Part 1 Release Date: March 14, 2024 (2 min read).
📈 4 MICRO [PRODUCT MARKETING] CASE STUDIES
[1] Tweak your product-led content to reflect its position in the marketing funnel: TOFU (educate) vs. MOFU (use cases) vs. BOFU (wins).
Your TOFU content should focus on education to attract readers - ex: Vimeo 'how to' content to record your screen using Vimeo Record. MOFU on specific use cases - ex: "How Hotjar uses Hotjar" and BOFU on customer testimonials - ex: UserGems sharing quotes from their client interviews.
[2] (For GenAI products) Start with the core capabilities of GenAI and experiment with prototypes to uncover new opportunities for users.
Tome's Head of Product prefers working forward from the technology (re: GenAI) to stay on top of rapid advancements and find new ways to serve users. Prototyping, on top of that, offers a more iterative approach for Tome to develop creative applications that leverage AI without rushing to lock certain specifications.
[3] (For Startups) Test 3-5 growth channels over an 8-month timeline to gradually pick 1 channel to scale and optimize.
Dropbox, NerdWallet, and MVMT are companies that implemented growth marketing tactics by honing in successfully on one channel while starting out. For example, NerdWallet would produce 500 pieces of content per month on its road to becoming the "quintessential giant in SEO."
[4] Add an eligibility quiz to qualify the lead and clarify your benefits as part of the sign-up flow to allow access to your product or service.
Seniorly deliberately adds friction in the form of a quiz to validate the person looking for their service. Hiding features behind a sign-up beyond just qualifying also increases the motivation of the person to complete the form and get educated on the service.
📚 1 BOOK & TOP 3 INSIGHTS
“Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet” by Chris Dixon
[1] The read era: defined by websites and all about information. The read-write era: defined by publishing and making it easy for folks beyond web developers to reach a broad audience. The read-write-own era: defined by a new concept called tokens, focused on ownership.
[2] Creators and startups rely on dominant tech businesses - ex: networks like TikTok, Instagram, Twitter - to launch and grow new products. Blockchains offer alternate networks for creators to share in the upside and reach more desirable outcomes. Outside blockchains, every other technology movement, like AI, VR, self-driving, relies on stockpiles of data and capital from big companies.
[3] New technologies follow one of two paths - (i) Inside-out: technologies that start inside big tech and require significant capital and formal training, and (ii) Outside-in: technologies hatched by hobbyists, enthusiasts, open-source developers, and startup founders.
🧠 5 CURATED MARKETING THINK PIECES
[1] Sales sells, but who’s buying? [Note: Written by yours truly for PMA ;)]
[2] Sell The Product Before It Exists
[3] Your “TAM” is Why I Have Trust Issues
[4] Mid-market is no man’s land
[5] What 7 years at Google & Meta taught me about the importance of Product Marketing
Part 2 Release Date: March 28, 2024 (2 min read).
📈 4 MICRO [PRODUCT MARKETING] CASE STUDIES
[1] Use guerilla marketing tactics at conferences to aid brand building over short-term lead generation.
42 Agency looks at conferences as brand experiential events - an opportunity to make your brand memorable and allow attendees to link you to pleasant experiences. These experiences lead to high conversion conversations later. An unconventional example: 42 Agency once branded a limo with their magnets and ran a shuttle for the SaaStr conference attendees.
[2] Include community-product fit as part of your go-to-market strategy to go upmarket easily and build an enduring differentiator.
Lattice would spend 90% of its marketing budget on brand and community efforts vs. sales or performance marketing in the early years. The company would host dinners and conferences to give HR leaders much-needed attention.
[3] (For Startups) Explore extreme 'build in public' mentality and share your company's metrics, highs, and lows to grow your business.
Warmly's CEO consciously chose to publicly share the company's sales numbers, disagreements, and much more via Linkedin to break through their crowded market. Since the CEO's announcement to move in this direction, the company has 8X'ed its inbound demo requests!
[4] Think of the participants in a buying group (typically 5 people or more) for an enterprise as multiple entry points into a company.
Copy.ai's CEO doesn't believe in going after a single person (or persona) while trying to appeal to an enterprise. Even if the end users don't click immediately, other folks, like an economic buyer, may warm up to what you're selling.
📚 1 BOOK & TOP 3 INSIGHTS
[1] Employ the FACT framework to become a better growth marketer - (i) Find your customers, (ii) Acquire your customers, (iii) Convert your customers, (iv) Turn your customers into marketers.
[2] What is Good Growth? It's growth that is sustainable for your business model. Your free channels help you get quality customers. Your paid channels offer a positive net return. Your CAC is less than the LTV.
[3] Email is still the #1 option for retention in most cases. Unlike others, people opt into this channel to let you serve messages straight to their inbox. Break your email strategy into 3 categories: email newsletters, email flows (based on the user's progress), and transactional emails (triggered by a user's actions).
🧠 5 CURATED MARKETING THINK PIECES
[1] Unlocking hidden value: How niche markets are bigger opportunities than VCs think
[2] Positioning and Pessimistic Product Thinking
[3] The most important goal in designing software is understandability
[4] The big design freak-out: A generation of design leaders grapple with their future
[5] Using the Needs Stack for Competitive Strategy
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