Customer advisory boards: A PMM’s secret weapon

Let me tell you about a time when messaging nearly derailed a tier-one launch at LinkedIn.

I’d just joined the team, and we were rolling out a new product for our talent solutions business. The product had already been rolled out to certain segments, but something was off. Really off. 

After digging around and talking to people internally, the problem became crystal clear: our messaging wasn’t landing. And when you’re dealing with a tier-one launch in a $3 billion business unit, that’s not exactly the kind of problem you can sweep under the rug.

Here’s where things got interesting. At LinkedIn, we met with our customer advisory boards (CABs) every quarter. We’d already segmented our CABs into two key groups: staffing agencies and internal recruiters – two very different beasts with very different needs. And product marketing had a seat at that table.

So, I jumped on the next agenda, presented different messaging concepts, and got real, unfiltered feedback about what worked and what absolutely didn’t. The result? A 20% lift in customer satisfaction scores. 

That’s the power of a well-run customer advisory board. If you’re not tapping into this resource yet, you’re missing out on one of the most valuable tools in your product marketing arsenal.

What exactly is a customer advisory board? (And what isn’t it?)

Before we dive deeper, let’s make sure we’re clear on what exactly a customer advisory board is. A CAB is essentially your top customers meeting with you regularly to provide feedback and help guide your direction. Think of it as having your most valuable customers on speed dial, except better.

Here’s what it’s not:

• It’s not a focus group where you gather target customers for a one-off project.
• It’s definitely not a sales pitch. 
• It’s not a one-time meeting about a topic you’ll never revisit.

Instead, a CAB is a structured forum with a specific cadence and executive presence. It’s a genuine two-way dialogue where your customers and management often co-own the agenda. 

It’s strategic, it’s ongoing, and when done right, it becomes an incredible trust-building machine that eventually creates a community of advocates.

Who gets a seat at the table?

The internal side of a CAB typically looks something like this:

• Someone from product leadership
• An executive sponsor (often your founder or CEO, though they might not attend every meeting)
• Someone from sales leadership
• Marketing leadership (sometimes separate from product marketing)
• A program owner to keep everything running smoothly

And then there’s you – the product marketer. You may not personally have a physical seat at every meeting, but it’s important that someone from the product marketing team does. That way, you can use CAB insights to shape your key initiatives.

Real-world wins: How CABs shaped product strategy at Zoom and Intuit

Let me share a few more stories about how CABs have directly impacted product marketing success.