey, and together, you can achieve remarkable success in the ever-evolving world of product marketing.” 

It seems that’s exactly what we’re starting to do as an industry. In fact, I even used AI to generate the slide below. I’m not in love with it, but it does the job and it has a nice clean layout.

The findings in the 2023 State of Product Marketing Report reflect this trend, with over half of the survey respondents stating that they use AI in their product marketing strategies. Given that ChatGPT is now only a year old, I suspect that when the 2024 survey results are published, that proportion will have grown substantially.  

The survey also found that the rise of AI is putting more pressure on teams – likely because their stakeholders are expecting faster content production, greater insights, or more integrated tools. 

In this episode of Product Marketing Life, host Mark Assini, speaks with Jason Oakley, founder of Productive PMM, about what it means to be a founding product marketing manager (PMM).

As the first PMM hired at a company, founding product marketers have the opportunity to build the product marketing function from the ground up. However, this also comes with the responsibility of getting alignment across the organization on what product marketing is and does.

Jason shares his experiences as a founding PMM at several tech startups. He explains how the role requires an entrepreneurial spirit, as you often have to "fly the plane while building it." 

Founding PMMs need to balance executing tactical work like upcoming product launches, while also putting foundational elements in place like positioning, messaging, and go-to-market processes.

‎Product Marketing Life: How to launch the PMM function from scratch, with Jason Oakley, founder of Productive PMM on Apple Podcasts

‎Show Product Marketing Life, Ep How to launch the PMM function from scratch, with Jason Oakley, founder of Productive PMM - Feb 2, 2024

Apple Podcasts

About our guest

Jason Oakley, founder of Productive PMM

Jason is a product marketing coach, consultant, and creator with 10+ years of experience building PMM functions from scratch.

He’s built product marketing teams at three different companies (Klue, Chili Piper, and Uberflip) — each time starting as a founding PMM.

Now, Jason’s on a mission to help founding product marketers and early-stage PMM teams scale faster, focus on the right work, and drive real impact within their organization.

Also a proud father, Newfoundlander, Raptors fan, morning person, and lover of dad jokes. Jason once wrote a children’s book about a fox named Rocco.

Key takeaways

• The importance of tapping into the minds of founders
• Why you need to look for someone who can fill skill gaps (but also has an entrepreneurial spirit) when hiring a PMM
• Why founding PMMs should aim to have a seat at the table with key executives
• Who should product marketing should report to, marketing or product?
• Why focusing on buyer enablement content makes it easier for prospects to buy

And more!

Get involved

Keen to join the conversation?

Why not take a look at our Slack channel? Not to boast, but our Slack community is the biggest gathering of product marketing enthusiasts on the planet (okay, that was a bit of a boast 😉).

We discuss everything from sales engagement to messaging strategies, and there’s a constant flow of templates, resources, and even the odd ‘roast’. And it's completely free to join!

Don't miss a beat – you can catch all of your favorite product marketing episodes right here: Product Marketing Life.

Whether you’re at a pre-seed startup or a well-established public company, saving cash is a top priority in 2024. 

Last year, according to MarTech, 68% of marketers reported budget cuts. This means that marketing teams are being asked to achieve ambitious growth targets while simultaneously reducing costs – and product marketing isn’t immune, so getting the right resources to launch products is challenging. 

All’s not lost, however. It’s time for product marketers to get creative, test out new tools, and work with partners, customers, and internal teams to build hype around new products. You may even pick up some new skills along the way. 

Having worked as the sole marketer at Duro, a seed-funded B2B SaaS startup, for a year and a half, I understand the need to reduce costs and still get information out into the public domain. This blog covers some tactics I've tested along the way and some others that I plan to implement.

Firstly, what exactly do we mean by 'shoestring budget'?

Shoestrings cost between $3 and $12 on Amazon these days. As we know, that amount won’t get you anywhere in marketing spend. So, let’s pretend we have zero budget. You’re on your own and have been tasked with making a big splash for an upcoming product release. Where do you start? 

Defining the essentials of a successful product launch

Let’s look at what goes into a product launch to see what costs the most. Presuming the product team has already evaluated the market opportunity and specified a timeline for release, the four fundamental steps for product marketing include:

1. Messaging and positioning: Here, you’ll hone in on your solution’s strengths and decide the angle you’ll take to showcase differentiation. How will customers use the product? What problems does it solve? Getting customer intel at this stage is vital to define the elevator pitch and product value proposition to go in the external-facing copy.
2. Professional-looking sales materials: From decks and one-pagers to new web pages and blogs, your team will require materials to share. In today’s attention age, short video assets or interactive content are a must.
3. Internal education and training: Your colleagues should know how to discuss the features and benefits of the product with prospects and where to find materials to share. This step involves communicating via Slack and email and setting up live training sessions with the sales and customer success teams.
4. External promotion: Now you're ready to share the news of your exciting new product with the world. With a big budget, you might run an ad campaign, host an in-person launch event, and invite the media. But webinars, press announcements, emails, and social posts also help get customers and prospects excited. 

What costs money, and where to save?

Aside from time, the costliest parts of this process are the creation of images and videos plus promotional campaigns, such as events, ads, or sponsored content and newsletters. 

In an ideal world, you’d have an in-house graphic designer and access to a video production agency, as well as the budget to run ads across different channels and launch your product on stage at a big industry event. However, each of these things can cost thousands of dollars.

So, let’s explore a few ideas for making creative assets and running promotional activities without breaking the bank.

Creative assets on a budget

Innovation in creative tools has been outstanding over the last couple of years; they’re cheaper, more user-friendly, and, of course, AI-fueled. These are some of my favorites for getting your assets created cheaply and most have free trials. 

Graphics

Canva: The paid version is well worth it for the templates and ability to set brand fonts, colors, and logos. Although it costs slightly more than a shoestring (think one shoestring per month), you can use it for everything, not just a single product launch. 

I rely on Canva for one-pagers, social imagery, video covers, banners with CTAs, and email graphics. Once you've set up a few templates, you can reuse them as much as you like.

