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Sarah Scharf
VP of Product and Corporate Marketing, Vanta
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Sarah Scharf
Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing • October 27
Yes, it's important to run a different playbook for major launches versus minor ones. Rather than thinking just around "product" vs "feature", I'd recommend developing a common definition for different tiers of launches. These are roughly the tiers we use: Tier 1: Expands capabilities with a d......Read More
2991 Views
Sarah Scharf
Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing • October 27
Every organization thinks about this differently, and I’ve worked across the spectrum from a single, annual release (Android OS) to continuous release (B2C startup). So what cadence is right? If you pressed me for a single answer, I would say a quarterly release (I didn’t make this up, I just ......Read More
1307 Views
Sarah Scharf
Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing • October 25
Naming and pricing are always the two most controversial decisions! Everyone comes to naming with their own strong preferences, and it can sometimes be an emotionally charged discussion. There are a few different axes you can consider for naming strategy: * Fanciful versus descriptive? Mos......Read More
739 Views
Sarah Scharf
Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing • October 25
Even in the age of endless message testing and optimization, nothing beats talking to customers. Get on customer and sales calls and use your own messaging - do their eyes glaze over? Or do they lean in and ask questions? Aside from this, it's critical to be locked at the hip with your demand ......Read More
705 Views
Sarah Scharf
Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing • October 25
Going from single to multi product is a great challenge to have! Rather than ask how you can align people internally, I'd challenge you to take the outside in view first: why would your customers care? Which personas of yours fit with each offering (primary, secondary) and what are the problem......Read More
699 Views
Sarah Scharf
Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing • October 25
Positioning is the framing of the house - it defines the structure and heavily influences the overall style (for instance, low and long like a midcentury modern or up and down like a townhome) Messaging is the design choices you make once the structure is built. If your messaging feels very di......Read More
686 Views
Sarah Scharf
Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing • October 25
This is a really good question and a real pain point. My recommendation is to form a Customer Advisory Board (exec level) and a Product Advisory Board (power users) who you can run messaging past and form a long-term, trusted relationship with. It will cost some money to convene the groups 1-2......Read More
675 Views
Sarah Scharf
Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing • October 25
Maybe a cop out answer but - I think it has to be both! Prior to Vanta, I worked at Google where the adage for good marketing was: "Know the user, know the magic, connect the two." I use this line of thinking all the time in my messaging work: Know the user: what are their challenges (really......Read More
671 Views
Sarah Scharf
Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing • October 27
I personally feel like too much is made of the distinction between B2B and B2C. Heads of IT are people too! In either case, the messaging is paramount. As I said above, commit to “Know the user. Know the magic. Connect the two.” And be able to express that in short / shorter / shortest lines of m......Read More
657 Views
Sarah Scharf
Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing • October 27
Of course! And for the record (and in case my product team is reading this ::waves::) that is a very healthy and constructive tension. Coordinating launches is all about tradeoffs. How I would approach is: * Articulate the tradeoffs: Clearly lay out what PMM and other stakeholders could p......Read More
617 Views
Credentials & Highlights
VP of Product and Corporate Marketing at Vanta
Lives In Los Angeles, California
Knows About Competitive Positioning, Consumer Product Marketing, Competitive Sales Enablement, SM......more