The simplest answer to “What is Product Marketing?”

Pop Quiz: If you had to define product marketing now, what would you say?

Lots of people struggle to answer this question, but it’s not your fault. While product marketing is a prominent department in both B2B and B2C companies, it’s quite difficult to get a good definition of it anywhere – even on Google.

What makes it especially difficult is that it is one of the few job functions that product, marketing, and Sales. It comes down to knowing and testing the target customer in order to find ways to learn more about them and how best to interact with them.

Product marketing doesn’t stop when the product is out (if it were, product marketers at a single-product company wouldn’t have much to do after the product was launched). The process of marketing a product as the final step is making sure that the right people are becoming aware of the product. The people who know how to use it according to the needs and feedback of customers are heard over the entire life cycle of the product.

Let’s talk about where to start in product marketing and what other aspects of your business this product can help it grow.

A great way to start brainstorming your campaign is to implement the inbound marketing methodology into your strategic plan. We mentioned earlier that product marketing is continuous and your approach should be the same. Inbound marketing is a strategy that aims to attract your audience and turn them into loyal customers who are committed to your product.

This is demonstrated in our “Attact, Engage, Delight” model below.

You can attract, engage, and excite your customers with other aspects of your business, including strategies for identifying your target audience, a clear positioning or marketing message, and myriad other ideas. But in a nutshell, when you start your product marketing plan with this model and understand the inbound methodology, you can take your business to success.

Now that we have a solid foundation to build on, let’s move on.

What does a product marketing process look like before, during and after a product is launched?

Product marketing starts with your customer

In the early years of HubSpot, many small businesses faced one challenge: product ambiguity. Aside from the slim majority of people who perceived HubSpot as “marketing services” – which is actually part of our suite of products – our perception consisted of numerous other terms that our audience used to describe us.

This is the number one reason companies conduct a formal product marketing operation, and it starts with your buyer personality.

A great product means nothing if it doesn’t grab the attention of the people who would benefit from it. So who is your audience for this product? How (and where) do you reach them and what is that? story Do you want to present this product to them? In preparing for a product to go to market, it’s critical to work with the rest of your marketing team to identify your customer and develop the message.

Seven critical steps in product marketing

When product marketers know exactly who their product is aimed at, marketing can begin. Here are seven things product marketers can do before, during, and after their product launches:

1. Product research: A helpful and well-made product is not made in a vacuum, nor is it marketed in one. In the weeks and months leading up to a product launch, product marketers work with product developers to test the product both internally and externally through controlled beta environments.

2. Product history: Products are also brought to market in the form of a story. What problem does the product solve? Who is facing this problem? How does it solve this problem? What are competitors not doing?

3. Product-oriented content: The next stop in product marketing is the content creator’s desks. This is where product marketers can create a variety of marketing copy, blog content, case studies and landing pages on their website, and run A / B tests – all to describe the product.

4. Product launch plan: No product marketing team is complete without a written induction plan that outlines each final phase of the marketing process and who is responsible for each point.

5. Product launch session: When the product hits the market, everyone involved meets on the launch day. Much like a rocket launch, this is the product marker’s finest hour – it’s the culmination of a product marketing campaign.

6. Community engagement: Since product marketing generates enough awareness of the product in the industry, it is common for the marketing team to benefit from what the market says about them. This includes contacting partners, influencers and existing customers for comments.

7. Sales promotion: While a product is being prepared for market, the sales team waits in the starting blocks to develop a sales strategy for this new business opportunity. It is the job of the product marketing team to meet with the sales force before, during, and after the product is launched to the public. This will ensure that the messages created for this product will be consistent through the first sales pitch.

With that in mind, you might be wondering what exactly a product marketer needs to do to get these projects to completion. Let’s dive in.

Job description product marketer

A product marketer or product marketing manager advertises products and their functions to a company’s target audience. Her responsibilities include studying the company’s products, highlighting key customer acquisition features, and creating marketing campaigns for products.

Product Marketer Responsibilities

The main job of a product marketer is to promote the value of a product with the target audience. This goal is achieved through a combination of strategy and ideas such as:

• Determination of the mix of marketing content for creation and distribution
• Create and manage budgets for marketing campaigns
• Working with content creators to create content that reflects the product and brand image
• Manage a content calendar and create the schedule

Product Marketer Salary

The salary of a product marketing manager or product marketing manager in the United States varies widely based on experience and level. According to the industry average in 2021, the median content of the various levels is as follows:

• Beginner product marketer or product marketing assistant: $ 43,630
• Product marketer or product marketing manager: $ 111,890
• Head of Product Marketing: $ 166,928

Promote your product with a plan

As you develop your product marketing team and strategy, think about how the elements above could take shape and who you will need to work with to make it a success. Keep these questions in mind in your next great product marketing plan.