Videos

Zoom or Loom: These tools are your best friend for short demos, and you probably already have access. It's super easy to create a couple of two-to-three-minute videos highlighting the product benefits, explaining why it's different, and demoing how it works. These can be published on YouTube.

One thing to keep in mind is that these tools don't have the best video editing or graphics capabilities so you may need additional software (I use Camtasia). However, Loom now removes 'ummmms' and filler words and both tools transcribe the text automatically. Canva also has video editing so you can upload your Looms or Zooms to Canva to add covers and text captions.  

Synthesia: You can make polished videos with an AI avatar speaking about your product. Experiment to find an avatar that works for your brand and isn’t too robotic. It takes some time to get the hang of editing and uploading brand assets. However, it's a great tool for making more creative stylized videos on a budget without relying on other people's time. 

Interactive product demos

Arcade: Full disclosure: I haven't tried this yet, but it’s been recommended to me. Arcade enables you to create click-through interactive product demos with buttons, quizzes, and a mix of recordings, imagery, and text. These are more engaging than videos and provide a unique experience for showcasing product value. There's a free trial option, and the paid plan is much cheaper than some alternatives.

Remember to follow the company's brand guidelines for all these assets. This helps you maintain a consistent, professional image. If possible, centralize your brand assets, image style, and templates beforehand to save time.  

Promotion on a budget: AKA word of mouth 

Launch events and webinars

Event sponsorship is expensive, so it's not viable on a tight budget. However, you can still promote your product by hosting live videos on YouTube or LinkedIn or running your own webinar. 

Hosting a webinar can be an excellent way to announce a new product because it provides a deadline to work towards, ensuring everything is ready for the big reveal. You can also invite customers and prospects through promotional emails and track interest using signups. 

Be patient! Setting up a webinar involves a lot of steps, including creating a registration page, automating email confirmations, sending invites, tracking signups, and sharing the recording afterwards. Try to do a test event beforehand and give yourself time to prepare – at least four weeks. 

Social

Paid ads offer better targeting and reach but you can build hype without them. Pick one or two key channels that map to your audience. For B2B, this will probably be LinkedIn and X. 

A social strategy for a product launch should incorporate teaser posts, launch announcements, updates, and customer testimonials afterward. Mixing creative assets, blogs, customer quotes, and video clips helps keep this content fresh. 

As I've learned from experience, posting on your brand page and getting employees to repost or like isn't a very effective way of building engagement. Instead, consider commenting on other posts, addressing how your product relates to hot news topics, and sharing information in relevant groups. You may also want to engage with your target communities via Reddit, Meetups, or Discord groups. 

It’s also a great idea to get thought leaders, company executives, and partners to share from their personal accounts. Make it as easy as possible for them to do so by providing a prepared document with post ideas and graphics they can copy and paste. Share stories or helpful tips instead of overly salesy content and, most importantly, avoid spamming people.

Email marketing

You likely already have a marketing tool like HubSpot and a list of customers and prospects. A blanket email announcement or campaign is a good option if you're short on time. However, you can tailor the emails to specific personas or groups with a little extra effort. Work with sales and customer service teams to adapt the messages to new buyers as well as existing product users. 

Don’t forget to include clear calls to action (CTAs) in each email, such as "Watch a video," "Read the press release," "Sign up for a webinar," or "Request a demo." Here, you’ll share the product graphics that you've just created in Canva and link to the demo videos.

Press and analysts

Attracting media interest can be time-consuming if you don't have existing relationships with journalists. However, if your product is really newsworthy and has the potential to bring about a significant change in the market, you can try to get a story published. Sending email pitches or responding to requests on Qwoted or HARO is free. And at the very least, you should put out a company press release.

Consider chatting to analysts too. Although analyst subscriptions to Gartner and Forrester are expensive, you can still set up a briefing without having a paid relationship. This allows you to connect with experts in your industry and start building valuable relationships. Analysts also appreciate learning about something new and exciting before a public announcement. This is also a great way to test messaging and get expert feedback ahead of your launch.

If you're hosting a product launch webinar, consider inviting select press and analysts and sending them the news as a follow-up. This is an easy way to reach out with too much extra work.

Time is money too! 

As you’re weighing up your budget, don’t forget to factor in your own time. This is where repeatable processes and templates come in handy. Setting up your brand assets ahead of time, while tedious, will only make your launch assets creation look more professional and speed up their creation.

Don’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to your positioning and messaging exercises. Product Marketing Alliance’s templates and frameworks will help you get these out quickly. 

Here are a few more tips to help you on your way:

• Prioritize the assets that count: You don't have to make everything for every launch. Your website should be updated and a video demo is essential. Other fundamentals include social posts, email copy, and possibly a PDF for sales to send. You can always add other materials later as needed.
• Beg, steal, or borrow. No, I don’t mean get ChatGPT to do your work. Instead, look at old blogs and prior launches to use whatever you can for inspiration, whether it's words or formats and templates. If you’re launching a product for the first time, see how best-in-class brands in other industries have done it and use their emails, videos, or webinar formats as guides.

Five tips to help you stay lean 

Tip #1: Set realistic goals

There are really only two main business goals when launching a new product: 

• Revenue generation
• Product adoption

When setting marketing goals, align them with these broader company objectives. This includes identifying the target audience for the new product and clarifying business expectations. For instance, is the product designed to win over new customers, increase sales deal size, or upsell existing accounts? How many companies is it even suitable for?

Keep in mind that generating revenue and product adoption can take time, so set regular benchmarks to gauge your progress. Track views on new product pages and blogs, email click-through rates (CTR), engagement with social content and videos, webinar signups, and demo requests. 

Use past data and achievable reach to set targets for these metrics. Your email lists and existing social reach and impressions data will give you a good estimate of the number of people who could see your announcement and then your goal for webinar sign-ups or conversions will be a certain percentage of that audience. 

