Tag Archives: product marketing

No One Cares About Features…Or Your Product

With apologies to “experts” who can detect AI-generated text—they know who they are—I want to DELVE into a statement I made in my 9am post.

“I don’t ask for your feature list; no one cares.”

Over the years I have managed or marketed a number of products and services: Omnitrak, Printrak BIS, MorphoBIS Cloud, Morpho Video Investigator, Incode Omni, AEM Resurgence, IB360°, and many others.

All of which had extremely impressive lists of features.

And over the years I slowly realized that prospects and even happy customers didn’t care about ANY of those features.

Because customers don’t buy features…or products.

They buy solutions to their problems.

  • If you’re telling prospects about your 1000 pixel per inch resolution, they will respond “So what?” and ask about reducing their jurisdictional crime.
  • If you’re telling prospects about your certifications, they will respond “So what?” and ask about keeping privacy lawsuits away.
  • And if you’re telling your prospects about your financial integrations, they will respond “So what?” and ask about making money. Lots of money. Loads of money.
Everything counts in large amounts.

Your product marketing shouldn’t talk about your products.

It should speak to your prospects.

Because then your products won’t only make money for your customers, but will also make money for you.

And don’t you want money, rather than a long feature list?

Let’s talk.

Stop losing prospects! Use Bredemarket content for tech marketers
Use Bredemarket content.

Don’t Bore Your Prospects; Compel Them

If your product marketing is so “me too” that you only generate leads for your competitors, how can I help?

I ask, then I act.

The Seven Questions I Ask.

I don’t ask for your feature list; no one cares. I ask to uncover YOUR “why” story that compels your prospects to buy your stellar product, rather than all the products that aren’t as valuable as yours.

Then I act. I create a draft for your review. And you act in reviewing it. And when we are both happy, you publish.

And your prospects respond.

Talk to Bredemarket.

Stop losing prospects! Use Bredemarket content for tech marketers

Putting the Tires Before the Purpose of Your Drive

So I had to fulfill a medical appointment and got into my car WITH TIRES, started it, and positioned THE TIRES so that I would head north, then west, toward the medical facility. Once I got to the parking lot I parked my car WITH TIRES and went inside. Less than a half hour later I exited, walked to my car WITH TIRES, and drove home. (Did I mention that my car has TIRES?)

Google Gemini.
Google Gemini.

Recent Product Marketing Posts from John E. Bredehoft at Bredemarket

I just updated Bredemarket’s product marketing information page. It doesn’t list everything I’ve written about product marketing, but it touches on a good portion of my posts.

If you haven’t kept up, here are some of the latest posts from March, April, and May of this year.

You can see the entire product marketing information page here.

Is Your Identity/Biometric Firm Too Busy Putting Out Fires to Install a Sprinkler System?

It’s the classic case of paralysis by overwhelmedness. (Not officially a word, but bear with me here.)

Your identity/biometric firm needs experienced product marketing contract help because you are drowning in work. But because you’re drowning in work you can’t take the time to set up that contract.

Bredemarket can help you contract with Bredemarket.

Now there are certain things that Bredemarket can’t do. Well, Bredemarket could do them, but you (understandably) won’t let me.

  • I can’t create my own contract with you. Actually I can, and I have with some clients, but your company probably requires that I use your contract, which I don’t have.
  • I can’t enroll myself as a vendor in your purchasing system. Trust me, that would be dangerous. Hmm…net 5 terms at $1,000 per hour?
  • I can’t onboard myself into your other internal systems. If I could, that would be a major security flaw.

But there are things that I can do to make your life easier when you onboard Bredemarket as a contractor/vendor…especially if you are an identity/biometric firm.

  • You don’t have to explain to me what a bifurcation or ridge ending are. I’ve been working with fingerprints since 1994 and know these things.
  • You don’t have to teach me how to spell NIST. While the 1985 interchange standard was before my time, I’m familiar with every ANSI/NIST standard since 1993 to the present day.
  • You don’t have to explain to me what a “factor” and a “modality” are. Heck, I wrote the book on factors and modalities.
  • You don’t have to create a briefing book. Just let me ask the questions and we’ll figure out the scope together.

So I can meet your partway. Then we’ll realize our mutual goal of making your products prominent and making the competitive products look weak.

So let’s talk and move the process forward.

Oh, and the title of this post was suggested by Google Gemini. AI is only a tool, but sometimes it’s a very effective tool. Sometimes.

Is Fun Allowed?

I have been known to tell coworkers that I was going to “play” with something. Some were horrified, but others understood completely.

