For starters, the job of a product marketing manager cannot precisely be boxed into a role.

A product marketing manager is everywhere as long as a company has products to sell.

Product development. Research and development. Sales. Marketing. A product marketing manager has their hands in the cookie jars of all these departments.

So if you were to answer the question, “What does a Product Marketing manager do?”, you could say that a product marketing manager (PMM) is a link between all these intricate roles. A PMM works at the intersection of all these roles to ensure that the company’s ideas, values and offerings through a product they have created are correctly conveyed to the target audience to get them to buy the product.

Marketing in Product Marketing Management

A PMM is, first of all, a marketer. It is a role that one achieves after working their way up the product marketing career ladder. It is important to note, however, that a PMM’s role is different depending on where they find themselves. For example, at a tech startup or tech-based company, a PMM does work that a PMM at a media company has no business doing.

To learn more about what it takes to become a full-fledged PMM, this article breaks it down succinctly for you.

Now, let’s take a look at a PMM as a marketer.

It’s all in the name: Product Marketing.

Product marketing is the process of taking a product to the market. Therefore, a PMM must make sure that they focus on making sure that the product is marketed to the target audience.

Whatever strategies they come up with in collaboration with the product development teams, research teams, sales teams and even marketing teams of their brands, if the product fails to get noticed by the people it was created for, they have failed.

Luckily, failure for a PMM is a means to getting more insights on how to better reach the product’s intended audience. But because most marketing efforts are expensive, a PMM needs to make sure their strategies are airtight, leaving little room for failure.

This means that they have to be invested in understanding the target audience and their pain points (buyer persona), crafting the message that puts the product as the best solution to their needs (product messaging and positioning), before they go on to create customer acquisition plans with the sales team of their brand.

Management in Product Marketing Management

Marketing may be the first point of contact for a PMM, but it doesn’t end there.

They are in charge of managing the funnel to sales from the marketing efforts of the brand for said product.

This is where their collaboration with the marketing team, research and development team and the product development team becomes important.

You see, products have life cycles. This means they have a limited time to remain on the shelves in the markets before customers move on to something new and similar or a totally different product that solves the same problem from a unique angle.

A PMM needs to be on top of every data to see how customers are using the product. This will provide insight into how much longer the product has on the shelves i.e. how much time the product has left in its lifecycle.

This data, which they collaborate with the research team to collate, will help them in coming up with new features for the product development team to build into the product. This will now be communicated to the marketing team who will effect the changes to their marketing efforts.

Let us take an FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) product as an example.

A yoghurt company starts by making plain yoghurt for its consumers. It eventually discovers that changing the taste or the flavour increases patronage towards their product.

Eventually, they make variations of their yoghurt: strawberry, peach, apple, and so on. Soon, they acquired new customers because of the addition of these new flavours while keeping their old customers and those who loved their original offering of plain yoghurt.

This is the result of the PMM managing the product’s lifecycle effectively.

Without this, there will be no growth for the product and they could miss opportunities to attract new customers and even capture a new market.

You have what it takes to become a PMM!

Now that you know what a product marketing manager does, you too can become one!

This is because you have something to sell either as a company staff or as an entrepreneur.

But it is not a role you can assume. You need proper training. And that is why we at EZGrowthSchool have created this amazing Product Marketing Crash Course to introduce you to the basics of product marketing and set you on the path to becoming a PMM.

Take advantage of this offer by following this link to the course and you will be glad you did!

For you, today is the first day of a successful new year.

Not because it’s New Year’s day, but because you clicked this link. And because the information contained in this post is going to help you with your 2023 marketing strategies.

It is bound to transform your marketing efforts in the new year and beyond if adhered to.

You see, digital marketing is the fastest-rising marketing medium in the world. Whether it is social media marketing, email marketing or long-form content marketing via blog posts and technical writing, product marketing or growth marketing, the world is shifting bases towards grabbing a controlling stake in the digital world.

With so much competition for the attention of a few, most of who already have brands they trust to do business with, what then, are your chances?

Why digital marketing?

The fact that this question has to be answered in this day and age shows you how much of an evolution it has undergone since it first became recognised as a marketing medium.