While it's natural to dream of having a viral post or blog, be realistic about what you can achieve without the help of influencers, fancy creative assets, and advertising.

Tip #2: Make sure internal stakeholders are involved

Involve the rest of the company in various aspects of the launch, from product naming to timelines and setting benchmarks. This will ensure they’re more supportive of the work; plus, they'll be more likely to promote the content externally later. 

It’s also vital to share regular updates so everyone stays on the same page. Take advantage of Slack, all-hands meetings, and emails. More communication is always better.

Tip #3: Be resourceful with asset creation

If you’re on a tight budget, you probably won’t be able to pay an agency to develop clever slogans or catchy copy and, as we’ve talked about, design resources might be scarce. 

We've already discussed a few tools that could help. Still, you might also consider looking for creative talent within your company. It's possible that someone in your sales or engineering team already has a podcasting setup or creates videos in their free time and is willing to help. Just be mindful of their primary job responsibilities.

Tip #4: Ask customers and partners to spread the word

Hopefully, you've already engaged a couple of customers to be beta testers and provide feedback and testimonials. Plus, you have a product that people want to talk about because of the huge value it delivers. 

The best marketing is a referral from someone you trust. Create a formalized process for referrals with rewards for customers or partners. This will be slow initially but over time, momentum will build. My favorite example of ‘word of mouth’ marketing in action comes from Monzo, which built both viral mechanics and network effects into its growth strategy.

Tip #5: Don’t launch a product and forget about it!

Finally, you’ve created all the materials on your checklist, trained the team on how to sell the product, and run a launch webinar without a hitch. Job done! 

Well, not so fast. 

You may have seen some initial success but adoption and revenue growth typically take much longer than a couple of months.

After you've had a breather (and you deserve one at this stage), look at those early metrics and ask for internal feedback. Track whether demo requests converted and why. What were the objections if not? Who signed up, and are there lookalike cases? 

It’s crucial to work with the rest of the team to continue to promote the product and ensure all that hard work pays off. Assess how the new product impacted the business. If it didn’t work out as planned, what lessons can you bring to the next project?

In summary, don’t panic.

Just because you don’t have a big budget doesn’t mean you can’t pull off a smooth product launch. Admittedly, you may not have flashy ads like Apple or thousands of attendees joining your launch webinar like Salesforce, but you can still attract attention. 

Remember to set aside time to build templates and design standards beforehand to ensure everything looks professional. Write a checklist so things don’t get forgotten, and remember to ask for help. This may come in the form of purchasing new tools, getting different team members to help promote the content on social media, or customers emailing their peers about the launch. 

Without a big budget or team, you may not get everything right. Still, you have the advantage of speed and agility, which will allow you to adapt following market feedback.

Do you ever walk into a store, aimlessly fill the cart, and spend your hard-earned cash without a second thought?

Sure, we may be susceptible to the odd impulse buy, but, overall, many of us focus on what it is we’re buying, why we need the product, and how the product will add value to our lives. 

Before arriving at the point of going through the checkout, a buyer embarks on a decision-making process that you as a product marketer must also understand.

This process works in tandem with consumer behavior, but what is consumer behavior, and more importantly, why is it applicable to businesses, as well as the consumer?

Let’s find out.

The importance of consumer buying behavior

Consumer behavior provides an understanding of the people buying your product, whether they’re individuals, groups of consumers, or organizations.

These behavioral trends provide invaluable insights into the process a buyer(s) goes through when they’ve decided to invest in your product or service, as well as how they use and consume your offering to fulfill their needs and requirements.

The consumer buying process helps companies with the likes of:

• Consumer differentiation
• Customer retention
• Design and implementation of effective marketing
• Predicting market trends
• Competitor intel
• Innovate new products - successfully
• Enhance customer service
• Remain relevant

What is the consumer buying process?

Otherwise referred to as the consumer decision-making process or buyer funnel, to name a few, the consumer buying process refers to the stages a customer experiences throughout their customer journey – from recognizing a need to the final post-purchase stage (and beyond!). 

It’s a fundamental aspect of product marketing, serving as the cornerstone for businesses aiming to understand and influence customer behavior. 

There are five steps in the consumer buying process, and the time taken to pass through each stage is unique for each customer.

For example, a consumer buying a new car may decide to test drive a model several times, compare and contrast different brands, read reviews, and conduct thorough research before making a purchase, or deciding to look at an alternative.

On the other hand, another person may devote their loyalties to a particular manufacturer, and be willing to invest after taking it for a spin. The point being, the fluidity of the consumer buying process hinges on the personal preferences of the consumer – sometimes it’s straightforward, and sometimes it’s convoluted.

Nevertheless, by comprehending the intricacies of this process you can tailor your research, strategies, and campaigns to engage with consumers effectively and enhance overall customer satisfaction and relationships. 

So, what are the stages, what role do they play, and what influence does a product marketer have at each respective point?

The five key stages of the consumer buying process

The consumer buying process unfolds through several distinct stages, each playing a crucial role in shaping purchasing decisions. It typically begins with problem recognition, followed by an information search, evaluation of alternatives, and the actual purchase, and concludes with post-purchase evaluation. 

Recognizing and addressing each stage enables you to strategically intervene, provide relevant information, build trust, and address concerns right from the get-go.

Stage 1: Problem recognition

Problem recognition marks the initiation of the consumer buying process, where individuals identify a need or challenge requiring resolution. It’s often considered the most important point in the process. After all, how can a consumer be expected to invest in a solution to a problem they’re yet to identify?

When our vision’s impaired, we buy new glasses, if we can’t sleep in our stuffy bedroom in the summertime, then we buy a fan, and when you’re sick to death of plugging the vacuum cleaner, you invest in a cordless alternative.

The common theme: Consumers buy products to solve a problem.

This phase is integral for product marketers, demanding a keen understanding of consumer pain points. Your role is to delve into the consumer's mindset, positioning your product as the ideal solution to their identified problem. 

