How can we leverage product marketing for post-feedback product updates? What's the best way to reintroduce a product to users who didn't initially like or understand it?

I like to think of Product Marketers as co-owners of their product(s). It is PMM’s responsibility, alongside Product Management, to build a successful product and drive key business metrics. With this framing comes a responsibility for PMMs to own the success of a product not just at its initial launch, but throughout its lifespan to drive product satisfaction, retention, loyalty and advocacy from customers. This makes our role in communicating ongoing changes to the product really critical, as it’s extremely rare that you’ll launch a ‘perfect product’ on day one. There will always be changes! And just like at the initial launch, a PMM should be defining the Go To Market strategy for post-launch releases as well.

Does this mean that every feature update or product change needs a full GTM plan? No. 

But does it mean that for every feature update or product change, a PMM should have an opinion on why (or why not) it should be communicated, and to what extent? Yes.

Questions that can help shape the feature release plan include:

• Is this a bug fix or usability issue that will be noticed/appreciated by existing customers, but not meaningful for non-customers?
• Is it self-explanatory or will customers need some education on how to utilize the change?
• Does it directly address a pain point / top churn reason?
• Or is this net new functionality that could expand the addressable audience of the product?

Questions like these help you hone in on the target audience for the change (existing vs. potential customers), and scope of impact, all of which can guide your GTM recommendations.

In the case of re-introducing a product to a winback audience, I would typically focus the messaging on what is new and how the offering has changed, and be really targeted to this audience. These audiences can be difficult to convert, but when the reasons they were dissatisfied are directly addressed, I do think these are great opportunities to try and re-engage them -- just make sure you do it when you really have a new and improved story to tell!

There are two big categories here. 

1. Speaking with a customer after specific feature feedback
2. Re-introducing a product to a prospect/customer who said "no" 

I'll address the first one in the question about capturing beta feedback. Quick summary: Show the customer how you listened and incorporated their feedback, and how it impacted the product and other customers. 

The second is truly difficult. Once a customer has told you "no," or "this doesn't work for me," they have made a decision, and either chosen to stick with the status quo or select a competitor. So, approach carefully at all.

(As an aside, this is a very material reason why companies shouldn't "go big" with demand creation / capture marketing until you really know you've got great fit and understanding. You risk burning a ton of prospects if you're truly not ready. You have to keep a very close eye on this... maybe a topic for another session).

Perhaps the best thing to do here is to approach the conversation with full honesty. "I know you weren't satisfied with our solution to your problem the last time we spoke... I wanted to check in and see how you were managing today. Is it still a problem?" 

• If so, learn more - why is it a problem? Can you honestly address that problem? 
• Lead with empathy in that conversation, and see if there's a solutoin. But know that if you present something that still doesn't meet their needs, you're going to get final no.  

This is that situation where you have to do what's best for the customer/prospect, not what's best for your sales team or number. I can't tell you how many times I've told customers, "you're right - solution X does fit your needs better. I'm glad you found it." Or, "You know, I think based on what you've told me, you might be better off with a solution based on Y." 

There's no such thing as a perfect product for every customer. But that shouldn't stop you from helping someone with a hairy problem to solve. 

This is a great question! At Wistia and HubSpot, we implemented a "Product Spotlight Series" as a monthly mechanism to showcase incremental product improvements to customers via email, blog posts, and videos.

This approach reminds customers that your product is continuously evolving and encourages them to revisit features that they may have overlooked. Additionally, as the product evolves, it's essential to run campaigns that celebrate the new functionality.

It's also beneficial to consider re-engagement or win-back campaigns for customers who might have left because the product was missing a critical feature. It's important to note that even though a feature may not be brand new, promoting it can still provide value to your customers and potentially bring back those who've churned.

This depends on how your organization views product marketing. If PMM is seen as a change management vehicle, what are the established rules of communicate for product changes/updates? In my experience, If we position the initial customer feedback session as an envisioning exercise, then there is no formal commitment that what we have introduced as a concept/beta is necessarily the end product. I believe this is fair as the purpose of collecting feedback is to understand if the original vision and direction is correct. If the feedback is pointing to a different unmet need or different application of the product, then pivoting is in the best interests for the customer and the business.