What are the key features to highlight in a new SaaS product launch?

Prior to identifying your target market, you should start with a diagnosis of the market. What is currently going on that sparked the idea of creating something new? Then, and only then, you should start doing market research and segmenting who you want to target. Most companies (especially SaaS) are starting with the product right away or are trying to figure out tactics. The problem is the most relevant part, but in a crowded market like software, when a lot of companies think they can just create new categories, you need to master your market firsthand. Otherwise, you'll get way bigger issues than figuring out your targeting :)

Knowing your target audience, markets, and problems you solve are all important, but the key is describing how the customer wins, feels good, and contributes to their customers or constituents. The SaaS feature is a means to an end, showing the ends and how the customer feels – wins – and contributes to the world.

Knowing your target audience is the foundation for relevant feature marketing. ?? Develop buyer personas based on real data - who are they, what are their pain points, how do they buy? ?? This allows you to map product capabilities to what matters most to each persona. ?? Avoid the trap of touting features customers don't need. ?? Audience-centricity focuses your messaging on the benefits that truly resonate. ??

??Introducing a new SaaS product necessitates emphasizing unique benefits and functionalities that resonate with target customers. Key Features to Emphasize: ?User Experience (UX): Seamless, intuitive design. ?Scalability: Adaptable growth as business evolves. ?Integration Capabilities: Compatibility with existing tools and software. ?Security: Robust measures ensuring data protection. ?Customization: Tailored solutions for distinct business needs. ?Support: 24/7 customer service and resources. You craft a launch narrative that effectively communicates value and addresses potential customer pain points by underscoring these attributes.

I disagree with this. Most innovative B2B companies are moving away from feature/benefit to focus on value narratives focused on the use cases/goals the buyer can achieve from your solution. So, not how does this help me (benefit) but how does this specifically let me reach my marketing goal, productivity needs, etc.. Focus on value (not features). There are a lot of great resources out there that focus on value frameworks, value positioning, value propositions, and how to articulate these in different content assets (web copy vs. longer copy), etc.

I agree with Megan. While it is valuable that the buyer understand feature benefits, the focus area should be oriented to achieving outcomes. Focusing on features and feature benefits alone does not help the buyer understand how the solution gets them from point A to point B, or how they can achieve their larger organizational goals with the solution.

Anthony Pierri & and Robert Kaminski have been bringing the idea of capabilities, which is between features and benefits. Features: Centralized Dashboard Capability: See all of your data in one place Benefit: Take data-driven decisions quickly A benefit doesn't tell you what is it. If I'm telling you that you can go from NYC to Boston smoothly, and you're looking for a car, this benefit isn't the source of why you're buying and won't help you differentiate.

While user needs and functional solutions in a product are essentially two aspects of the same coin,it's essential to focus on each of them separately at different stages of your interaction with the user. Engaging in a conversation with users about their needs helps them self-identify and understand their role in the offered solution. This is especially critical when introducing a new way to address an existing need. In the case of creating commodity, this holds less significance. At the same time, you must present the user with a vision—a concrete description of how the promised value will be achieved through your solution. To sum it up, one should not underestimate the importance of providing a detailed description of the functionality.

Ideally, you've invested effort beforehand to validate your product with your target audience. Whether through closed beta, early access or plain invite-only testing, do research before launching that actually exposes your target audience to the product. This keeps you from guessing what to focus on during the launch. Use your users' language; tie their motivations, struggles, a-ha moments and the value they seek to your product. Your ideal customer profiles will evolve as your product evolves, and so will your positioning and messaging.

The challenge here is that your advantage must align with the needs of user audiences. In such a scenario, if we believe that your advantage stems from a genuine need rather than happening by chance. Then our goal is to identify all the various issues faced by customers and assess how well our competitors address these needs. This approach allows us to systematically create value that your clients will truly appreciate. Prioritization becomes relatively straightforward when we have a clear understanding of which customer tasks are particularly pressing.

Remember that what you think differentiates your product from competitors is not necessarily what your users will think. Focus on what your product does well and highlight any unique features it may have, but keep it honest—you will discover true differentiators as your product attracts customers, not before.

Spotlight your unique differentiators that set you apart from competitors. ?? Identify your unfair advantages - innovation, experience, business model? ?? Reinforce your positioning - are you the easiest, most advanced, most integrated option? ?? Base claims on real data - customer quotes, ROI stats, reviews. ?? A strong unique value proposition attracts customers looking for something better than the status quo. ??