When it was first introduced, it was unilaterally defined then as the process of creating awareness for a brand online to generate leads that become clients or paying customers.

The definition has not changed much since then, but now, there are a lot of other factors to consider.

Factors like where your consumers are (what platforms they spend time on the most), what they interact with online (what kinds of content they consume), their general likes and dislikes, and their thoughts about certain products and/or services are key considerations in digital marketing efforts.

Now, digital marketing is not only focused on marketing a brand to customers but BUILDING relationships between customers and brands.

Your 2023 marketing strategies must focus on building a relationship between your customers and your brand.Do this, and you will have loyal paying customers in no time.#WWConference3 Click To Tweet

This sounds like a lot of work, right?

But if you are reading this, you know that the effort put into digital marketing is nothing compared to the effort put into traditional marketing.

And this is why it is the fastest-rising marketing channel because small businesses – all 332.99 million of them, according to 2021 data – and startups are making this their primary marketing effort.

Marketing Dos and Don’ts

DOS: Work twice as hard to develop a brand voice and identity

The reason this helps you become successful is that it makes people aware of your brand even if you’re not doing anything big.

Take telecommunications giant MTN for example.

Their yellow branding has become so iconic, that it is now memed with reference to them. So has their tagline, “Everywhere you go.”

They do not need to do any major advertising with such a standout identity and voice because they are ingrained in the subconscious minds of millions of Nigerians.

Another example is the fashion brand Ugo Monye.

The groundbreaking designer broke the internet with his agbada collection back in 2018 and has now become a reference point for fashion enthusiasts when it comes to agbada fashion.

Most of your marketing efforts will depend on this one thing, so give it ample time as you come up with your 2023 marketing strategies.

Standing out as a brand in the vast, endless ocean that is social media is difficult, but the easiest way is to spend time in developing a brand identity that is unmistakeably you.#WWConference3 Click To Tweet

DON’TS: Don’t fuel digital fatigue

Sabinus is currently one of the best skit makers in the country. For that reason, a lot of brands want to work with him.

One brand gives him a brief. You watch his skit advertising that brand, and you laugh. You also take note of the brand.

Two days later, you see Mr Macaroni doing a skit advertising the same brand. You laugh, because the skit is funny, and you recall that you had seen the same brand in Sabinus’ skit.

A few hours later, Taaooma’s skit comes on your feed, and there is the same brand, again. The loud laughter that you were cooking in your belly is suddenly seized and only a slight chuckle comes out.

You keep scrolling, and you see the same brand advertising on their own social media handle.

If you spend time on social media, you can relate to the above.

What was just described is called Digital Fatigue.

It is true that people are spending loads more time on their phones, so it is important that you market to them on mobile. But, if you keep bombarding them with the same thing, you will lose them before you even get them.

The fastest way to lose customers and traction?Bombard them with similar content.#WWConference3 Click To Tweet

DOS: Focus on features

Now, there is one way to get Sabinus, Mr Macaroni and Taaooma all talking about your brand and make it seem fresh.

Take a small fashion brand that makes different articles of clothing for men, women and children for example.

Sabinus could market to the men, Mr Macaroni to the women, and Taaooma to the children. That way, you pull the attention of people, who will more than likely seek out your brand’s social media or website to see all that you have to offer.

If you are a brand that creates a digital product, for example, a SaaS brand, focus on one or two solutions that your product offers AT A TIME. Use that to draw people in and show them the full range of what your product can do.

For this, you will probably need the services of a product marketer and as time goes on, a growth marketer.

DON’TS: Ignore content marketing at your own risk

You may think, “I only make and sell clothes. Why do I have to create so much content?”

The truth is, you don’t.

If you want to be one of the brands people tune out instinctively, that is.

You see, whether in your 2023 marketing strategies or in your 2024 marketing strategies or even in your 2029 marketing strategies, the role of content marketing cannot be overemphasised.

