Marketing
Product/Channel Fit
Learn Product/Channel Fit with the Practica AI Coach
The Practica AI Coach helps you improve in Product/Channel Fit by using your current work challenges as opportunities to improve. The AI Coach will ask you questions, instruct you on concepts and tactics, and give you feedback as you make progress.Intro to Product/Channel Fit
Product/Channel Fit is the process of finding the right channels to sell your product. It's crucial for startups to get this right to ensure success.How To Select Channels for Your Startup
Selecting the right channels for your startup involves understanding your target audience, the nature of your product, and the strengths and weaknesses of different channels.
How To Map Out Your Startup’s Growth ChannelsAustin provides 3 exercises for identifying the best channels for your company: 1) Answer the question, who are your customers and how do you reach them? 2) Answer the question, what is your customer’s pathway to you and how do you attract them? 3) Rank & analyze pathways to find efficiencies
How to choose the right marketing channels for your startupEmily provides guidance on choosing effective marketing channels for startups. She advises against random or unfocused channel selection and instead recommends analyzing your audience, growth drivers, and unique advantages. These include your product's value proposition, ecosystem Partnerships, and brand Storytelling opportunities. She presents a framework for classifying channels as core, scaling, testing, future prospects, or ineffective based on strategic fit and performance. Metrics like qualified leads, pipeline, and Customer Acquisition Costs should be used to evaluate channel success over time. The process involves considering how channels match your Go To Market motion as self-serve, sales-led, or hybrid. She then offers a helpful example analysis for a hypothetical Saa S company.
Channel Selection for B2C
When selecting channels for B2C products, it's important to consider factors such as customer behavior, demographics, and the competition. Social media and Influencer Marketing can be effective channels for reaching B2C customers.
Finding product/channel fit at ZolaZola had strong initial product-market fit with its wedding registry platform, which filled a need in the large market. While it grew organically, the company sought to scale through other channels as competitors had marketing advantages. Zola found success by achieving product-channel fit with the earned media space, creating helpful content for couples based on its registry data and unique offerings. It instrumented its product to gather more insights and produce articles for editorial sites. This created beneficial cycles that brought in more customers and vendors. Zola's diversity and values also resonated in interviews. By designing specifically for the earned media channel from the start, Zola found a path for sustainable growth beyond relying solely on product-market fit.
Channel Selection for B2B
For B2B products, channels such as trade shows, industry events, and direct sales can be effective. Building relationships with key decision-makers and leveraging referrals can also help. It's important to consider the buying process and decision-making structure of the target businesses.
How today's fastest growing B2B businesses found their first ten customersLenny shares strategies that 20 fast-growing B2B startups used to find their first 10 customers. Many tapped their personal networks of friends, investors, and colleagues. Companies like Figma and Gusto leveraged their networks from Y Combinator. Some startups like Stripe and Square went directly to local businesses. Getting press coverage helped companies like Twilio and Slack attract early users. Lenny outlines the top three strategies as tapping personal networks, finding customers where they spend time online/offline, and obtaining press mentions.
The Importance of Product-Channel Fit in FreemiumProduct-channel fit is important for the success of Freemium business models. Companies need to acquire and engage both passive users as well as those actively seeking solutions. HubSpot has been successful through organic search traffic that educates passive users about their marketing product. However, their CRM product is a harder sell to passive users and has less relevant search traffic. To improve fit, companies should focus on channels where potential customers are actively searching and provide lower-friction offers to passive users. Identifying the right product-channel fit can Influence a company's marketing strategy and help avoid costly pivots away from Freemium down the line. Proper fit is critical, as seen with Viddy's demise after losing access to their primary growth channel on Facebook.
