All Product Marketing is Product Management

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In the high-tech industry, the profession of product marketing can sometimes be seen as less glamorous than product management. After all, product managers decide what goes into the product. They often manage the P&L for their product. And they get to interact with customers. On the other hand, all product marketers do is create collateral based on what the product managers tell them to say. Right?

Like all roles, product marketing is what you make of it. In fact, I would contend that all product marketers are really product managers.

• Your collateral is your product.
• Your sales team is your customer.
• Your task is to create great products that your customers want to use.

Just like the product managers in your organization who manage the products you sell to the customer, you also need to follow the principles of sound product management:

- Talk to your customers.
- Gather feedback on your products.
- Watch them use your products, or those they create themselves, in action.

If your sales team isn’t using your products then you’re not creating great products that your customers want to use. It’s time to spend even more time with your customer. As Pragmatic Marketing says,

“The answer is not in your building.”

This basically means that product managers don’t create great products by asking their colleagues what their customers need. They ask their customers. Same with great product marketers. Don’t ask other product marketers (even the experts) what your sales team needs. Ask your sales team.

All the best!

Melissa