Product Marketing Framework for Startups and new products

Product marketing for startups is notoriously difficult. It's rarely the first hire for startup CEOs. However, a skilled product marketing hire can be invaluable, especially for early-stage startups striving for product-market fit. Studies show that startups with a dedicated product marketing function grow 28% faster than those without.

As a product marketing manager, you must demonstrate your worth quickly. You can accelerate product-market fit and drive growth. After working with multiple successful startups (over 80% have exited), I've developed a simple yet powerful framework based on a memorable acronym: ENCHANT.

This 7-step framework guides you to acquire the right customers faster, laying a strong foundation for future scaling.

Follow these steps to captivate your audience and outmaneuver the competition:

1. Engineer Experiences (Uncover Hidden Needs). Don't build blindly. Use Minimum Viable Offers (MVO) to unearth unmet customer needs through research to create surprising value.

2. Niche Obsession & Provocation (Niche Down, Don't Scale Up). Resist the urge to scale too soon.

3. Craft a Disruptive Narrative (Value Over Hype). Skip the fluffy hype.

4. Hack Funnels (Marketing and Product Interplay). Optimize customer touchpoints by aligning marketing and product efforts.

5. Amplify User Insights (Embrace User Feedback). Customers help you with positioning.

6. Nichework (Leverage Connections). Tap into niche networks, influencers, and communities for a groundswell of support.

7. Track (Show Momentum with Metrics & Conversations). Relentlessly measure your progress through data and user conversations to course-correct swiftly.

The path to startup success is challenging but navigable with the right strategies. Implement the ENCHANT framework to mesmerize your audience and leave competitors spellbound.

Stay tuned to see how startups have used this framework to go from positioning to acquisition and lay a strong foundation for growth.