Whether your company’s making flat-screen TVs, state-of-the-art coffee machines, or mobile phones with “the most impressive, sophisticated megapixel camera," as a PMM pro, you need to use your skills and step into the mind of your prospective customer and position your product as the go-to option on the market that’ll solve their worries just like that. 

To drive potential customers through the buyer’s journey, you need to research their purchasing habits and buyer behaviors and use your findings to craft messaging and communication that’ll resonate with respective personas, establishing your product as the ultimate answer to their concerns. 

You may not think marketing automation is your cup of tea, but with research revealing humans have a shorter attention span than a goldfish (no, we’re not kidding), we strongly suggest using these tools to enhance your customer onboarding experience and support your customers through the recognition phase and beyond.

Stage 2: Research, research, research

The research process is where consumers actively seek information about products or services recognized during problem recognition. 

They’ll typically search both online and offline, as well as internally and externally, intending to collect information on the products or services identified at the preceding problem recognition point. This might involve anything from exploring a multitude of online reviews to seeking advice via word of mouth (WOM).

Unsurprisingly, much of the consumer research is completed online, so businesses need to ensure they invest time, effort, and resources in their SEO (search engine optimization) to enhance their online exposure and brand presence.

But consumers don’t only turn to the powers of the World Wide Web during the search process, with word of mouth regarded by many as the most powerful form of advertising. Previous experiences or testimonials from family and friends are often cited as a key factor behind a person being persuaded or dissuaded from choosing one brand, instead of another.

Stage 3: Considering alternatives

After visiting their chosen sources, your customers will now be at a stage where they’ll have earmarked a few options, before deciding where to invest.

Let’s use the classic running shoe comparison as an example. After visiting their chosen sources, your customers will now be at a stage where they’ll have earmarked a few options – and are evaluating which product aligns best with their needs – before deciding where to invest.

They’ll have taken into account factors such as cushioning, comfort, and the protection the shoe gives the foot. 

And let’s not forget the price!

When a consumer is making their buying decision, they’ll always be looking for the best product they can get, at the best price. Evaluating alternatives allows the consumer to conclude which option would suit their needs and address their pain points before they make a final selection.

This is the stage where effective product marketing can tip the scales in your favor by demonstrating why your product stands out among the alternatives.

Stage 4: Selection stage

This is it – crunch time.

Having identified their problem, searched for available products, and compared and contrasted the options on the table, it’s time for the consumer to decide which product they’re going to buy.

Product marketers play a pivotal role in this stage. You need to ensure that your product is not only considered but chosen. Factors like negative reviews, reluctance to invest, poor customer onboarding, company location, and reputation can influence the consumer's decision. 

All going well, this is the point your hard work pays dividends and you convert the lead into a customer. That said, it’s not always plain sailing, with multiple factors contributing to a consumer taking their custom elsewhere. 

This could be attributed to the likes of:

• Negative reviews
• Reluctance to invest
• Poor customer onboarding
• Company location
• Poor reputation

Stage 5: Post-purchase evaluation

The post-purchase evaluation is very much what it says on the tin: It’s the reflective phase where customers assess how useful their new investment is, and whether or not their new investment has fulfilled the expectations they had during the pre-purchase stages. 

Positive post-purchase experiences can transform customers into brand ambassadors. If you have a satisfied customer who becomes an ambassador, they’ll promote your product and serve as an influencer for prospective customers… Remember the importance of word-of-mouth marketing we spoke about?

Factors influencing consumer behavior

Consumer behavior is a complex interplay of many different factors – both internal and external, and each factor can significantly influence the customer’s decision-making process. 

Internal factors encompass things like personal preferences, attitudes, and perceptions, while external factors include the likes of cultural norms and economic considerations. Recognizing the interconnectivity of these elements is key when you’re seeking to understand and predict consumer behavior. 

By dissecting these influences, you can tailor your strategies to resonate with the target audience effectively and foster deeper connections which (hopefully) turn into brand loyalty and advocacy.

Psychological aspects of consumer decision-making

Consumer decision-making extends far beyond surface-level needs and wants. It’s shaped by, you guessed it – the human brain; the nuanced mechanisms of our psyche. 

If you’re seeking unwavering brand loyalty, you need to peel back the layers and examine the implicit perceptions, attitudes, motivations, and values that could be guiding each customer’s purchase.

What values could color a consumer's view of a product? How do entrenched attitudes influence receptivity to messaging? What desires or goals could spur engagement with your brand? 

By probing these psychological dimensions, you can align positioning and messaging, and create impactful campaigns.

The role of branding and positioning

As you likely know, in today’s market, product quality and features aren’t always enough to sway a customer. Long-term loyalty stems from making that emotional connection. 

Meticulous and creative branding goes way beyond a logo or tagline. A brand should represent the total experience a customer has with a product – effective branding weaves together the right messaging, imagery, and associations, and constructs and solidifies them in the minds of the consumer.

This means weaving your purpose, values, and personality into your branding, so you can resonate on a deeper level, and become much more than a commodity. 

This ties in with your positioning – ensuring your brand is clear, seamless, consistent, and differentiated from your competitors. Leaning too heavily on features alone leaves you at risk of being replaceable. 

Post-purchase experience and customer satisfaction

The customer journey doesn’t end at checkout. The consumer buying process is just that: An ongoing process. If you want conversions and long-lasting loyalty, don’t overlook this stage.  

Attentive PMMs understand that how a customer feels after a purchase can make or break the relationship. Providing stellar customer service, checking in on satisfaction, and surprising with loyalty perks can transform an experience from just transactional into something personal. It shows that your cares lie beyond revenue.

Don’t forget – satisfied customers often become vocal champions, generating word-of-mouth.

Final thoughts: The role of product marketing in consumer decision-making

Product marketing is a linchpin in the consumer decision-making process, orchestrating a strategic tie between the product and its potential consumers. 

From the initial stages of creating awareness to the post-purchase phase, product marketing shapes how consumers perceive and engage with a product. 

