Nitika Shah, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Datacom, shares key insights from the Product Marketing Summit, highlighting AI, storytelling, and cross-functional collaboration for SaaS marketing success.

Earlier this month, I attended the Product Marketing Summit, where we explored everything from the role of the “Product Assassin” to the practical application of AI in product marketing. As a product marketing leader in SaaS, I left the summit inspired and energised by the conversations around collaboration, customer-centricity, and how we can better position ourselves for success in an ever-evolving technology landscape. Here are the key takeaways I’m thinking about — and how they could apply to our roles in marketing.

The product assassin: navigating the emotional rollercoaster of product retirement

One of the most impactful sessions came from Natasha Anich, Director of Global Product Marketing from Reapit, who shared her experiences as a “Product Assassin”—a term for marketers who handle the delicate process of ending a product’s lifecycle. Retiring a product isn’t just a matter of “pulling the plug”; it’s about orchestrating a smooth, empathetic transition for customers.

Key strategies Natasha highlighted:

  • Reconnaissance: Before embarking on a product retirement, it’s critical to understand when to pull the trigger, who your customers are, and their reluctance to transition. It's about identifying the customers you can retain and those you need to be comfortable with letting go.

  • Building trust: Trust-building is at the core of this process. Natasha suggested running educational webinars and myth-busting nurture email series to directly address customer concerns and debunk misconceptions.

  • Customer Success Management (CSMs): Preparing CSMs for emotional responses and objections is essential. Sending heads-up calls to high-value customers and providing objection handling training ensures that customers feel heard and supported during the transition.

  • The catch-all: After the transition, having a “catch-all” strategy in place ensures that no customer is left behind — focusing on product education paths, post-onboarding nurture, and ongoing CSM conversations.

The lesson here? Ending a product lifecycle can be an opportunity to double down on customer experience and retention — as long as you do it with empathy, clear communication, and well-planned support.

Cross-functional collaboration: no one succeeds alone

James Goodwin, Chief Marketing Officer from Wisr shared an important perspective on the growing need for cross-functional collaboration. He emphasised that the best product marketers don’t work in silos but align closely with other functions, including product, sales, and customer experience. We need to work as a unified squad, each team contributing their expertise to drive customer outcomes.

Here’s how cross-functional alignment can make a tangible difference:

  • Speed to market: In today’s fast-paced world, marketing and product need to be in lockstep to launch quickly. Every new feature is a marketing opportunity, but only if product and marketing work together to leverage it.

  • Data-driven decisions, but not at the cost of creativity: While data is critical, it shouldn’t overshadow creativity and intuition. What’s measurable isn’t always synonymous with being effective, it’s about finding the right balance between being data-informed and being creatively customer-centric.

  • The Three I’s framework: James also shared a framework that I loved: Intent, Influence, and Impact. Aligning product and marketing around these three goals ensures that we’re not just executing tasks, but creating real value at every stage of the product journey.

Doing more with less: insights from Adobe on regional product marketing

Jeremy Wood, Head of Product Marketing APAC from Adobe offered a practical, no-nonsense approach to managing product marketing when you’re a solo PMM for an entire region. For PMMs flying solo in diverse markets, it’s all about ruthless prioritisation.

Here’s how to make it work:

  • Prioritise ruthlessly: If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. The key to doing more with less is aligning your priorities with the business’s overarching goals. Consistent reinforcement of those priorities with stakeholders is vital.

  • Stakeholder management: Jeremy gave a memorable analogy: juggling “two sets of parents” — regional leaders versus global product and marketing leaders. This highlights the complexity of balancing multiple priorities and managing expectations. Building strong feedback loops is essential to ensure both sides are aligned on the direction.

AI and the future of product marketing: turning experimentation into results

Will Mulholland from Intelligent Marketer walked us through the real-world applications of AI for product marketers. AI is often talked about in lofty terms, but Will shared practical steps to turn AI from an unreliable assistant into a trusted collaborator.

  • AI as a team member: Will suggested thinking of AI not just as a tool but as a new team member. You need to give it proper context, clear examples, and structured frameworks to help it produce the best results.

  • Data-driven workflow: From competitive analysis to feature positioning, AI can automate these tasks, freeing up time for marketers to focus on higher-level strategy. The key is to test and validate AI outputs continuously to ensure accuracy and effectiveness. A highly recommended tool for competitive analysis that was shared on the day is called Competely.

The art of storytelling: making your product irresistible

Jen Thompson, Head of Product Marketing from Canva delivered a powerful reminder: while product features are important, storytelling is what makes your product irresistible. Relatability, emotional resonance, and clarity are the cornerstones of a “flop-proof narrative.” The lesson here is that a compelling product story isn’t just about explaining what your product does — it’s about connecting with your audience on a human level.

  • Tailored messaging: Understanding your segments and crafting messages that speak to their biggest pain points is key. Jen encouraged us to create content that is actionable and memorable, making sure your audience feels like the product was made just for them.

  • Experiential marketing: “Show, don’t tell.” Use experiential marketing to give your customers a taste of the product’s benefits in real life, creating lasting impressions.

A new era of product marketing: customer advocacy, AI, and strategic alignment The summit made one thing clear: product marketing is no longer just about messaging. It’s about creating meaningful experiences that drive customer outcomes and contribute to the overall success of the business.

Key trends emerging from the summit:

Customer advocacy: In today’s economic climate, customer retention is just as important as acquisition. Advocacy programs and building strong, long-lasting customer relationships will be key to maintaining growth.

  • AI: AI isn’t a trend, it’s a game-changing tool that’s here to stay, now so deeply embedded into marketers’ day-to-day that it’s hard to recall a time before its influence. Integrating AI into your product marketing workflows will become a necessity, especially for tasks like competitive analysis and content generation.

  • Cross-functional collaboration: The future of product marketing will require closer alignment with product, sales, and customer success teams to ensure the company is moving forward in lockstep.

The future of product marketing isn’t just about keeping up—it’s about staying ahead. By aligning with our teams, thinking creatively, and using data to inform, not dictate, our strategies, we can not only adapt to change but be at the forefront of it. As product marketers, we are the bridge between the product and the people, and it’s time we step into that role with confidence, curiosity, and a relentless focus on what truly matters. We’re at a pivotal moment in product marketing – let’s make sure we play a leading role.

Source: Nitika Shah, 20 November 2024