INSPIRED, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 13Product Marketing Managers

Product marketing managers are a little different from the other members of the product team. This is not because they are any less important, but because the product marketing manager is usually not a full‐time, dedicated member of each product team.

Product marketing is most typically organized by customer‐facing product, by target market, or sometimes by go‐to‐market channel, especially for more established companies (e.g., enterprise, vertical, mid‐market). There are typically fewer product marketers than product teams, as such, they get spread across different product teams.

In the best tech product companies, product marketing plays an essential role in discovery, delivery, and, ultimately, go‐to‐market, which is why they are important members of the product team.

As you'll soon see, coming up with winning products is never easy. We need a product that our customers love, yet also works for our business. However, a very large component of what is meant by works for our business is that there is a real market there (large enough to sustain a business), we can successfully differentiate from the many competitors out there, we can cost‐effectively acquire and engage new customers, and we have the go‐to‐market channels and capabilities required to get our product into the hands of our customers.

Modern product marketing managers represent the market to the product team—the positioning, the messaging, and a winning go‐to‐market plan. ...