Effective product marketing transcends simple promotional tactics and focuses on creating a compelling narrative that aligns the product seamlessly with the consumer's lifestyle, solving their problems, addressing their needs, or enhancing their experiences.

Throughout the consumer buying process, your strategies will evolve to cater to each stage uniquely. 

Want to learn more?

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could line our customers up, throw on a pair of magic goggles, and read all of their minds? Imagine the insights you could collect to influence your entire product marketing strategy!

Well, we might not have magic but we do have a Consumer Psychology Certified course to help you… which is pretty much the same thing.

Led by Alex Chahin, VP of Marketing at Titan, you’ll learn how to tap into consumer psychology and reap the rewards of applying knowledge around behavioral economics to your product marketing strategies.

By the end of this course, you'll:

✅ Have a definition of consumer psychology in marketing and how advertising affects consumer behavior.

✅ Better understand how to group pain and gain points.

✅ Understand how personal factors and individual differences affect people's buying choices.

✅ Be able to identify what your customer’s default action is.

And much more...

🗓️ Date: Wednesday February 28th

⏰ Time: 9am PDT | 12pm EDT / 5pm BST

🧑‍🏫 Duration: 1 hour

Dive into the expertise of Molly Chapman, Head of Product Marketing at Moorepay, in our upcoming "How-To" webinar this month. With over 8 years of experience in the product marketing realm, Molly is dedicated to amplifying the customer voice. Join her as she shares valuable insights on seamlessly gathering and leveraging customer feedback to enhance your own product marketing strategies.

In this case study, we’ll detail the experiences of two PMM pros, Div Manickam and Aline Bezerra, delving into their experiences with our mentorship and menteeship programs.

Div is a mindful soul and a believer in simplicity. She enjoys sharing experiences on career growth, authentic leadership, mindfulness, mental well-being, and product marketing. 

Taking a leap into the unknown, Div has published books on her journey, and published Mastering the art and science of product marketing in 2022. She’s passionate about empowering folks to be their best selves.

Div has led product marketing efforts in startups and Fortune 500 technology companies for 10+ years. She is also recognized as one of the Top 100 Product Marketing Influencers (2019-23) by the Product Marketing Alliance.

Aline’s an accomplished B2B product marketer with a passion for cross-functional collaboration, often signing off emails with her #BetterTogether slogan to promote teamwork amongst colleagues. 

She’s the voice of the customer, creating GTM plans for growth, positioning, and re-positioning & messaging for digital products, solutions, and services. 

As a product marketer, she has worked across a variety of different industries, from electronic trade documentation and shipbuilding software to blockchain and eCommerce solutions.

Now that you’ve learned a little about the experts themselves, let’s dive into their experiences.

How did you find out about the PMA Mentorship program?

Div: I came across the PMA mentorship program in June 2020, as I was looking at an opportunity to give back to the community.

Aline: I heard a colleague mention “My mentor suggested that I do X” in 2020, while I was working for Infobip. I asked who their mentor was, and that’s when I learned about the PMA mentorship program.

What was your motivation for joining this program?

Div: I wanted to help people in product marketing and empower them to be their best selves.

Aline: I was looking to achieve two things: Improve my work-life balance and enhance my professional growth. I believe that learning from experienced mentors helps one to grow and stay innovative in their role, regardless of their level of seniority.

What have you enjoyed most since joining?

Div: I enjoyed each conversation from product marketing to work environments to work-life balance, demands, and expectations. Each conversation uplifted me and gave me a sense of purpose.

Aline: I appreciate the fact that the platform helps you make meaningful connections, it helps you to find the right match for you. Through it, I not only found a great mentor but also a wonderful friend for life. 

How have you helped other PMMs reach their true potential?

Div: I'm humbled by the opportunity to connect with amazing folks in product marketing around the world. I have been able to help folks with their resume reviews and job search as well as day-to-day questions in navigating product marketing from messaging and positioning to product launch and beyond.

Did this program help you reach your true potential?

Aline: Yes, it helped me to be confident, to deal with impostor syndrome and many other things. Div asked me to set OKRs for myself and that was life-changing.

Have you gained any fresh perspectives from your protégé/mentor?

Div: I always think of this as a two-way learning. Just as much as I'm sharing my experiences, I'm learning every day from my mentees and it's a true privilege to be a part of their life.

Aline: I always knew mental health and work-life balance were important, but I didn’t know how small changes could impact the way you think and make decisions. It was eye-opening, and now, I'm the priority; my mental health comes first.

What was the best advice you received from your mentor? 

Aline: To set boundaries because my mental health is key to having a happy life and being a great PMM. 

Div asked me to set up alarms at the end of my working day to remind me it is time to prepare things to switch off, set another one to actually switch off, and block my lunch times to avoid meetings. She would check on me. It was hard at the beginning, but once I managed, wow! Even my productivity got better. 

Has this program helped you to network?

Div: Just as I connected with folks who are looking to get started in product marketing or grow in their career, I've also connected with peers and other leaders. I’ve met some amazing inspiring folks who encouraged me to be better every day.

Aline: My mentor, Div, encouraged me to participate in the PMM talks and other company presentations to practice (as public speaking was one of my OKRs). I met great people during the talks and loved it. 

She also suggested reaching out to people on my LinkedIn for help/support, for example, if I'm looking for a job and have a connection working in the company, to have a chat with them to learn more or maybe even get a referral.

All these things helped me with networking, something I'm not great at.

How have these programs impacted your professional growth?

Div: This mentorship program gave me the starting point to really see mentoring as my “Ikigai.”

And gave me the confidence that what I do matters. And that I can use the time to make a difference in someone's life and career.

Aline: My mentor shared a lot of her experiences with me – how she would approach things, and what did and didn’t work. Her content and books are also very helpful, human, and personal. 

Div encouraged me to give back to the community, and I became a mentor. I still learn from my mentees and it is so nice when you can help.

I'm always growing professionally, it never stops.

How has this program helped you overcome a professional challenge?