This is because:

• Content marketing shows customers the true value of doing business with your brand or what they stand to gain by buying your product.
• Content marketing helps you build the relationships that are key to getting loyal paying customers
• Content marketing helps to show your knowledge of the problem the customer had before seeking your brand or product out as the solution.
• Content marketing sets you apart from your competition
• Content marketing is the base of every marketing effort, traditional or digital.

If you take the time to make a video explaining the process behind a piece of clothing you put out, or a video showing how to style it, or take the time out to write a blog post on the best outfit to wear to different events while showing off your creation, not only will your social engagement increase, but your brand will become a go-to brand.

Know What’s Working

There are a few more marketing dos and don’ts that you need to know as you prepare your 2023 marketing strategies to increase your chances of success in the new year.

The EZGrowthSchool What’s Working Conference 3 is the best place to learn all about them.

With an amazing speaker lineup from SaaS startups, fintech, small and medium scale businesses and veterans in the growth and marketing space, there is a big bank of information that you are going to be accessing.

Don’t miss the opportunity to scale ahead of next year.

Click here to request more information on the biggest conference yet.

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The Secret to why it is one of the fast-growing startups in this present age

Today, we’re going to be looking at a unique company.

One that has come through for us in many moments of need for a small fee which, compared to the solution it has provided, seems like a giveaway.

Today, we’re going to be taking a peek into Uber, and how they became the giants they are now.

You’re sure to learn a thing or two, so read on with your eyes peeled and your senses attuned!

About Uber

Uber is a private company based in San Francisco, California that provides transportation facilities online through its website or mobile app. The company was founded in 2009 by Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick, both Silicon Valley big boys who thought that they really didn’t need to drive around all the time.

The available solutions which involved sitting or standing and waiting at a stop under rain, snow or shine to get a cab was not doing it for them. And so they thought, “Why not build something that solves this?”

And the solution they came up with was an app that allowed everyone to sit in the comfort of their homes or offices and call a cab using their smartphones.

It was innovation at its finest and many years later, it has a huge consumer base with around 100 million users!

But at first, it didn’t really take off as they expected.

So, what did they do?

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Uber’s Marketing Strategy

At first, they marketed their product by telling others in their network. Word of mouth marketing, so to speak.

It went really well for them, as their reputations preceded them and whatever products they both built or had been involved in individually or as a team had come to be trusted.

As time went on, they leaned into social media and worked it so well that Uber became a household name. Uber’s so popular now, that even smartphones suggest it when using their keyboards!

Amazing work, right?

But that’s just the small bit.

Because this is a product marketing case study, let us analyse Uber’s marketing strategy carefully. And to do that, we are going to be using the Marketing Mix formula, also called the 4 P’s of marketing. They are:

• Product
• Price
• Place
• Promotion

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Marketing Mix is a tactic used by any business company to promote their product or services, reach out to the customer and create a strong market position. Click To Tweet

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Product Strategy of Uber

Camp and Kalanick have gone through several stages in their product development and have now finally settled on three major services the business offers through the app.

These services are:

1. Uber Ride – This provides transportation services through which anyone can travel to any location by booking a cab with a few clicks. The company ensures the safety and hygiene of the cabs.

2. Uber Eats – The company also provides food delivery services by which you can order food and get it delivered to your place from your favourite restaurants with a minimal delivery fee.

3. Uber Freight – In this Uber provides a parcel transportation service, by which you can send any kind of parcel with different customizable packings anywhere.

All these services are available in a single app that is user-friendly and easily accessible.

Pricing Strategy of Uber

As Uber became a global product, the founders knew that their pricing for the United States of America, where the app was conceived and built, would create adaptation problems for them in the other regions of the world they were expanding to.

And so, they applied Marketing 101 knowledge: Price according to who you’re serving.

Many businesses fail because they believe in a uniform price. But this is a trick most global businesses operate on and it is exactly why they are global even with the unstable economic situation of the world.

Uber  defines its prices according to the country and the area it is working in. It has different charges for every country.

There are several kinds of cabs available of different sizes for every number of customers and the prices are charged accordingly. The prices also fluctuate with demand-supply conditions and premium charges are collected in peak hours.

