Tuesday, January 20, 2009

All Product Enhancements Needn't Travel First Class

I promised in my last post to offer suggestions to the beleaguered product marketer on how to survive "the wheel of death," that is the accelerated product release schedule for SaaS solutions.

One suggestion is to be aware that all product enhancements are not equally important. They don't all deserve first class treatment: press announcement, analyst briefings, emails to all customers, and a company party with balloons, tchotchkes, and a large sheet cake.

Some enhancements can go coach. Others, in fact, can go in the baggage hold. Minor product updates may only warrant a notice on the splash screen or, for true ignominy, a posting to the technical notes section of your user community website.

Keep in mind that there are only so many opportunities to ride in first class. Save them for the really important journeys.