You must be already busy following a PMF framework or following your favorite mentor’s advice on how to get ahead of the competition. There is no doubt that you will get there with a continuous discovery approach.

Still, there is always room for improvement in your product-market fit approach. Here are some product-market fit best practices and real-world examples that will help you on your journey. So, let us begin:

Start with a clear problem.

Every business owner is in a hurry to launch their product on the market. Sometimes, they forget to outline the problem they are chasing clearly. Before you start with product development and PMF process, you need to conduct deep market research and document the following:

• The target market you are catering to;
• Their needs, interests, pain points, and problems;
• Existing solutions in the market (and their shortcomings);

Find time to conduct market research and understand the pain points of your target audience. Only then, think of developing a product or moving ahead with any other step. Without a clear understanding of the problem you are chasing, you are bound to fail in your effort to achieve a product market fit. 

Here are seven failure stories that had the same issue — they did not have a clear problem to solve, leading to a lack of demand and, ultimately, failure.

Identify your target market.

No product-market fit activity can happen by ignoring your target market. Ideally, this step is the foundation of starting a business and happens at the market research stage.

Even when it comes to PMF, having a clear understanding of your target market – their needs, expectations, and feedback is paramount. You must focus on:

• Creating detailed buyer personas;
• Conducting surveys and interviews to understand the market conditions and know who can be your ideal customers;
• Analyzing general customer behavior and preferences;
• Discovering the psychographics and demographics of your potential users;

This information will help you in defining the right features and specifications for your product and tailor your marketing efforts effectively.

This product-market fit best practice will help you close a faster iteration loop when it is time to get feedback. All this will take you closer to your PMF ambitions in the long run.

Airbnb, for example, initially focused on a niche target market of travelers seeking more affordable and localized accommodations. They knew hotels were not ‘preferred’ by everyday travelers who seek basic facilities and hygiene without breaking the bank while traveling. By understanding their target market’s unique desires and challenges, they were able to design a platform that resonated with their audience, leading to rapid growth and success.

Develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

You cannot build as per your final vision on day one, but you cannot even wait for months to take a product to the market. An MVP is a simplified version of your product that includes only the core features needed to address the primary problem.

When chasing the PMF dream, developing an MVP is crucial because it allows you to:

• Test your product in the market with minimal investment;
• Gather valuable feedback from early adopters;
• Identify any gaps or opportunities for improvement;
• Make necessary iterations and enhancements before rolling out a full-fledged product.

Remember, the goal of an MVP is not to launch a perfect product but to learn, iterate, and evolve.

An excellent example of this is the initial launch of Dropbox. The company started with a simple demo video explaining its file synchronization and sharing service, creating excitement among potential users. They launched a simple video and landing page, gathered user responses, and ultimately refined its positioning, product, and pricing according to expectations, leading to massive product-market fit success.

Continuously gather customer feedback.

Customer feedback is invaluable for achieving PMF. You need to constantly stay in touch with your customer to understand what they want. That is why having a voice of customer program makes sense in the first place. It helps you gather insights and opinions about your product, thus enabling you to make data-driven decisions. To effectively gather customer feedback, consider:

• Conducting customer surveys and interviews;
• Collecting feedback through social media, forums, and other online platforms;
• Encouraging in-app feedback or reviews;
• Building relationships with early adopters and power users;
• Regularly monitoring and responding to customer concerns and queries.

Regular customer feedback will not only help you fine-tune your MVP but also identify areas of improvement and new features that can be added to your roadmap. Also, it will help you prioritize efforts that will have the maximum impact on user satisfaction and your bottom line.

A classic example of leveraging customer feedback is the case of Instagram. Initially launched as a location-based social networking app called Burbn, the founders noticed that users were more interested in photo-sharing features.

By collecting customer feedback and analyzing usage patterns, they pivoted to a purely photo-sharing app, leading Instagram to massive success and eventually being acquired by Facebook for $1 billion.

Measure and analyze key metrics.

You cannot achieve product-market fit if you are not measuring the right metrics. PMF is not a guessing game, and you need hard data to back up your decisions. Keep an eye on the following key metrics:

• Churn Rate: The percentage of users who stop using your product or service over a given period;
• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): The average cost of acquiring a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses;
• Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV): The total revenue that a customer generates for your business over their entire lifetime;
• Net Promoter Score (NPS): A measure of customer satisfaction and loyalty, which indicates the likelihood of customers recommending your product to others;
• Retention Rate: The percentage of users who continue using your product or service over a given period;
• Engagement Metrics: User actions that demonstrate interaction and involvement with your product, such as time spent, frequency of use, and feature adoption.

Tracking metrics is a solid PMF best practice that will help you evaluate your product’s performance, identify areas of improvement, and monitor your progress. Be prepared to make data-driven decisions and adjust your strategy accordingly. 

A great example of a startup that used these metrics for achieving PMF is Slack. The team communication tool closely monitored user engagement, retention, and growth.

By analyzing these metrics, they identified patterns and trends that helped them continuously improve their product, resulting in a massive user base and a robust product-market fit.

Next Steps: Start your PMF journey now 

These product-market fit best practices will help you set a strong foundation in your startup, helping you get closer to your customers. When you reach out, listen to their feedback, and make informed decisions based on set metrics, you are in a better position to solve a problem while staying profitable in the long run. 

Need help starting the PMF process or listening to the voice of your customers? 

Read these additional resources now: 

• What is product-market fit?
• How to start PMF research for your business?
• Conducting PMF for your SaaS startup using online reviews