How do you tailor post-launch messaging to resonate with different customer segments at different stages of the adoption journey?

Step one is to develop a clear view of what the different stages are. That process alone requires a lot of research, analyzing data (if there’s any), and internal agreement on a framework that sales can grasp and apply in their pitch. I would say that’s actually the most challenging part to get it right.

Once everyone is on the same page, you can then work with the broader team to develop different materials that surface to different customers at the agreed-upon stages. 

Last but not least is to track performance and develop a reasonably fast feedback loop so that you can make adjustments as needed and continue to optimize.

Start with a framework that uses attributes and adoption as the two axes. On the attribute axis, start with whichever attributes are most relevant to your business or specific launch, ie plan tier, company size, etc. On the adoption axis, use product usage data to group users, ie power users, sporadic users, inactive users. Each of these groups may see different values in the new feature based on what type of customer they are and how they actually use the feature/product.

It could look something like this (9 different segments based on plan tier and usage patterns):

Inactive Sporadic Power
Good 1 2 3
Better 4 5 6
Best 7 8 9

Once segmentation is clear, craft personalized messages that cater to the needs and current adoption stage of each segment. For power users, highlight advanced capabilities of the new feature and how it integrates with their existing workflows. For sporadic users, focus on ease of use and immediate benefits that could simplify their tasks. Inactive users might need to see the big picture first, so emphasize the transformative aspects of the feature and how it could fundamentally improve their experience.

How messages may differ based on plan tier (or any other attribute) will be fairly unique to your business. For example, if customers on your Good tier must upgrade to access the feature, the message to them should be quite different than the message to customers who get the new feature for free on your Better tier.

Evolve and adapt the message over time. As users progress in their adoption journey, the messaging needs to evolve. Initially, you might want to focus on awareness and educational content. As users start experimenting with the feature, shift towards optimization and best practices. For those who've most fully adopted the feature, share more sophisticated use cases and tips.