Communities

Product Marketing Career Path

What are common struggles of product marketing managers?

2 Answers

You.com Director, Product Marketing • February 13

One of the biggest struggles I've seen for PMMs is explaining the role and the value we create to team members who have never worked with PMM before. If you encounter this challenge, here's a simple framework I've found helpful: Elevator pitch: Product Marketing’s superpower is being the “Voice ......Read More

638 Views

In a large company, how can you ensure you are making an impact in your role as a product marketer?

2 Answers

Candace Marshall

Zendesk Senior Director, Product Marketing • May 9

In large companies, you can make your mark as a PMM through alignment and relationships. Firstly, it's important to ensure your work directly aligns with the company's goals and objectives. Start by familiarizing yourself with your business unit's OKRs (objective key results). For example, if you......Read More

1211 Views

What are the 3 skills you use most often in your role as a product marketer?

2 Answers

Alex Gutow

Snowflake Senior Director of Product Marketing • December 22

As a product marketer, the top three skills I use are: * Being curious and not being afraid to ask questions: Curiosity is so critical for product marketers, especially when it comes to the products and features that we're responsible for. The more you understand about your area, the b......Read More

1292 Views

What are some good resources to practice for PMM interview questions and case studies?

4 Answers

Vidya Drego

SmithRx VP of Marketing • January 20

I like to ask questions in interviews that stem from real challenges and decisions my team are having or have made. I've seen great resources aggregated here on Sharebird, from the Product Marketing Alliance, and PMM Hive. But definitely don't memorize answer to questions or cases, make sure you ......Read More

6744 Views

How do product marketers make sure they're learning enough varied skills to be a well-rounded professional when scope is an issue?

i.e. working at a large company with minimal scope, focusing on sales enablement but knowing you need experience on the product launch side, other marketing teams covering responsibilities, etc.

11 Answers

Christy Roach

AssemblyAI VP of Marketing • October 9

This is a great question! I know lots of product marketers who worry that in getting more specialized they’re missing out on the opportunity to get that broad skillset. I reject the idea that you have to change jobs in order to get the experience you want and think there are plenty of ways to get......Read More

2076 Views

What is the best thing about being a product marketer and what is the biggest challenge? How do you overcome this challenge?

2 Answers

Becky Trevino

Flexera Chief Product Officer • September 21

The best part of the role is the high of a big launch. Bringing something new to market is an amazing feeling especially when you can do it wrapped into a larger launch event. There is also a great strategic element to the role that you do not find in all marketing roles that ties elements of com......Read More

1047 Views

What’s the best way to grow from a PMM to senior PMM at a startup that is in hypergrowth mode where you may not get the time to “ramp up” your skills?

1 Answer

Candace Marshall

Zendesk Senior Director, Product Marketing • May 9

My best advice is just dive right in! Learning happens best on the job, even if it feels uncomfortable at times (trust me, I've been there). Stay focused on the objective/project at hand, but make sure to carve out time for feedback and coaching from your manager, especially if you're taking on n......Read More

1191 Views

Is it possible to continue to grow to an executive role as a product marketer? Are there some industries that are better suited than some others? What about growing into a marketing leadership role?

1 Answer

Candace Marshall

Zendesk Senior Director, Product Marketing • May 9

Absolutely. In fact, there are numerous CMOs who came up the ranks through product marketing. Take a look at ex-Salesforce product marketing leaders - many of them have gone on to become CMOs of public and private companies across various sizes. To grow into a marketing leadership role, consider ......Read More

1218 Views

If you had to build out a team of PMMs from scratch, how would you organize your team and which roles would own what?

In other words, if you went from one to ten - what would the structure look like? 1 Director/team lead, 2-3 Senior PMMs, and 4 PMMs? Would the team be divided by audience segment? By product? By strategy vs. tactics (i.e. larger GTM vs product launch)?

1 Answer

Candace Marshall

Zendesk Senior Director, Product Marketing • May 9

Sounds like your business is growing - how exciting! It's hard to answer this question without knowing how your business is structured but I'm happy to share common structures for 10 pmms. Structurally, a people manager or team lead should have at least 3-4 people; this is typically a good "pod" ......Read More

1204 Views

You're the new PMM for a B2B SaaS company that has 40 people and is starting to scale. What should you aim to do in your first month and your first quarter?

9 Answers

Lauren Barraco

Inscribe VP, Marketing • December 16

Start building the foundational materials - product positioning, the pitch deck, messaging guides, launch processes, etc. and get alignment on these early! It's critical to get these pieces done first so that you can scale effectively. As a team of 1, you are going to need to rely on the other pe......Read More

2056 Views

Communities

Product Marketing Community

Product Management Community

Demand Generation Community

Revenue Operations Community

Customer Success Community

Sharebird

Social