Div: I was having my doubts in 2020 when I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Mentoring became my fulfillment and meaning in life. It gave me a reason to wake up every morning and do something good and help folks in need.

Aline: I was super stressed and trying to find some kind of work-life balance. It got to a point where I was thinking of leaving the job, and my mentor helped me a lot to navigate through this and make the right decision. 

So, the mentorship was not only about learning more about product marketing but also about learning how to deal with workload and stress. It was always nice to see Div on Zoom with all her butterflies in the background.

How have you’ve helped your protégé overcome a professional challenge?

Div: I have met mentees who have their doubts who are questioning their abilities and whether they are good enough. I have seen folks go from I'm not sure to I got this. This is why I do what I do to empower folks to be their best authentic selves.

One of my mentees had a challenge at work on how to share their interest in growing in their career and taking on new projects. We brainstormed some ideas and she was able to convince her manager on the path forward.

I'm so proud of her and the journey ahead.

How do you see the value of this mentorship program in comparison to other programs you're part of?

Div: There are so many mentoring programs out there and I'm lucky to be a part of many of them. 

As I look at the PMA mentorship program, it's a platform to connect with other product marketing leaders and learn from each other in ways we couldn't otherwise.

Aline: I believe training and workshop programs offer valuable insights, but the one-on-one support and advice from mentors provide tailored solutions to your specific needs/challenges. 

A mentorship program fosters a deep, ongoing relationship that goes beyond general skill-building; it offers a more individualized approach and support.

What would you say to fellow PMMs considering gaining a mentor/mentee?

Div: Mentoring is the best thing you can do to give back to the community and to feel like you belong together. I encourage everyone to have a mentor and to be a mentor for someone who is taking the same strides as you did today.

Aline: I would strongly encourage fellow product marketing professionals to consider having mentors to support them along their journey, regardless of their level of expertise. Having mentors creates a great support system and can be a transformative experience. 

You accelerate your learnings, gain networking opportunities, receive guidance for career development, build confidence, and establish a long-term relationship with a supportive friend.

Any final thoughts?

Div: Thank you for this opportunity to share my experience. We can all help each other and uplift each other on days when things don't seem to go right and you need someone to reach out to.

That's the power of mentoring. And I'm grateful to be a part of this beautiful program.

Keen to become part of our mentorship programs?

Whether you’re looking to learn from others, guide fellow product marketers, or both, our mentorship program’s got something for everyone.

Become a mentor

📈 Help other product marketers reach their potential

😇 Give back to the community and leave your own legacy

🤔 Gain fresh perspectives and learn from your protégé

🤝 Level up your career and forge new, lasting relationships

FIND OUT MORE >

Become a mentee

👩🏽‍💻 Tap into invaluable expertise and advance your career

👌🏻 Pick a mentor perfectly suited to your circumstances

✅ Complete, confidential 1:1 time to ask what you want

⬆️ Grow your network and learn from topic-specific specialists

💯 Solve problems and up-skill with 100% confidence

FIND OUT MORE >

🎟 Invite-only access
✅ Senior product marketing leaders and PMA Exec+ members
📍 Austin | New York | San Francisco | London | Online

Request your invite to join our exclusive leadership briefing where we share unpublished research on key topics shaping the product marketing landscape to add actionable insight for leaders far and wide.

This is your chance to connect with your PMM leadership peers for a morning of expert-led content, discussion, and networking.

The 2024 world tour 🌎

Austin - Wednesday, February 14 at Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol
New York - March
Online - June
San Francisco - September
London - November

See what previous attendees said 👇

Agenda at a glance

8:30 am - Arrival breakfast and networking
9:30 am - Expert-led presentation by Devon O'Rourke from Fluvio
10:15 am - Structured roundtable discussions and Q&A
11:30 am - Session close

What'll we discuss?

The networking-focused session will focus only on topics that will help PMM leaders build a future-proof product marketing strategy and understand the impact of a changing labor market.

Here's the breakdown. 👇

📊 → Product marketing industry landscape
💼 → Employee dynamics and skills
🤯 → Why is hiring so hard
🤔 → Key challenges and how to overcome them
🤝 → How Product Marketing Alliance can help

About the host

Devon O'Rourke is the Founder and Managing Partner of product marketing consulting firm, Fluvio, an occasional angel investor, and the host of the Embracing Erosion podcast. Devon has over a decade’s worth of experience working alongside growth, marketing, product, research, design, sales, PR, and engineering teams to successfully bring new software and technology products to market.

Before founding Fluvio, Devon held a number of strategy and product marketing roles at companies such as The New York Times, Getty Images, Publicis, ESPN, Tremor Video, Etsy, and Amazon, in addition to being an Advisory Board Member, Ambassador, Mentor, & Speaker for the Product Marketing Alliance.

Previous briefing attendees

This article is based on a workshop led by Jen Thompson at the Product Marketing Summit in Sydney. As a PMA member, you can enjoy the complete recording here. For more exclusive content, head over to your membership dashboard.

Hello and welcome to your storytelling workshop! There are three key things you’re going to learn today:

1. Some killer storytelling frameworks
2. How to connect with your audience through stories
3. How to use storytelling to influence internal stakeholders

Let’s dive in.

The power of storytelling

Before we get into it, I want you to imagine you just got a message from your bestie that says “You won’t believe what just happened!! Major goss. Call me as soon as you can 🚨”. 

How does that message make you feel?

If you’re anything like me, you feel excited. You wonder what it's about. You want to hear the whole story. 

That’s a very human reaction. We’re drawn to stories. Stories are how we’ve communicated since the dawn of humanity. Stories help us to connect. They help us inspire one another. They make us want to engage with each other and unite around a central cause. They motivate us and help us drive action. They get us excited. 

The key thing to keep in mind is that when we tell stories, we want them to be memorable and we want them to create action – especially if we're in a marketing discipline or trying to influence stakeholders. We're not telling stories for the sake of telling stories; there’s a call to action (CTA) at the end. 

As Steve Jobs said,

“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda for an entire generation that is to come.”

