The Overview #43 - Building Momentum

Hey there. This is The Overview, a weekly roundup of noteworthy B2B SaaS stuff. You’ll find interesting thoughts, articles, and more from around the internet.

In this post:

Make space for research and strategy

If you’re a marketer, be honest: when was the last time you did some structured research?

When was the last time you wrote a strategy doc that wasn’t built on goals and aspirations, and instead built on a solid review of your context and prioritized opportunities?

Building the space and trust to do this can be difficult. Some managers will outrightly reject any attempt, not understanding that ‘slowing down’ mean leads to ‘speeding up’.

Try to make research happen. Collect assumptions, gauge confidence, and evaluate the unknown-unknowns. Create a proposal focused on filling in the gaps.

And if that doesn’t work, do it under the radar anyway.

It’s a good joke… a great joke even… but I need you to stop

A quick search shows 242,000 results that include “save time” and “increase revenue”. Add “demo” in there to indicate B2B sales, and you’re get 124,000 pages.

How are you going to stand out?

Here’s a tip: it’s not just by having a fancy designed website, it’s gotta say the right things too. And it’s so easy to do (my Customer Value Positioning framework helps).

Understand your customer, and the valuable outcomes they desire. Demonstrate how your product features and benefits help them. Simple.

Go-to-market strategy is complex

When I started as a product marketer 10 years ago, I was like… WTF is go-to-market?

Theoretically, like Marc says, it’s easy. Who are the customers? What’s the value proposition? How do you message that to them? How do you launch and market to them? How do you set goals and keep learning?

In practice, like Marc also says, it’s complex AF. The mindset, the templates, the right way to approach problems.

Lean on (and support) others. Find product marketers who’ve been there and done that, and can point you in the right direction.

(Alicia and I just wrapped up the first cohort of our course, aptly named… WTF is Go-To-Market?! We’re planning the next cohort for May/June. Check out the details and register your interest!)

Swipe File: Case study inspiration

???? When you become a free Building Momentum subscriber, you get access to my exclusive product marketing swipe file! Click here to find out more.

I think most case studies can be… pointless. Dull, droll, and disappointing.

Here’s a post I recommend reading on how to create good case studies that have five crucial elements.

This tip, in particular, stands out: ensure the case study meets at least one of the three types of effective testimonials (from Creative Class):

The before-and-after changes a client experienced from working with you.
The excellent results they achieved.
They unexpected value they received from your work.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought – find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

P.S. If you’ve found value in Building Momentum, could you buy me a coffee? Here’s my tip jar – any support is gratefully appreciated!

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