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Place and Distribution Strategy of Uber

Uber has expanded and is still expanding its services in different regions. It provides its services across the world in over 40 countries and 700 plus cities. They distribute their services through their websites and mobile apps that are available both on Android and iOS platforms.

You can request rides and meals at any place by just a tap and you can easily track your orders from the app.

The app also has a customer support system, where customers can post any kind of complaints or difficulties faced.

Promotional Strategy of Uber

This is where it gets really interesting.

Remember we learnt that Uber was first marketed using word of mouth? And that, as time went on, it worked social media to its benefit?

They did not stop there, of course!

They have tried many other attempts to promote the brand and grab the attention of customers. Some of these strategies failed, while some succeeded. Among those ones that succeeded, some took quite some time to yield results.

And herein lies the first teachable moment.

Uber relied heavily on data to keep going with some of their promotional efforts. If they had baulked at the possibility of a failed marketing effort, some of these would have stalled their progress by a few years. Product Growth Marketing is data based and it is this data that leads to creating the product that customers would enjoy using.

Among the efforts which took time to yield results were their referral program, where free rides and coupon codes were provided for existing users who helped them acquire new customers to get discounts of up to 25% on Uber trips.

After some time, that marketing effort yielded the results the founders wanted and it became one of Uber’s most popular promotional tools. They essentially converted their customers to marketers who employed word-of-mouth marketing just so they could get free rides and discounts on their next trip.

Since then, Uber doesn’t spend much on advertising. All they do is roll out new offers and features, and the customers do the rest.

There’s also the occasional promotional stunt, of course. What’s a brand without them?

Now that we have seen the Marketing Mix in action for Uber, let us take a look at some lessons from their product marketing process, shall we?

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Lessons learnt from Uber Marketing Strategy

Uber created a winning solution: Uber founder Travis Kalanick saw a problem with the way cabs were hailed and created a new way to solve it with a unique solution. Him and his co-founder reimagined the taxi experience to make it more attractive, seamless, and convenient for everyone involved.

The biggest foundational element of creating a winning marketing strategy is to have a winning product or service — unlike anything anyone else has seen before.

Uber connected a great team with a sizeable market: Kalanick understood the importance of having a strong project manager, so his first step before launching the business or thinking about a marketing campaign was to align himself with the right person for the job.

They got the funding they needed: Uber would not be the massive success it is today without capital. It is going to be a lot harder to orchestrate successful marketing campaigns without proper funding.

In its first round of funding, Uber raised $11 million from backers. Today, Uber has funded over 22 rounds of funding for a total of $24.2 billion. The first $11 million was raised in 2010.

Uber knows their customer base: Uber knows their target audience and as a result of that, they were able to effectively market to them.

Uber understood the needs of both their riders and drivers and was able to create effective,  innovative marketing strategies to meet the needs of both sets of people.

For example, Uber focused on marketing Uber Eats during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the United Kingdom, the company also befriended the community by carrying out a campaign that focused on praising the work of frontline healthcare workers with their campaign #GratefulUK. The campaign involved offering healthcare workers free rides and meals and it led to more downloads and rides completed for them.

Finally…

Now, Uber is expected to generate an astonishing $10 billion in revenue a year, despite growing competition from alternative ride-sharing companies such as Lyft.

And with its impressive Product Marketing, Given current trends, it is expected that the company will continue growing over the next few years.

Sign up for our Product Marketing Crash Course and get many more in depth case studies like this to arm yourself with the knowledge to sell to TODAY’s customers.

Click the link to grab yours now.

It depends on why you are asking.

If you want to make more money, product marketing is a great career path. Global statistics show that an associate product marketer (a junior role) makes around $85,000 to $87,000 yearly.

Using the parallel market rate of ₦745 at the time of writing, an associate product marketer makes around ₦38 million yearly. That’s a monthly salary of ₦3.2 million.

I can see you drooling already. But this is not precisely obtainable in Nigeria.

However, you could be earning a yearly salary of ₦3.2 million on average as an associate (junior) product marketer in Nigeria. That is a big jump from what many other roles offer junior staff in the country.

And if passion for whatever you do is your motivation and you can work in a very dynamic environment, product marketing is a great career path.

