CX's & O's: The Truth Behind Really Good Product Marketing

Product marketing often gets a bad rap. With all the flashy ads, catchy slogans, and viral campaigns, it’s easy to assume that great product marketing is all about surface-level tactics and aesthetics. But if you take a deeper look, you’ll find that the truth behind truly successful product marketing lies in much more than just the external packaging.

Effective product marketing is about deeply understanding the product, the customer, and the market—and aligning them in a way that creates genuine value. Let’s break it down.

1. It Starts with a Deep Understanding of the Product

The best product marketing doesn’t just focus on selling; it starts with understanding what you’re selling in the first place. A lot of companies fail at this because they focus too much on the features, forgetting that customers care more about the benefits.

Your product’s true value isn’t just in what it does; it’s in how it solves your customer’s problems or makes their life better. Great product marketing gets to the heart of the why—why does your product matter to your audience, and how does it improve their experience or fulfill a need?

Example: Apple doesn’t just market the iPhone as a phone. They market it as an extension of your lifestyle—a tool that simplifies communication, boosts productivity, and brings entertainment to your fingertips.

2. It’s All About the Customer’s Perspective

Good product marketing isn’t about telling the customer what the product can do; it’s about showing them why it’s the solution they need. It’s understanding your audience's pain points, desires, and motivations—and speaking directly to them.

The best marketers spend time talking to customers, getting feedback, and truly listening. This helps them craft messages that resonate. Understanding your customer’s journey—what they struggle with, what excites them, and what they want to achieve—is key to building a marketing strategy that feels relevant and personal.

Example: Nike doesn’t just sell shoes; they sell the idea of performance, pushing boundaries, and achieving greatness. Their marketing is designed to inspire, speaking to customers’ aspirations, not just the product itself.

3. It’s About Emotional Connection

At its core, product marketing isn’t just about transactions—it’s about building an emotional connection. People don’t buy products; they buy into experiences, identities, and feelings. The most effective marketing campaigns tap into the emotions that drive buying decisions.

Whether it’s joy, security, nostalgia, or empowerment, emotionally charged marketing resonates with customers and keeps them coming back. This is why you often see strong, relatable emotional storytelling in successful campaigns—because they help the brand form a bond with the customer that goes beyond the transaction.

Example: Coca-Cola’s "Share a Coke" campaign didn’t just market a soda. It sold a sense of connection and joy by putting people’s names on bottles, creating a personal experience that sparked a wave of sharing.

4. The Importance of Clear and Compelling Messaging

No matter how good the product is, it’s only effective if the message is clear and compelling. One of the biggest mistakes brands make is failing to articulate their value proposition in a way that’s simple, clear, and engaging.

Good product marketing distills the product’s benefits into concise, digestible messages that highlight the problem it solves or the need it fulfills. The best messages don’t just focus on features; they focus on the transformation that occurs when the customer uses the product.

Example: Dollar Shave Club’s slogan, “Shave Time. Shave Money,” is brilliant because it’s clear, catchy, and gets straight to the point. It’s not just about the razors; it’s about saving time and money without compromising on quality.

5. Consistency Across Channels

Great product marketing isn’t confined to one ad or one channel. It’s about creating a cohesive experience for the customer across every touchpoint. Whether someone sees your product in a social media post, on your website, in an email, or in a TV commercial, they should feel like they’re engaging with the same brand.

Consistency across channels helps reinforce your product’s message and builds trust with the audience. It’s about maintaining the same tone, look, and feel throughout your marketing efforts so the customer always knows exactly what they’re getting.

Example: Patagonia has built a consistent brand identity around environmental activism. Whether you’re engaging with them on social media or buying their products in-store, their commitment to sustainability is always front and center.

6. Continuous Testing and Iteration

Finally, the best product marketing isn’t static. It’s a continuous process of testing, learning, and improving. The market changes, customer preferences shift, and new competitors emerge. Great marketers keep a pulse on the market, gather data, and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Successful product marketing requires a constant feedback loop. It’s about measuring how well your messages resonate, understanding where customers are dropping off in their journey, and finding ways to refine your approach. This means running A/B tests, analyzing conversion rates, and using analytics to understand what works and what doesn’t.

Example: Amazon constantly tests different messaging, product placements, and recommendations to refine the customer experience and increase conversions.

Putting It All Together

The truth behind really good product marketing is simple: it’s about creating value for the customer. When you deeply understand your product, your audience, and how to connect with them emotionally, you create marketing that resonates, builds trust, and drives results.

Good product marketing isn’t just about pushing a product—it’s about telling a compelling story that makes customers feel understood, valued, and connected. When you get this right, sales will follow naturally.

Next time you think about your product marketing, ask yourself: Are we focusing on the value we’re bringing to the customer, and how we can truly connect with them on a deeper level?

Key Takeaways:

• Understand your product’s real value.

• Focus on the customer’s perspective.

• Create emotional connections.

• Craft clear and compelling messages.

• Stay consistent across all touchpoints.

• Keep testing, learning, and improving.

The truth behind successful product marketing is simple: it’s about building relationships, not just transactions.

Thanks for reading and see you here next week!

Sincerely,
Louis

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PPS - If you like these insights, check out my new book “One to One: How to Wow Your Customers With Personalized Experiences.” Learn more.