The most crucial step is to define the product-market fit and proceed with short MVP releases. This allows you to gather feedback, refine your product, and focus on the features that resonate most with your target audience. By iterating through MVPs, you can better understand which features to highlight in your marketing campaigns and effectively communicate the benefits and uniqueness of your SaaS product without overwhelming or confusing your audience.

My recommendation - focus on the features that contribute to solving the problems that make the biggest difference for your customers. How will you know? 1) start building a list of problems you solve with your product /release 2) Rank each problem around 3 criteria: a - how valuable it is to solve for your customers (1-10) b - how critical it is to solve for your customers (1-10) c - your ability to exceed expectations in solving it (1-10) It's like a triangle (as I describe in my book The Remarkable Effect). Put that in a spreadsheet and turn it into a formula (a * b * c) = outcome. Then focus on explaining features that contribute to the lines that have +500 points.

I think the Amazon internal press release is a great framework to use for product launches. For background, before any product development begins, Amazon teams are encouraged to draft a fictitious press release announcing the finished product. This press release is intended to articulate in clear and simple terms the value proposition of the new product for the end-user. The press release process focuses PMMs to hone their storytelling and positioning, highlight the newsworthy elements of their product launch, take the perspective of their customers, articulate value props clearly and concisely, and address FAQs. Start with the story and benefits to drive which features you ultimately highlight!

Use storytelling to communicate the differentiated value of your product. Do not focus on features and benefits. You will not get an emotional reaction from your audience talking about features. Nobody wants to hear a story about how Luke Skywalker's lightsaber was made. They want to hear the story of how the Rebel Alliance defeated the Empire.

Using storytelling and visuals is a highly effective strategy. Once you've identified the key features to emphasize, presenting them in a compelling manner is crucial. Storytelling is a potent tool for creating an emotional connection with your audience, demonstrating your product's value, and inspiring action. You can leverage storytelling to highlight customer success stories, case studies, testimonials, or scenarios that illustrate how your product can help customers achieve their goals.

Knowing your target audience, markets, and problems you solve are all important, but the key is describing how the customer wins, feels good, and contributes to their customers or constituents. The SaaS feature is a means to an end, showing the ends and how the customer feels – wins – and contributes to the world is what is remembered and gets used.

Storytelling and visuals bring features to life with emotional resonance. ?? Use stories of customer challenges and successes to show real-world impact. ???? Visuals like infographics and video simplify complex capabilities. ? Leverage testimonials and reviews to convey authentic experiences. ??? Compelling narratives and visuals inspire audiences and drive adoption. ? Boring walls of text fail to connect. ??

Conduct A/B testing to compare different versions of your feature highlights will help you identify which messaging, visuals, or strategies resonate best with your audience and drive the desired actions, whether it's clicks, conversions, or user retention

Continually test and optimize feature marketing for maximum response. ?? A/B test positioning statements, visual assets, promo offers. ?? Analyze click-throughs, conversions, retention by persona and campaign. ?? Double down on what works - refine or eliminate what doesn't. ??? User feedback provides clues for improvements. ?? Agile optimization ensures your messaging always improves. ??

Stay true to the consumer insight. The story telling should accentuate the benefit not the latest trend in town, which generally leads to becoming a me too very fast #thisistheway

??The success of a SaaS product launch hinges on highlighting its most distinguishing and valuable attributes. Features to Spotlight: ?User Experience (UX): Prioritize a streamlined and intuitive interface. ?Scalability: Emphasize the product's ability to grow with businesses. ?Integration Capabilities: Showcase seamless integration with popular tools. ?Data Security: Reinforce robust protection and privacy features. ?Innovative Solutions: Detail unique solutions to pressing industry problems. In a digital-centric world, ensuring your SaaS product stands out by spotlighting its pivotal features is paramount.

A product launch is the quintessential act of product marketing. If you understand how to successfully launch a product, you understand how to be a successful product marketer. Stick to a solid launch process: 1: Nail the messaging and positioning (get this into a doc as a single source of truth, and ensure every single deliverable and piece of content ladders up to it). 2: Make a list of the deliverables (internal and external content that needs to be created, the customers who need to be involved, approvals and buy-in, etc.). 3: Build your launch plan (specific activities that need to be completed by certain dates by specific owners). 4: Establish a regular check-in cadence to execute on the plan and ensure everyone is aligned.