Launch Clinic

Steve Kayser comments on my launch ebook

Steve Kayser, uber media relations guy over at Cincom,  had some really nice things to say about my product launch ebook on Cincom’s eXpert Access blog. Maybe now, finally, my kids will think I’m cool. Nah. Thanks just the same Steve, I felt like a rock star for a while anyway.

My favorite line that Steve wrote:

It’s true and it’s funny. But it’s mostly funny because it’s true.

You truly got the essence of my message and articulated it better than anyone.

Product marketing manager word cloud

Just for fun I took the job descriptions I’ve been collecting and dropped them into Wordle.net. I thought you would like to see a graphical representation of your job description. Is it just me or is the word “planning” really that small?

Copyblogger: 7 Strategies for Escaping “Me Too” Product Launches

Jordon Cooper posted a piece on Copyblogger that I found interesting and wanted to share. The context of the post is around products that bloggers launch but there are many good ideas that can be applied to launching other products (even B2B technology products).

1. Limited time frame – using the concept of scarcity in pre-launch buzz building
2. A unique movement – think of your pre-launch material as a story with a single compelling theme
3. The joy of sharing – content goes viral because it’s as fun to share as it is to consume
4. Audience participation – find creative ways to shape your pre-launch content based on prospective customer input
5. Extreme consistency – make your pre-launch content into an addictive habit that ends with a purchase
6. The bandwagon effect – build a sense of popularity that others will want to be a part of
7. Lasting addiction – create a little high for your buyers, but don’t kill their buzz after launch

More from Jordon can be found at Not a Pro Blog

Product Launch eBook sourced for Gartner paper

Gartner analysts April Adams and Andy Rolfe published a research report titled "Marketing Essentials: How to Design a Successful Product Launch" and linked to my ebook "Is your product launch Doomed" as a source. You will need to be a Gartner client to gain access to the Gartner report. My ebook is available at no charge and with no registration form.

Product Marketing Manager – who are you?

I’m conducting marketing research on you, product marketing manager. I’m doing this to support a project. I don’t want to create a generalized or stereotypical picture of you; I want to create the perfect picture of you. I want to know everything about you. I want to talk to you in a way that your jaw drops in amazement when I speak.

The first thing I did was to jettison my biases, my preconceived notions, and my personal experience. The second thing I did was to go to the job boards to read ‘product marketing manager’ job descriptions. The goal of doing this is twofold: to identify what is common among product marketing manager job descriptions and what can I conclude about the role. While I’m early in the process here’s what I can report:

• You may have the job title of ‘product marketing manager’ but sometimes you’re really a ‘product manager’
• You have a BS or BA (the discipline varies across industries)
• You might have a MBA
• You have 5+ years of experience
• You are a “self starter”, an “excellent communicator”, a “team player”, and have a “proven track record”
• You know how to use Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel
• You have conflicting responsibilities
• Your duties are often “as assigned”
• Your company has no flipping idea what you do or how to measure your contribution

Out of the 100 or so job descriptions I’ve read, only one stated “You are the expert on our buyers, how they buy, and their buying criteria.”. One. Only a handful of job descriptions explicitly state your area of responsibility is outbound. A few had so many responsibilities listed it would be a job so incredibly dysfunctional you could never define what winning looks like.

It must feel like you’re a rat running in a maze with no cheese.

I want to hear from you. What do you think about your role? Am I getting warm? Does your job description match what you actually do?

How to freak out your PR team

It's really not that hard to freak out your PR team. Just tell them you want to issue a series of press releases as a SEO tactic. If they are old-school PR folks relying on the 'tried and true' techniques from the agency they worked for 10 years ago they may bristle and proceed to lecture you on the 'proper' usage of a press release.

There are rules. You must have two customer quotes and an analyst quote. AND it absolutely, positively must be newsworthy. Afterall there are journalists sitting down right now staring at their fax machines waiting for newsworthy releases and if we send them junk, well we embarrass ourselves for generations to come. We can't have any of that. No sir.

Using press releases as an SEO tactic has been quite effective for a number of years because it works. We present this technique in our Effective Product Marketing seminar and occasionally there is a PR person in the class that comes close to having an aneurism. "I beg your pardon?" "You can't tell people in my company that!" Well we do because if we didn't we would look foolish.

If you are a PR professional and you aren't aware of the technique of using press releases as an SEO tactic you have been living in a bubble. I suggest you venture out and see how very different the world of PR is from ten years ago. It's an exciting new place.

Your most important promotional vehicle

For B2B marketers your web site is your most important promotional vehicle. I know I'm overstating the obvious but I continue to be amazed at how little emphasis is placed on the one marketing asset than can drive the most qualified opportunities into the pipeline.

If we all know that our web sites are the most important promotional vehicle then why do so many web sites continue to suck so badly?

Avoids the buyer's problems

Does your web site drone on and on about the wonders of your product? Or do you genuinely attempt to connect your buyer's problems with how you solve them? One of my favorite examples is at 37 Signals. It's simple, crisp and clear. In a sea of CRM or CRM-lite products, 37 Signals have done a great job of simplifying their message.

Irrational organizational barriers

Does corporate marketing (or some other group) 'own' your web site and have they placed a process in place so onerous that you've given up? You don't print 10,000 copies of your web site every time you make a change. Corporate marketing shouldn't be a barrier, they should be cheerleaders. Content is king on the web and if there is any group that is preventing content from being added or updated, you should question their value.

Denial

Are there people in your company that still believe - in this day and age - they have buyers that don't use the web to seek out answers to their problems? This is utter nonsense. Most buyers want to learn about ways to solve their problems without having to talk with a salesperson first. Companies who believe otherwise are arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.