I started working at stub just short of three months ago and it’s been the most incredible start to what I know will be a tremendous journey. In my first couple of weeks, I asked the team for some advice on what I could read, listen to and learn from in the realm of product marketing due to me being fairly new to it all. Loved: how to market tech products that customers adore" by Martina Lauchengco was recommended by three of the stub founders, so I instantly knew it was something I needed to bite my teeth into.
The experience of reading it was so much more than what I expected. I found myself with a notebook next to me, furiously writing down Launchengco’s nuggets of wisdom, hoping to imprint them in my brain forever. So here I am, writing a blog about how we as the stub team have been inspired by Launchengco’s work (note to all the newbies at SaaS startups, read Loved and launch a blog, you’ll thank me later 😉)
Here goes nothing…
In the fast-paced game of building software, two questions remain at the forefront of everything we do at stub,
- Are we building a simple and handy product?
- Do the humans that need this product, use it and love it?
So for us, It’s about building something that the stub community adores. This means more to us than just functionality. At stub it's about building super simple financial products and tools for entrepreneurs so they can focus on the stuff they are good at, their unique crafts and talents.
We understand that it takes more than just a great product, it’s about discoverability and talkability too. The insights in her book have inspired us to consider each of the following stages of ideating, launching, and adopting, in isolation, and as a holistic digital experience. It is an experience that empowers entrepreneurs to take ownership of their business’s financial journey and actively contribute to their local community and economy. Every member of the stub team is motivated by this mission, ensuring it permeates every action we do (and of course, having some fun along the way).
The human on the journey
One of the key takeaways from the book is the importance of understanding each customer's journey and in essence, them as a human behind their business. Every customer has a unique story that has led them onto the rocket that is entrepreneurship. From the freelance photographer who quit corporate to follow his dreams behind a camera lens, to the beauty queen influencer and content creator whose mom doesn’t really know what she does for a living, to the dude who just loves collecting sneakers and reselling them to make some extra cash on the side.
Understanding each of these entrepreneurs and what value means to them individually, is what the stub design and experience is built around. We call it; building with and for the humans of stub, allowing their needs and feedback to constantly inform our next move to make their lives a bit easier.
The significance of storytelling has remained a key point in the realm of tech marketing. Our approach at stub is keeping things relatable and human, while still addressing the financial nuggets needed for a solo-entrepreneur or small business owner to thrive in the financial world. Part of this communication journey has also included heroing the stories of the humans that make stub what it is, the entrepreneurs waking up everyday to make sure their business’ succeed. We want to create a digital space for them, and their crafts and talents, to be celebrated.
Creating memorable moments
Another fundamental concept elucidated in "Loved" is the superpower of creating moments for customers when they engage with digital products. In today's hyper-connected world, consumers crave experiences that enrich their daily lives and evoke positive emotions. Leveraging this insight, we at stub have shifted our focus from solely delivering products to curating immersive experiences for our customers, we call it “the aha moment”.
Whether it’s through your summarised insights dashy that tells you a story about your business' monthly financial performance, or making it super handy to upload receipts to your business expenses from your smartphone, it’s about the simplicity and ease of the experience in stub.
A culture of collaboration
"Loved" underscores the significance of cultivating a collaborative culture across a business. The essential alignment of every team member with what we are building and why, remains a complete priority for the way we build at stub. The whole team sits in product meetings and together, we squash bugs. The synergy between how a product is built, managed and how a product is spoken about when it’s ready to hit prod is something we focus heavily on.
It’s not just about talking about a feature, it’s about crafting a narrative that gives each user a piece of value, something they can take away and use in their every-day hustling life. We are seeking to create memorable moments that make managing your business’ finances simple, fezzy and handy.
In conclusion, Martina Lauchengco's "Loved: How to Market Tech Products that Customers Adore" has been something that continues to inspire me, and the stub team. Illuminating the journey to creating products that transcend mere utility but rather evoke genuine value for our customers.
By embracing principles such as user-centric design, storytelling, authenticity and continuous iteration, Lauchengco has armed us with insights, opinions, knowledge and tools to navigate the complex terrain of product marketing. She has also imbued us with a renewed sense of purpose and passion for creating products that truly matter to our customers.