Author: maryrshirley

7 Market Research Tips That Will Actually Impact Your Organization

September 19, 2017

Recently I ran a Q&A on Sharebird, a new platform that connects professionals in tech to help share knowledge. There were great questions about market research, and since this is critical to so many functions within an organization, I wanted to share my responses. These market research answers dive deep into 3 themes:  Building competitive … More 7 Market Research Tips That Will Actually Impact Your Organization

Messaging vs. Positioning – What’s the Difference?

September 5, 2017

Often the terms “positioning” and “messaging” are interchanged, but they are actually much different.  The easiest way to think about it is: Positioning = An internal, differentiated statement about your product, meant to be the north star for all messaging. Messaging = An external expression of copy relaying how your product is the best for … More Messaging vs. Positioning – What’s the Difference?

[Infographic] 5 Best Practices for a Successful Product Launch

August 7, 2017

Recently I wrote a post about how to have a successful product launch. This is a quick how-to guide of the basics that you need. If this is your first product launch, it can be overwhelming – so getting organized is key. Culled from over 100 product launches and 10 years of product marketing experience, … More [Infographic] 5 Best Practices for a Successful Product Launch

Reinvent the Launch: How to Keep Up Product Launch Momentum

July 18, 2017

Inspired by Product Hunt founder Ryan Hoover’s recent interview on “the launch” not being a “one time thing”  – I wanted to share a few of my favorite content strategies to build awareness and engagement for your product after the initial launch. By all means, pop the champagne and celebrating nailing the launch, but realize … More Reinvent the Launch: How to Keep Up Product Launch Momentum

Dispatch from the Mobile Marketing Association Conference

May 16, 2017

Since smartphones took over flip phones a decade ago, I have been amazed at how much our phones are extensions of ourselves, for better or for worse. Recent research reveals that Millennials check our phones up to 69 times a day ! Sometimes it feels like a lot more – like when I’m using Google Maps to … More Dispatch from the Mobile Marketing Association Conference

Why traditional personas are terrible (and how to make them better)

May 1, 2017

Marketers spend countless amounts of time and budget on quests to build the perfect buyer personas. Traditionally, buyer personas are created to understand more about the people buying your products, in order to make better decisions about content development, media strategy, and the holy grail – product development. Yet, marketers are frequently left scratching their heads when … More Why traditional personas are terrible (and how to make them better)

Why your product is not “for everyone”

April 12, 2017

The scene: Glass-windowed conference room at open-air tech office in SF, dog under the table, “micro-kitchen” snacks scattered around, and product manager adorned in company hoodie just finished her killer presentation on the next new game changing product. After the office applause settles, one brave soul dares to ask: “So, who is this for?” The product … More Why your product is not “for everyone”