Product Marketing: what is it and why do you need it?

Have you ever seen or known about a product that you thought was perfect, that had everything to work out, but for some reason, it didn’t take off? Countless companies face this issue everyday, of having an optimized product that is very well developed, but which is halted or, many times, shelved. All the effort, endeavor, hours and hours of development, insights and revolutionary ideas don’t seem to be enough to make the product take off, and that’s where Product Marketing comes in. 

In this process, questions arise such as: “Was there something missing? What is wrong with my product?”, and most likely, the answer is “nothing”. Nothing about the product itself, but how it is being brought to market. How its positioning, tone and differentiator are defined. 

Product Marketing

Among the many segments of marketing, there is one that has been gaining ground in the community and in technology companies for some time: Product Marketing. Arriving timidly a few years ago and taking up space in the scope of work of Product Managers (or Product Owners), now Product Marketing claims its place in the sun. 

More and more companies that work with Product Conception and Development are realizing the need and the difference that having a PMM on their team makes. Starting from the certainty that Product Managers guarantee that the developed product meets the user’s needs, Product Marketing Managers ensure that users receive the right message, at the right time, through the most appropriate communication channel. 

Product Marketing and Conventional Marketing

Product Marketing is a component of Conventional Marketing. If you know the famous “Ps” of marketing, you already know that product is one of them. If we go directly to the definition of what Product Marketing is, in a summarized and simple way, we could say that it is the process of taking a product to the market (promoting and selling it to the consumer, in a way) — considering the sum of the efforts to make this happen. Therefore, Product Marketing involves a high understanding of the audience/consumer of the product and focuses on its strategic positioning to increase demand. 

Where is the PMM located?

Launching a new product on the market is often challenging and when it comes to technology products, the launch can be even more complex, which is why the PMM is part of the product team. To be clearer, think about all the features that exist in an application, be it delivery, financial or even distance learning classes. 

From offering discount coupons to advertising forms, filters, cart abandonment push notifications, all of them are developed and launched with the participation of a PMM working together with Product Managers, Developers, Designers and Project Managers. So that the roles of PMMs and PMs do not get confused, since these professionals work together, there are some differences that must be observed: 

• The PM has a greater focus on the technical development of the product and has closer contact with the team of Developers and UX/UI Designers. In addition, he is responsible for setting up a delivery schedule, launch stages and product vision.
• The PMM represents the voice of the user, raises pertinent questions and anticipates needs that often can only be seen at the launch of the product on the market (Go-To-Market).
• It is worth noting that together, the PM and the PMM must identify user pains to align with the product’s value proposition, which directly influences its development.

Understanding the User to Offer the Best Possible Solution

The PMM, in its duties within the product team, has the role of representing the voice of the end user/customer in product discussions, raising questions for the launch, anticipating needs and developing product marketing strategies (such as positioning and Go-To-Market). On a daily basis, the PMM must participate in strategic discussions both with the technical team and with the marketing team (or advertising agency that will act in the communication and publicity of the product). 

For the PMM to work satisfactorily within the product team, it is very important that he can move between the different areas that the product involves — user, brand and the business itself. The PMM creates a kind of bridge between business units and marketing, including connecting content, social networks and CRM teams, for example. Working with Product Marketing is participating in the stages of the product life cycle, which starts with discovery, goes to development and does not end with launch. 

Product Marketing work is ongoing and the PMM’s workflow is adjusted based on changes and new releases that the product presents, considering business objectives and user needs.