Your research and development team has been working on a new product for months and putting valuable resources into its design and manufacturing.
They’ve carefully researched the market and the problem they intend to solve — and now it’s time to let your product marketing manager work their magic.
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I hate to tell you this, but without marketing, your product (no matter how amazing it is) will never be found by the customers whose problems it would solve.
This could lead to lackluster sales, financial failure, and potential customers who are still suffering from their original problems.
A product marketing manager can help you avoid this by finding strategic angles to connect your product’s features with your customers and their pain points.
Recently, I asked Nathan Oakley, marketing manager at RJ Living, to talk to me about product marketing and the job’s responsibilities. I also asked him to describe a typical day as a product marketing manager. Here’s what I learned.
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What is a product marketing manager?
I didn’t get into marketing through the traditional college route. And if you’re like me (or you work in another field, like sales or customer service), you might not be as familiar with product marketing managers or their roles.
Through talking with Oakley, I learned that a product marketing manager, or a PMM for brevity, is a specialized marketer who takes ownership of a product’s positioning, messaging, and branding.
To get an even better idea of their job duties, let’s take a look at this sample product marketing job description.
Product Manager Job Description
A product marketing manager will be responsible for overseeing the creation and distribution of promotional campaigns for key products.
This individual will have a keen understanding of the product’s target audience, and in-depth knowledge of relevant product features.
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Product Marketing Manager Skills and Qualifications:
- Foundational marketing and campaign management experience.
- Project management skills.
- Strong organizational and communication skills.
- The ability to analyze relevant information and make informed decisions.
- The ability to prioritize tasks and responsibilities across projects.
While I fully believe you can do any job with the right training and experience, employers look for a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree for this role.
Ideally, your Bachelor’s degree will be in business administration, marketing, or a related field of study.
Some employers may even seek candidates who hold advanced degrees and have more extensive experience in marketing, sales, or advertising.
While not required, there are certifications available (such as the Certified Product Marketing Manager distinction) that can help better prepare Product Marketing Managers for the responsibilities they are about to take on.
I find certifications to be a great way to continue your education and gain new skills, especially if you’re looking to advance your career or jump into a new role.
The next question you might have about this role is ‘How much does a product marketing manager make?” It’s a valid question that I had, too, because, as a former teacher, I am always surprised at the salary ranges for other careers.
According to PayScale, the average base salary for Product Marketing Managers in the U.S. is $99,814 per year, though this can vary depending on the company and level of experience.
Product Marketing Manager’s Core Responsibilities
Just like salaries, a product marketing manager's responsibilities may vary from company to company. However, I found there are a few core responsibilities that are universal to the role.
1. Market Research
When diving deep into the role, the first thing I saw was market research. A product marketing manager is responsible for understanding the target audience and market trends.
It’s their job to get into the minds of the customer, understand their pain points, and then figure out how your product can appeal to them.
2. Positioning and Messaging
Once your product marketing manager has a clear idea of how your product can help your ideal customer, they’ll work on creating clear product messaging and positioning.
Ideally, your product’s position and message are what will make your product stand out from the crowd. So, it’s important your PMM has done their research.
3. Create Your Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy
What is a marketer without a marketing strategy?
Just like your content marketer is tasked with creating and ensuring the success of your content marketing operations, your product marketing manager is also responsible for working alongside other team members to craft and execute product launches.
4. Sales Enablement
You might think sales enablement is squarely in your sales department’s domain.
And while that might be true, it’s helpful to partner with the product marketing manager to equip your sales teams with the tools and training they need to effectively sell your product to customers.
A product marketing manager can help create scripts and sales sheets to aid your sales teams in their efforts.
5. Performance Analysis
While chatting with Denise, she also told me that performance tracking is crucial to her role, too.
Denise said, “Tracking performance is a must as well — I always make sure to review our analytics quarterly to fine-tune our campaigns, which has helped lower our cost per acquisition by approximately 20% without sacrificing engagement.
In the end, I'd say it’s all about staying tuned in to both the market and our audience to keep everything together.”
So, if you want to know how your product resonates with your customers, ask your product marketing manager.
Since they’re responsible for tracking metrics to determine product performance, your PMM can refine the marketing strategies or tweak product positioning.
Free Product Go-to-Market Kit
Free templates to ensure that your whole team is aligned for your next product launch.
