The obsession with marketing – before doing any product development

Marketers are usually the first to notice the proverbial cart before the horse.

One might safely assume that the average business always has their end product fine-tuned to meet their customers’ needs. Or at the very least, a prototype that’s up to standard for release, followed by analytics and testing for the next iteration.

Many businesses do – and the ones that do, always set themselves apart from their competition. These are more sustainable than the rest, even if they are slow to roll out new features or updates.

But businesses that place too much emphasis on impressions, CTR and other engagement-focused stats while product development is put on the back burner – are setting themselves up for a ticking time bomb.

As much as this isn’t breaking news, it’s still considered a bold statement in this day and age of prioritising growth over anything else. But let me explain (or rather, remind?) why this isn’t even remotely viable – as tempting as it may seem.

Tell-tale signs of marketing done on a poorly developed (or flawed) product

It isn’t all that hard to spot companies that focus on marketing more than product development:

• Campaigns that are built just to produce staggering impression numbers overnight,
• Management ignoring the nuances of customer feedback for enhancing capabilities offered,
• Or, the more glaring sign from a customer’s perspective – a product that looks robust, and is aggressively promoting and advertising across multiple channels. But post purchase, they realise it was all a facade.

Sure, limited time and resources may reduce the priority quotient of some feedback items when it comes to product development, but the nitty-gritty of running a sprint isn’t the crux of the problem here.

If you are consistently neglecting product enhancements in order to place all resources, time, budgets and efforts towards marketing and promotions – you are setting your brand up for eventual failure.

Also read: Even if brands know what to do – not all of them follow through

Again, this isn’t breaking news, but it’s a pit many businesses keep falling into, time and time again.

On top of that, marketers abound who will hustle to promote a less-than-ideal product, simply because a business wants to – and is willing to pay for it.

The hallmark characteristic of a truly competent marketer, though, and one who genuinely has your business’s best interests at heart, is one who candidly pinpoints product flaws.

Another marketer green flag? One who proactively engages with team members outside of their core teams, to address concerns related to the product (such as what role each department plays to serve the customer).

Only when such quandaries are resolved, can your marketing teams get clarity on how to promote, to whom, when, where, and why.

Heck, this isn’t even a marketer’s job to do. But it’s only when you start marketing efforts on a product, that you discover where its flaws lie.

Don’t get me wrong: a product doesn’t have to be perfect to deserve being promoted. But it does need to meet certain standards in order to expect revenue-generating engagement and long-standing trust from prospects.

Also read: Top four signs of a good marketer

When is a product ready for marketing?

1. When your customer journey is well documented, thoroughly tested, and every step is accounted for by different members of your team. In other words, your team knows exactly what to do, at every step your customer is in. This includes knowing how to resolve all known problems.
2. When your product is comprehensively tested for technical functionality, and approved by the quality assurance team. This goes without saying, but it’s still worthwhile to mention as even the smallest hiccups can cause instant abandonment by users.
3. When you have a pilot campaign ready. No matter how foolproof your product may seem or how generous your allocated budget is, start small. Always. Patience pays off, as your pilot will give you the insights you need to steer your marketing in the right direction. Then increase momentum gradually.

So before you think about marketing, think about your product. For if your product falls short, marketing alone won’t be able to pick up the slack.

Sounds simple, but isn’t. However, that’s what will set you apart from the rest. So don’t be the brand that knows what’s right, but won’t do it. Lead by example and do the tough (but right) thing!

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