Read on to find out why.

What is Product Marketing?

The simplest definition of product marketing is the process of taking a product to its intended market.

We have written a comprehensive piece on this topic which you can find here. But if the dynamism of product marketing is still lost on you after that definition, the next couple of lines should set you straight.

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For this example, let’s look at the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) market.

For the longest time, Coca-Cola and Pepsi were the go-to soda brands in Nigeria. But as time went on (and the economy worsened), people stopped buying as much as they used to.

Bigi Cola with its affordable option and a taste similar to the two big brands stepped in to provide an alternative. This forced the hand of Coca-Cola and Pepsi to introduce more pocket-friendly packaging for their sodas to reclaim their market share.

The war of the soda brands is still raging, but it tells you how the market can LOVE your product and CHOOSE an alternative instead.

The reason for the shift in brand loyalty in the above example is economical, but other reasons may include a lack of social/peer reviews, availability/accessibility of product and product branding.

A product marketer is someone who studies all these factors, the trends and the data behind them to craft a winning strategy for a product.

The reason your product may not be doing well in the market is not that you have a bad product. It could be because of a lack of peer reviews, availability and accessibility of the product, and poor branding.#EZProductTips Click To Tweet

Is it stressful?

The implication of this is that a product marketer’s role is tasking.

But what are these tasks that a product marketer undertakes?

Before we go on to list them for you, we must reiterate that the dynamic nature of the market determines what a product marketer will be doing at any given time.

The tasks or the data that a product marketer will be working with or working on in 2022 will be different from what they will be working on in 2023.

A good example of this is how the Covid-19 pandemic forced businesses to put digital marketing first before traditional or conventional marketing. The pandemic also gave rise to more digital products. Product marketers had to adapt or be swept away by the tide.

Now, let us take a look at the tasks.

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Market survey

A product marketer is one who can feel and interpret the pulse of the customer.

Their research leads to building a product that fits the market, which they then position as a unique solution to the customer’s needs.

They are also responsible for providing updates to the product development team to ensure the product remains on the market.

Go-To-Market strategies and marketing plans

A product marketer creates the Go-To-Market strategies that will deliver the product to its end user.

A product marketer also has to keep up with marketing efforts by creating marketing campaigns to attract new customers and remind old ones about why they chose said product in the first place.

The data from the success or failure of these concerted efforts between the product marketer and the sales team who carries out their strategies based on the product marketer’s framework leads to updates to the product or a revamp of the product.

Product positioning and messaging

As the product gains traction, expansion into new markets becomes necessary.

This means crafting a new message and positioning that speaks to both the existing customers and the new ones being targeted.

All of this is the result of already laid down and constantly updated marketing strategies that the product marketer has created for the product.

Customer acquisition plans

This is basically a sales framework that the sales team builds upon to capture a market.

A customer acquisition plan could involve launch strategies, Go-To-Market strategies for a feature within the product and even customer training on how to use the product.

This is probably the most important of the product marketer’s tasks because it is recurring. It is also where a lot of the data needed for repositioning and product updates is pooled from.

If you can perform all of these tasks effectively, then you are on your way to becoming a product marketing manager.

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Who is a product marketing manager?

The Product Marketing Manager is the one who has a good grasp of all those tasks and is the person responsible for making sure that all marketing efforts align with the company or brand’s goals.

It is a mid-level role in an organisation. It is also a sign that a marketer has mastered his audience and knows how to connect to them.

The PMM role is a cross-functional role as has already been implied. They work with the sales team, the customer support team, the product development team and the traditional marketing team.

Here’s your chance!

If the delicious sums at the beginning of this post have motivated you and nothing you have read thus far has scared you away, you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start your Product Marketing journey today!

Our Product Marketing Crash Course is designed to give you industry insight while arming you with the knowledge needed to make inroads into this on-demand career path.

Click here now to sign up and get a 50% discount on the course!

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The truth is that you cannot entirely understand Product Marketing. You can only attempt to make it make sense for you.

Those first two lines render the title of this post moot. So what is the reason for this post and why are you still reading?