That's the power that we all hold because we all tell stories – big and small –about our products. 

Impactful stories follow a framework

Take a moment to recall the most memorable stories you’ve come across. They could be from your childhood, from work, or from TV. 

Got a few? Great.

Even if the examples that spring to mind are as seemingly disparate as Homer’s Odyssey and the plotline of Gossip Girl, there are probably a lot of commonalities between them. You see, all great stories use really similar techniques, and I want to share those with you today. 

It all comes down to what I like to call “story trunks.” Basically, every story has a set of consistent trunks that guide the listener through what's happening and create that emotional connection. 

That means you don't have to reinvent the wheel to tell a compelling story – instead, you can take advantage of the tried-and-tested framework that generations of storytellers before you have refined.

So, let’s take a look at a prime example of story trunks in action, courtesy of Apple. Take a moment to watch this commercial, and we’ll dissect it together afterward. 

Powerful stuff right? Even though there are no visuals to direct what's happening, the words alone create a strong emotional connection. You don't understand how the callers are going to get out of the horrible situations they find themselves in, but you want them to succeed. And then there's a resolution; Apple comes to the rescue, and you feel so relieved. 

From Disney classics to product ads like the one we just saw, powerful stories all follow a very similar structure. We also use this very simple framework to tell stories at Canva, and I’d encourage you to use it too. 

Here are the trunks that make up a great story:

👏 Audience: The audience helps you frame the story. This is who the story’s for. 

👪 Characters: This could be the hero, or it could be the villain who creates the conflict.

🔔 Conflict: This is the problem that your character comes up against. If you’ve come across the hero’s journey before this next part’ll sound familiar: the main character meets a guide, who gives them a plan.

🎆 Resolution: The plan works and the story ultimately ends in success.

Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these elements.

Step one: Define your audience

If you want to excite and engage your audience, if you want them to be able to walk in the shoes of the characters in your story, you need to know who they are and what makes them tick. Your audience determines how you approach the content. 

To give you an example, I went on a little mini-break last weekend. I went for a hike, visited a couple of museums, went out for dinner with some old friends, and got a little drunk. 

How I tell that story is going to differ depending on my audience. If I’m talking to my mom, who never drinks, I’ll probably skip the part about getting drunk and focus on the museums, lest she try to send me to rehab. If I’m talking to my partner, he’s going to hear all about the great night out I had with my girls. Even though it's the same story, I'm tailoring it to my audience based on the information I want them to hear. 

Everyone has different interests, needs, and life experiences, which shape their emotional responses to stories. So, when you choose the audience for your story, you need to make sure you understand those interests, needs, and experiences. That way, you can make the story as meaningful as possible to them. 

Here are some other vital questions to keep in mind as you consider your audience:

Welcome to Product Marketing Maestros: Tales From the Front Lines. In this episode, host Nitin Kartik, Director of Product Marketing at Carbyne, is joined by Derek Osgood, founder of Ignition, a collaborative go-to-market platform. 

Derek, a former marketing exec, shares his expertise and reveals the power of product marketing through real-world stories.

Derek's journey spans major brands like PlayStation to being an early hire at Rippling, where he played a pivotal role in scaling the company to a $7 billion valuation. With over 100 product launches under his belt, Derek's experience uniquely positions him to navigate the challenges of bringing new products to market.

Derek walks us through a memorable case study from early in his career, tackling the fiercely competitive market of mobile keyboard apps. Facing the daunting task of standing out among giants, Derek talks about how they leveraged a creative and cost-effective approach, resulting in a Guinness World Record and a staggering 10 million app downloads.

About Derek Osgood

As a classically trained brand marketer with an entrepreneur's mindset and varied experience leading teams in the startup growth trenches, Derek blends analytical, strategic, and creative approaches in a way most tech marketers can't. 

As both a marketing executive and consultant, he’s consistently delivered double-digit monthly growth across a variety of markets and business models.

Derek is an exec with wide-ranging marketing acumen and skills. His toolkit was built owning giant P&Ls at PlayStation and honed by relentlessly executing at startups. It spans the entire spectrum of marketing disciplines, including go-to-market, segmentation, product positioning, user acquisition and engagement, integrated offline marketing, digital performance marketing, creative development, and product management.

Key Takeaways

• Why differentiation is critical in a crowded mobile app market
• How taking creative risks can unlock huge growth
• Why earning media exposure can validate your positioning
• Why most positioning fails to resonate with customers

Get involved

Eager to dive deeper into product marketing mastery? 

Our thriving Slack community is the ultimate hub for leveling up your product marketing prowess. With over 10,000 members, it's the largest crew of product marketing aficionados around.

From positioning and pitching to pricing and personas, we tackle every facet of strategic marketing. Share your wins, workshop ideas, and tap the collective wisdom of our community. The conversations flow 24/7, along with a steady stream of templates, playbooks, and lively banter. Consider it your portable conference, minus the price tag.

Stay tuned for more episodes of Product Marketing Maestros: Tales From the Front Lines.

This article has been adapted from Penny’s brilliant interview with Erik Mansur on Into the Fray: The Competitive Intelligence podcast. Listen to it in its full glory here!

Looking to gain a competitive edge? A robust win/loss program just might be the answer – and I’m here to help you build one. 

Here’s what we’ll cover: 

• The importance of incorporating customer insights into your strategy
• How to partner with sales teams 
• Best practices for creating an impactful win/loss program
• Integrating company-wide KPIs into your win/loss analysis
• The characteristics of a mature win/loss program

Strap in and get ready to discover how win/loss insights can drive real change across your organization!

Leveraging the voice of the customer in win/loss analysis

Early in my tenure as Head of Competitive Intelligence at Zuora, I was being pushed to focus mainly on aligning with the sales team and debriefing them on deals. While aligning with sales teams is, of course, vital, I knew this approach was missing one key ingredient: the voice of the customer (VoC). 

