Your research and development team has been working on a new product for months and investing valuable resources in its design and manufacturing.
You’ve carefully researched the market and the problem you’re trying to solve – and now it’s time to let your product marketing manager do the work.
I hate to break it to you, but without marketing, your product (no matter how great 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 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 to your customers and their pain points.
Recently I asked Nathan OakleyMarketing Manager at RJ Living to talk to me about product marketing and the responsibilities of the position. I also asked him to describe a typical day as a product marketing manager. Here’s what I learned.
Table of contents
What is a Product Marketing Manager?
I didn’t get into marketing through the traditional college route. And if you’re like me (or work in another field, like sales or customer service), you may not be as familiar with product marketing managers and their roles.
Through a conversation with Oakley, I learned that a product marketing manager, or PMM for short, is a specialized marketer who handles the positioning, messaging, and branding of a product.
To get an even better idea of their job responsibilities, let’s take a look at this sample product marketing job description.
Product manager job description
A product marketing manager is responsible for overseeing the creation and distribution of advertising campaigns for key products.
This person has a strong understanding of the product’s target audience and in-depth knowledge of relevant product features.
Product Marketing Manager Skills and Qualifications:
- Basic experience in marketing and campaign management.
- Project management skills.
- Strong organizational and communication skills.
- The ability to analyze relevant information and make informed decisions.
- Ability to prioritize tasks and responsibilities across projects.
Although I firmly believe that you can do any job with the right education and experience, employers are looking for at least a bachelor’s degree for this position.
Ideally, you have a bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing or a related field of study.
Some employers may even look for candidates with advanced degrees and more extensive experience in marketing, sales, or advertising.
Although not required, certifications are available (e.g Certified Product Marketing Manager Award) that can help better prepare product marketing managers for the responsibilities they will take on.
I find that certifications are a great way to further your education and gain new skills, especially if you want to advance your career or take on a new role.
The next question you may have about this role is, “How much does a product marketing manager make?” This is a valid question, and one I had too, because as a former teacher, I’m always surprised at the salary ranges for other jobs.
Accordingly PayScaleThe average base salary for product marketing managers in the United States is $99,814 per year, but it can vary depending on the company and experience level.
The core tasks of the product marketing manager
Like salaries, the responsibilities of a product marketing manager can vary from company to company. However, I have found that there are some core responsibilities that are universal to the role.
1. Market research
As I delved deeper into the role, the first thing I noticed was the market research. A product marketing manager is responsible for understanding the target audience and market trends.
Your job is to get into the customer’s mind, 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 will work to create clear product messaging and positioning.
Ideally, it is your product’s positioning and messaging that sets your product apart from the crowd. Therefore, it is important that your PMM has done their research.
3. Create your Go-To-Market Strategy (GTM).
What is a marketer without a marketing strategy?
Just as your content marketer is tasked with creating your content marketing efforts and ensuring their success, your product marketing manager is also responsible for working with other team members to craft and execute product launches.
4. Sales promotion
You might think that sales enablement is entirely the domain of your sales department.
While that may be true, it’s helpful to work 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 you create scripts and sales collateral to support your sales teams in their efforts.
5. Performance analysis
Speaking to Denise, she also told me that performance tracking was also crucial to her role.
Denise said: “Tracking performance is also a must – I always make sure to review our analytics quarterly to optimize our campaigns, which has helped reduce our cost per acquisition by around 20% without increasing engagement affect.”
Ultimately I would say it’s about keeping an eye on both the market and our audience to hold it all together.”
So if you want to know how your product is being received by your customers, ask your product marketing manager.
Because your PMM is responsible for tracking metrics to determine product performance, it can refine marketing strategies or optimize product positioning.
What does a product marketing manager do?
After learning the core responsibilities of a product marketing manager, I asked myself, “What does a product marketing manager do?” So I thought I would ask Oakley for details.
Even if their job title doesn’t specifically say “product marketing manager,” that’s exactly what they do.
Oakley told me that her job is to create a story about her products that entices potential customers to buy. They then collect customer feedback after a product launch.
In other words, as the product is prepared for launch, the product marketing manager (or team) is 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 have to be good at analyzing people. “Because you work directly with the product, you have to be good at strategic thinking and understand people and their needs,” he said.
I also learned that the role of the PMM goes far beyond understanding people and how they use your product. Instead, you also need to consider how they move through the sales funnel given Your product.
This means that the PMM focuses on three levels of the sales funnel:
- acquisition. Promote your product through content such as social media, copywriting, and blogs. To do this, the product marketing manager must determine what type of campaign needs to be run, create a budget for the marketing efforts, create a project plan to determine when that content will be published, and oversee a team that will create the desired content.
- Engagement. Building trust and creating conversations with prospects through events, campaigns and specific calls to action.
- Conversion and retention. Convert potential customers into paying customers for one-off purchases and retain existing customers through subscription models or add-on purchases (where appropriate).
It’s worth noting that the responsibilities and expectations placed on a product marketing manager may vary from company (or campaign) to the next.
How is a product marketing manager different from a product manager?
With similar titles, it can sometimes be difficult to understand the different roles 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 give the product a voice. The difference, however, is who they are speaking to To.
A product manager speaks up during the production phase of a product. You speak internally on behalf of the product and communicate with engineers and developers about its features and functions.
A product manager focuses on answering the question: “Does this product solve the problem we want it to solve?”
A product marketing manager, on the other hand, is responsible for communicating with the outside world.
Although these people fulfill very different roles, they sometimes work together. Both the product manager and the product marketing manager must have a solid understanding of it Buyer persona and share the research they have done to help the other.
How to Become a Product Marketing Manager
Since both Oakleys worked in this position, I asked him if he could give me some tips on becoming a product marketing manager.
Both suggested that there are two ways to become a product marketing manager: a marketing degree with internship experience and continuing education.
Study marketing or business administration to gain experience.
Oakley suggested that the easiest way to get into product marketing was to complete a bachelor’s degree program.
“To get into product marketing, the easiest way is to start with a bachelor’s degree in business administration or communications and then complete internships in digital marketing, branding or sales. This will give you a solid foundation to get your foot in the door,” he added.
Although a bachelor’s degree is helpful, Oakley emphasized the importance of continuous learning as the marketing field is constantly changing.
He told me, “Never stop learning or educating yourself in the industry. So make sure you’re constantly educating yourself on content and industry knowledge so you can be successful in your role.”
Further training and transition to product marketing.
After you gain marketing experience, you can move on to product marketing even if you have experience in digital or content marketing.
If you’re looking to break into the industry, it’s always best to start with experience in areas like digital marketing or brand management. You will also develop analytical and communication skills.
There are various online courses you can take to expand and strengthen your skills. However, Oakley recommends using LinkedIn Learning.
Product Marketing Manager: A valued team member
I learned that developing a product is only half the battle.
To be successful with your product launch, make your product highly profitable, and ensure it gets into the hands of the people you want to help, you need someone at the forefront of marketing.
And my conversation with Oakley made me realize how important it is to have a dedicated product marketing manager on the team.
Product marketing managers combine their expertise in marketing and psychology to find the best positioning for your product. If you choose the right product marketing manager, they will drive the right customers to you.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2022 and has been updated for completeness.