Regardless of the emotions you want to convey in the final content, it’s OK to let loose while you develop your ideas.

Luckily for me, a client recently requested some “fun” concepts. Obviously I can’t share the text I provided to the client, but here is a altered representation of one small idea I had.

Google Gemini.

So go ahead and have fun. (Even if you can’t tell anyone that you’re having fun.)

Incidentally, one of the seven questions I ask my clients is about emotions.

I ask, then I act.

If you want to me “act” on behalf of your company and develop product marketing content, proposals, and analysis, then click below and schedule a free meeting with me.

Stop losing prospects! Use Bredemarket content for tech marketers
Stop losing prospects!

Why Identity/Biometric Product Marketers Should Target Organizations Instead of Enterprises

Since I am not really a business-to-consumer guy, I tend to think of hungry people (target audiences) who number in the hundreds or thousands rather than millions. For example, if you want to sell your identity/biometric solutions to banks with total assets of over US$100 billion, there are only about 100 of them.

Marketing products in this environment requires a completely different mindset. Rather than hiring a Kardashian or Jenner as your influencer or spokesperson, you’d hire a Buffett. (If you could. You probably can’t, unless he owns the company.)

Therefore you need to concentrate on the players who make buying decisions, from the CxO level down to the users. That is the way to get your product into the enterprise.

But if enterprise penetration is your goal, you’re doomed to failure.

Why an enterprise-only strategy will fail

For example, enterprises usually don’t buy automated biometric identification systems. Government agencies do.

Believe me, I know. Many identity/biometric firms sell to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and their orders have been disrupted on and off since last October.

One acronym that I love to use is B2G—business-to-government. But I’ve learned the hard way that many people have never heard this acronym before. (Scan the job descriptions and spot the ones for marketing to government agencies that require “B2B” experience.)

So Bredemarket doesn’t seek clients that only sell to enterprises. I seek those that sell to organizations, both private and public.

If your identity/biometric or technology company markets products to organizations and you need strategic and tactical assistance, talk go Bredemarket.

Bredemarket: Services, Process, and Pricing.

Product Marketer For Hire, Sunday at 9:00 PM (8:00 PM Central), Sponsored by Marlboro

You know that the video I shared earlier begged to be expanded into a television show. And that for the proper setting, the show itself would market products in a way that is illegal today; yes, the show would be sponsored by Marlboro.

Google Gemini.

So without further ado…

“Product Marketer For Hire,” Sunday at 9pm: “The Stranger”

The introduction to the television show “Product Marketer For Hire.”

(The show introduction is followed by a Marlboro commercial.)

Scene 1: Main Street, Ontario

(Sharp-eyed Inland Empire residents will notice that this depiction is entirely fictional, since the real “Main Street,” officially known as Euclid Avenue, is much wider and less dusty than the street depicted here. Allow me artistic license.)

As the Ontario townsfolk were gathered on the street in late afternoon, a mysterious stranger rode into town. He was a most unusual man. For one, he was smiling, unlike the other strangers that have come before him. For another, his brown/tan/black official western wear issue (Montgomery Ward catalog, pages 333-334) was rudely interrupted by a blue patch with a “B” on it. There was something else odd about him, but no one spoke of it.

The mysterious stranger rode up to the saloon, dismounted his horse, and walked in.

Scene 2: The Saloon, Ontario

The mysterious stranger slowly walked to the bar and took a seat as the bartender eyed him warily.

“What’ll you have?” the bartender asked gruffly.

“Strum,” the stranger replied.

(Hey, Inland Empire residents, I got that one right.)

As he sipped his drink, the stranger couldn’t help but notice the older man in a gray jacket staring at him. As everyone in the saloon quietly watched, the older man slowly walked toward the stranger.

“Sir,” said the older man.

“Yes?” asked the stranger.

The older man gestured toward the stranger’s belt. “Those aren’t guns you have in those holsters.”

The stranger paused. “No, they’re not.”

“In fact,” the older man scoffed, “they look like pencils.”

The stranger nodded. “Yes they are.”

The older man’s face betrayed the slightest smirk. “Why” – he paused – “would a man carry PENCILS in his holster?”

As the older man and the others in the saloon broke out into grins, the stranger eyed them all with a serious expression. He paused before responding.

In a loud voice the stranger replied. “Business.”

Everyone looked puzzled at that unexpected response.

After a long pause, the older man turned back to the stranger. “Sir,” he asked, “exactly what kind of BUSINESS are you in?”

(Time for another Marlboro commercial)