Product Marketer’s Journey Bringing AI Products to Market

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Shownotes

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Corrine Kasman interviews Daniella Latham on the evolving landscape of product marketing. Daniella emphasises the importance of voicing customer needs from the outset of product development, advocating for oneself, and crafting compelling, data-backed narratives. Her approach to building strong, genuine relationships across departments, particularly between product marketing and sales, underscores the necessity of understanding and aligning with sales goals for mutual success. She also shares insights into the role of AI in product marketing and how marketers can utilise AI as a tool to augment human capabilities to focus on solving customer problems.

About the Guest

Daniella Latham is a curious product marketer with experience leading marketing and growth strategies at some of the fastest-growing and innovative SaaS companies in the world She is passionate about product marketing craft, product-led growth, crafting rich narratives, and AI for business. Daniella has twice been named a top 100 product marketing influencer by the Product Marketing Alliance. Daniella is currently working at Atlassian on AI features across their product portfolio.

Connect with Daniella Latham

Key Takeaways

Voice customer needs and opinions from the beginning of the product development process.
You need to advocate for yourself. Promote your work and achievements, ensuring visibility and recognition within your organisation.
Develop the ability to craft compelling narratives backed by data to communicate with target audiences effectively.
Proactively contact sales teams to offer feedback and insights, fostering solid interdepartmental relationships.
Recognise the sales team’s objectives, such as closing deals and customer satisfaction, to align marketing strategies accordingly.
Build genuine relationships rather than viewing interactions as mere transactions.
AI should be used to augment, not replace, human capabilities.
Focus on how AI solves customer problems rather than just listing features.
Listen to sales calls to identify knowledge gaps and customer concerns.
Embrace AI for automating tasks and mining insights from various data sources.
Shift towards more targeted, specific marketing that addresses core customer segments.
Recognise the growing importance of community in establishing brand trust and authenticity.
Prioritise genuine, human-centric approaches in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Quote

“Understand what the sales team’s goals are and then frame how you build relationships around that.”

Highlights from the Episode

Tell us about your product marketing journey and how you got here.

Daniella successfully transitioned from teaching and nonprofits to the tech industry, leveraging her experiences in community management to excel in product marketing. Her story demonstrates that a non-linear career path, driven by curiosity and the willingness to embrace new opportunities, can lead to significant growth and success. Embracing change and staying attuned to industry trends, like Daniella’s recent focus on AI, are crucial for professional development in today’s dynamic job market.

Understanding your customer is one thing that makes outstanding product marketers. What are the other best practices for product marketing and career tips?

Daniella recommends being opinionated to represent customer interests effectively throughout the product development cycle. Embracing a proactive and curious mindset is crucial for navigating the cross-functional nature of the role. Daniella also advises being your advocate, actively documenting and sharing achievements. Lastly, she underscores the importance of storytelling, using data to enhance narratives.

How do you view the cross-functional process between product marketing and sales, particularly regarding alignment? Are there any best practices you recommend for enhancing collaboration between these teams, considering the importance of their partnership?

Proactive involvement, such as participating in sales calls, is imperative for understanding the sales process, customer concerns, and the product’s positioning. This hands-on approach helps build a strong, collaborative relationship between marketing and sales, crucial for any organisation’s growth. Daniella’s advice is particularly relevant for those in high-growth startups and companies scaling up, where aligning these functions can be challenging yet essential.

What impact do you think AI will have on the product’s value?

AI adoption can be likened to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, starting with low-stakes applications like workflow automation, moving to mid-stakes uses in team collaboration, and culminating in high-stakes enhancements in work quality and business outcomes. This approach underscores the need for clear communication about AI’s role as an augmentation tool, not a replacement. Her advice to focus on practical use cases rather than succumbing to AI hype provides a pragmatic framework for companies looking to integrate AI into their products.

What have been your key learnings from taking an AI-powered product to market?

Daniella points out the complexities of forming specialised teams and the importance of clear roles and effective communication to prevent siloed work. A key takeaway is the emphasis on understanding and addressing customer problems rather than merely presenting product features. Daniella’s strategy of engaging with customers and staying informed about sales conversations provides a blueprint for product marketers aiming to position their AI capabilities effectively in a crowded market.

What are some trends in 2024 that product marketers should look out for?

AI will continue to be integrated into product marketing, particularly in automating tasks and extracting insights. Daniella predicts a shift towards more contextual and personalised marketing in response to customer demands for relevance and specificity, especially in B2B contexts. Additionally, she highlights the growing importance of community building in marketing, driven by the desire for authenticity and personal connections in an AI-dominated landscape. Her insights reflect a blend of technological advancement and human-centric approaches in product marketing.