Illustrated: The importance of Product Marketing

The simple answer is that you and I know how important it is to have an inkling of an understanding of what it entails to market a product.

Let me tell you a story.

A young man, casually strolling through the streets of Twitter during his break from work, stumbles upon an interesting tweet. In that tweet, there is a picture of a broken savings box, referred to as kolo in our local parlance.

The contents of the box are displayed accompanying caption details how long it took to fill that box and the fulfillment that came with it. Then he thinks about an idea to build a digital product that could serve as this said kolo for people.

It will be less expensive because there will be no breaking involved. But the problem is convincing people that his digital product is something that works.

You probably already know the story of how Piggyvest started. But if you do not, you’ll be wondering how he and his team were able to get people interested enough to start using his product.

The answer is simple: Product Marketing.

They scoped their market to understand them, then positioned their product as a better alternative to kolo and helped people get comfortable with using it.

If you’ve been paying attention, you will notice that there are three core elements involved in marketing the product. They are product development, marketing, and sales.

All three are very distinct roles with lots of technicalities involved. Product marketing is the intersection between them. And this is why you cannot entirely understand it.

But you can get a hang of it enough to become an authority.

Scope of Product Marketing

According to HubSpot, Product marketing is the process of bringing a product to market.

That is the simplest way anybody can put it.

But as in the case of Piggyvest, you just do not create a product and take it to the market with hopes that people see it and patronise. If your aim is to drive demand and usage, then how you go to the market is important.

Your messaging, your launch process and a solid sales framework for your sales team to build upon is key in marketing your product.

The customer, too, plays a role because if they do not understand the product, then it is dead on arrival. They are the ones who will determine the life cycle of that product in the market.

We will now look at each of these in detail.

Product Messaging

So you have a great product after scoping the market for what they need. Your ideas have been brought to life by your developers. It is time to go to the market.

But what will you tell them?

This is where product messaging comes in.

Your product message are the words you say in text or with your voice that will help to convince your customers to take a look at your product as a solution to their problem.

If you have a competitor already in that market, then it becomes even trickier. Good messaging is what will make your potential customer choose you and not them.

This is why you have to be deliberate about what you say in your messaging. It has to speak to the customer’s problem first while offering the solution, all in one breath or phrase.

Investing time in crafting this message is never a waste because statistics from Investopedia have shown that 59 percent of paying customers need to build trust with a business first. Those same statistics also show that 21 percent of paying customers choose a brand that they “like”.

If your messaging does not speak to your market’s problems and is not helping you be likeable, you need to go back to the drawing board.

Product launch process

You have now crafted a message so warm and fuzzy that it could melt the glaciers in Antarctica. It is time to tell people what you and your brand does.

Another problem has arisen. How do you launch?

Let us take you back a few paces.

You identified your market’s problems – also referred to as pain points – to create a product that fits. You have crafted a message that carefully encompasses the solution you are offering while empathising with the problem.

All of this was created after scoping your market and creating a buyer persona – a fictional representation of the person or people whose problems you are looking to solve with your product.

Therein lies your solution.

Within that buyer persona, you will see where your customer spends his time. That is where your product launch should hold.

If your customer spends his time on Instagram, launch there even if you intend to have an offline launch event. If your customer is a constant commuter, launch using billboards and posters. Anywhere your customers are is where you should launch.

Product sales framework

Now everybody knows about your product. But they are still wondering if they should sign up for it or pay for it.

It is easy to leave this to your sales team and go pamper yourself for a job well done. But if nobody signs up to use your product, your head, rather than the salesperson’s, will be on the plate.

Luckily, this is a joint effort. A meeting between the sales and marketing teams is needed to craft a sales framework that does not do away with the product messaging.

When this is done, the sales team can craft their strategies to get customers to sign up and eventually pay to use the product.

And finally…

Product marketing is more about who you are building for than why you are building. You cannot entirely understand it because the market is dynamic and this dynamism must influence the direction of your marketing.

But to help you get a grasp on how to market a product in a way that can earn you a good share of the market, we have created this Product Marketing crash course. Click to find out more.