- Product Launch Template
- Product Roadmap Template
- Sales Plan Template
- And more!
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All fields are required.
What does a product marketing manager do?
After I learned about the core responsibilities of a product marketing manager, I wondered, “What does a product marketing manager do?” So, I thought I would ask Oakley for specifics.
Although their job titles might not explicitly say “Product Marketing Manager,” that’s exactly what they do.
Oakley told me they’re responsible for crafting a story about their products that will entice potential customers to purchase them. They then collect customer feedback after a product launch.
In other words, when the product is being prepared for launch, the product marketing manager (or team) will be involved in educating the public about the value and benefits of the offering so that they can convert potential customers into raving fans.
According to Oakley, you’ve got to be good at analyzing people. “Because you’re working directly with the product, you need to be good at strategic thinking and understanding people and their needs,” he said.
I also learned that the role of the PMM goes far beyond understanding people and how they’ll use your product. Instead, you also have to consider how they move through the sales funnel while considering your product.
That means the PMM will focus on three levels of the sales funnel:
- Acquisition. Bringing awareness to your product through content such as social media, copywriting, and blogs. This requires the product marketing manager to determine what type of campaign needs to be done, create a budget for the marketing endeavors, craft a project plan to map out when this content will be released, and oversee a team that will create the desired content.
- Engagement. Building trust and creating conversations with potential customers through events, campaigns, and specific calls to action.
- Conversion and Retention. Converting potential customers into paying customers for one-time purchases and keeping existing customers loyal through subscription models or add-on purchases (when appropriate).
It’s worth noting that from one company (or campaign) to the next, the responsibilities and expectations placed on a product marketing manager may differ.
How does a product marketing manager differ from a product manager?
With similar titles, it can sometimes be difficult to understand the different roles available within a company.
Many often confuse product marketing managers with product managers, and while there are similarities, the roles carry very different responsibilities.
Both a product marketing manager and a product manager provide a voice for the product. However, the difference is who they are speaking to.
A product manager is vocal during the production stage of a product. They speak internally on behalf of the product, communicating with engineers and developers regarding its features and functionality.
A product manager is focused on answering the question, “Does this product solve the problem we intend it to solve?”
A product marketing manager, on the other hand, is responsible for speaking to the outside world.
While these individuals will fulfill very different roles, they will sometimes work together. Both the product manager and the product marketing manager must have a solid understanding of the buyer persona and will share the research they’ve done to assist the other.
How to Become a Product Marketing Manager
Since both Oakley worked in this role, I asked if he could share some tips with me about how to become a product marketing manager.
Both of them suggested there are two ways you can become a product marketing manager: getting a marketing degree with internship experience and upskilling.
Study marketing or business to gain experience.
Oakley suggested that the easiest way to get into product marketing is by completing a Bachelor's degree program.
“To get into product marketing, it’s easiest to start with an undergraduate degree in business or communications, followed by internships in digital marketing, branding, or sales. This will give you a solid foundation to get your foot in the door,” he added.
While a Bachelor’s degree is helpful to have, Oakley stressed the importance of continuous learning because the marketing field is ever-changing.
He told me, “Never stop learning or upskilling in the industry. So be sure to keep on educating yourself on content and industry knowledge so you can flourish in your role.”
Upskill and transition to product marketing.
You can transition to product marketing after gaining marketing experience, even if your experience is in digital or content marketing.
When hoping to transition into the field, it's always best to kick things off with experience in fields like digital marketing or brand management. You’ll build analytical and communication skills along the way.
There are various online courses you can complete to gain and strengthen your skills. However, Oakley suggests you use LinkedIn Learning.
Product Marketing Managers: A Valued Team Member
I’ve learned that creating a product is only half the battle.
In order to succeed with your product launch, make your product wildly profitable, and ensure that it gets into the hands of the individuals you intended to help, you need someone at the marketing helm.
And through my chat with Oakley, it became more clear to me the importance of having a dedicated product marketing manager on the team.
Product marketing managers combine their expertise in marketing and psychology to help find the best positioning for your product. When you choose the right product marketing manager, they will lead the right customers to you.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in January 2022 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
Free Product Go-to-Market Kit
Free templates to ensure that your whole team is aligned for your next product launch.
- Product Launch Template
- Product Roadmap Template
- Sales Plan Template
- And more!
Download Free
All fields are required.
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