When you bring in an external perspective and talk to the customer directly, you gather much more valuable insights. At a previous company, I’d worked alongside market researchers who spoke to customers daily. Their feedback shaped our strategies and drove real change.

Yes, there's value in having win/loss conversations with your account teams, but they tend to be a little bit biased. Not only are they biased, but they don't always know why they won or lost. 

Zuora needed to incorporate customer insights more fully. So, after researching best practices, I introduced a formal win/loss intelligence program. My goal was to build a world-class program that would generate actionable intelligence for the whole organization. 

I established a continuous process of interviewing customers each quarter to find out why deals were won or lost. At the end of the first quarter, I created a report to share the insights I gathered. I also sat down with each of the functional product leaders to discuss the insights in their leadership team meetings and try to drive action. 

The first report was well received, but it wasn't until the second quarter that the new win/loss program gained traction. That’s because it took a little time to be able to gather enough data to identify trends – and of course, trends are hugely important when it comes to spotting opportunities for systemic change.

Partnering with sales

Getting the sales teams’ buy-in is essential for the success of any win/loss program. However, I saw a little hesitancy from my sales teams when I first asked them to provide contacts for customer interviews. I could understand their reluctance – they might think I was spying on them or monitoring their performance. 

Even as sellers started to embrace the program, when I looked at our customer relationship management (CRM) system, I could see in the closed notes that they were still trying to get feedback from the prospect or even reverse lost deals. 

Meanwhile, I was encouraging them to put accounts through the program, rather than quizzing prospects themselves. We use an external consultant who’s great at these kinds of interviews. She has a talent for digging deep to uncover insights beyond what salespeople can do on their own. 

However, as soon as sellers started to see actionable insights – real strategies for boosting their win rates – coming out of the win/loss program, they loved it. 

Balancing qualitative and quantitative insights

When you’re tasked with building a win/loss program from scratch, it can be hard to know where to start. So, I invested in some training, which was invaluable in helping me get my program off the ground. 

One of the best practices I gleaned was having a sample size of about 20 deals to work from, so that became my goal. However, when you’re selling to enterprises, the reality is that you don’t see that volume of deals in a quarter. 

In the end, I accepted that I had to start with a smaller number of interviewees and build on it each quarter with a goal of getting to 20. In fact, for our latest report, I combined data from two quarters to get a bigger sample size. 

Another best practice to keep in mind is having your program be not just qualitative but also quantitative. To build the quantitative piece when I started the program, I got together with each functional leader and asked them to set out some KPIs that they wanted to measure. Next, I worked with our consultant to help her integrate those KPIs into the interview. 

The process we set up was to ask the buyer to complete a quick quantitative survey built around our KPIs before the win/loss interview. Then, when the consultant gets on the call with the buyer, she's already seen those ratings and she can adapt her script to really dig into the exceptionally low or high scores to understand the perceptions driving them. 

Another big advantage of having buyers complete a survey in advance is that it allows our consultant to keep her questions really tightly focused. She limits each interview to a maximum of 20 minutes, which is great because that’s a pretty small ask of a potential interviewee.

Running these surveys has also allowed me to create trendlines, which I share in my win/loss reports. Let's say we do 15 interviews in a given quarter, half of them for won deals and half of them for lost deals. With an average overall rating, an average rating for just the wins, and an average rating for just the losses, I can trend how those KPIs are doing over time.

The cross-functional power of win/loss analysis

People tend to think of win/loss programs as being there solely to help sales close more deals successfully. While that’s certainly a major application, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Win/loss insights can help you drive improvements across virtually every aspect of your business.

For instance, my company has a Net Promoter program, which was previously only used with our existing customer base. I wanted to integrate that into our win/loss program, so we now ask interviewees to tell us on a scale from zero to 10 how likely they are to recommend us to a friend or colleague.

In any given quarter we have roughly a 50/50 mix of net new customers and lost prospects, which makes the answers to this question all the more interesting. Even lost prospects often turn out to be promoters of our company. Although we lost the deal, we really left a great impression, and – you never know – they might come back to us in the future.

As well as asking them for a rating, we ask them, “What would it take for you to provide a higher net promoter rating?” That gives insights into what we could be doing to raise their score even higher.

The hallmarks of a mature win/loss program

Perhaps you already have a win/loss program and you’re wondering how to take it to the next stage of maturity and really maximize the value it provides. What would that look like?

Simply put, a mature win/loss program features regular customer interviews that provide big-picture insights across the organization. Just talking to account teams gives an incomplete internal view that lacks the buyer's perspective.

As I mentioned earlier, when I joined Zuoro, our competitive intelligence function focused purely on providing insights to the sales team. However, I’ve developed and matured our win/loss program to take a more holistic view of the organization. We look at the whole picture – from perceptions of the company to product features to sales interactions – to uncover areas to improve.

For example, we include questions about how customers use references and their influence on decisions. I pass this intel to our customer reference team so they can quantify and boost their impact.

Maturity also means boiling down the data into rich insights instead of just sending raw metrics. These synthesized insights can be used across departments, guiding impactful actions for everyone.

In short, a mature win/loss program continuously captures the voice of the customer, leading to meaningful insights that encompass every aspect of your business. These insights are then delivered to the leaders of each function to drive constant improvement. 

Key takeaways

So, there you have it! Harnessing the voice of the customer in your win/loss analysis isn't just about improving sales; it's about driving meaningful change across your organization. Let's recap some of the main points we've covered:

🔍 Customer insights: The heart of a successful win/loss program lies in listening to what your customers have to say. It’s about getting the full picture, beyond your internal team’s perspective.

🤝 Sales collaboration: Partnering with your sales teams is crucial. It's not about monitoring them; it's about working together to understand customer needs better.

🌱 A holistic approach: A mature program is all about continuous improvement, leveraging insights across all departments, and evolving based on customer feedback.

⚖️ Balancing insights: Striking the right balance between qualitative and quantitative insights is key. Using a combination of surveys and in-depth interviews helps gather a rich, well-rounded understanding of customer experiences.