AMA: Algolia Head of Product Marketing, Reshma Iyer on Product Launches

We follow a cadence of reviewing releases for the upcoming quarter at midpoint of the current quarter. Additionally, for all releases identified by product marketing as Tier 1 and Tier 2, a comprehensive NPI process kicks in to ensure cross functional alignment.

There are a few dimensions to consider when setting targets -- revenue, channel performance, downstream adoption, leading and lagging indicators are some of them. Targets can look different based on the launch. There is a tendency to default to revenue and in that case, it is necessary to look at applicability of the product with the existing customer base i.e. upsell motion and for prospects, evaluating if one segment (like enterprise or SMB) is more likely to be interested. Adoption is often times a target that gets left behind.

I try to keep to one single messaging artifact -- this can contain the following: Section A- overarching messages, true to all: * master value prop * technical capabilities/product features * value pillars (can can contain further point of substantiation on why and how) Section B- * Persona based: feature/functionality value delivered based on jobs to be done by this audience * Vertical based: feature/functionality value delivered to business outcomes Including a competitive lens for differentiation can be of use for large/Tier 1 launches.

Bundling launches can drive efficiencies of scale and impact of message. If there is a Tier 1 launch, that is the primary and sole message/launch for that quarter. At other times, we bundle features/capabilities being shipped in a quarter to ladder up to a larger theme. The marketing channel mix will also look different based on the approach.

A few things need to fall into a consistence cadence to accomplish scalable launch processes: * Timely visibility into the product roadmap * GTM team alignment on accomplishing sales enablement ahead of marketing launch dates * Marketing team education and buy in on what's being launched resulting in a channel/swimlane plan If one of these is weak, it tends to impact the rest of it. Also, creating awareness within the company that "code complete does not equal to marketing launch date" -- this is a concept that gets a lot of push back. This is a discussion that needs to be had upfront while preparing for a launch as marketing has the best picture on the ideal launch timeframe.

Marketing enablement is the first step i.e. bringing everyone onboard what is getting build, why, value delivered to the target audience and revenue impact. The artifacts for this step are: A strategic brief and an enablement session with a live demo/recorded video of the product in action. From here, the a live or async discussion with marketing/channel leads on how each one is thinking about activation for their channel.

Whether it's a crowded market or not, message testing with friendlies in the customer base is a practice that everyone should think about incorporating. Plan to do this and therefore budget a window to run the research and make modifications. The testing does not have to be heavy lift as you're looking for reactions to words and meaning.

I think having an "outside in" voice can make things a little exciting for e.g. devrel and dev influencers can make things more engaging.

The tiering system has really helped establish how much marketing force will be applied. For tiny improvements, the process can range from nothing to a small cross functional team executing on the launch plan for e.g., if a version change is being pushed which does not impact the end user, this can be captured in the change log. However, if a big update is being pushed live, communicating this with the dev team is good practice.