What will be your approach in this new year?

Will you transform products into stories of value or stories of value into products?🤔

In my experience, the former is the usual practice. Most product marketers typically wait for product managers to provide them with releases to craft a narrative and take to market.

💡But what if we change our approach? What if, instead of reacting to the product roadmap, we actively influence it?

I’m not suggesting product marketers taking over product managers. But I strongly believe that when these two teams join forces as one, it creates a powerful synergy.

Begin by crafting a story that explains the whole user experience with our product. Show how things get better for users with each new update. This story not only guides product marketing launches but also helps shape the product roadmap.

The most significant advantage of this approach is that it brings together multiple product teams to work on bringing the same narrative to life, resulting in a more cohesive product offering.

This concept isn't new. Apple has been following this approach for years, and now Airbnb as well. However, it's challenging for product marketing alone to drive this shift. Organizations should promote customer obsession, which needs to start from the top-down as part of the company culture.

For instance, when company meetings consistently focus on processes and business metrics rather than the user experience, people tend to lose sight of the users.

As we look ahead to 2024, consider this: it's not just about launching the product roadmap but shaping it through stories of value.