How can you apply product marketing skills to other roles and industries?

Product marketers are skilled at crafting narratives around products. This skill can be applied to roles such as content marketing, public relations, or sales, where effective communication and storytelling are essential.

Product marketing is simply: the products we build, the stories we tell and to whom we tell them to. Think about Nespresso. People had been drinking coffee at home for years. But they created a technologically advanced product, with a simple story behind. Coffee at home - clean, simple and glamorous. Even George Clooney drinks it. Products. Stories. People. Because "What else?"

Want to know if product marketing is for you? If you answer 'yes' to one or more of these questions, it is! 1) Do you care more about what the product can do for the customer vs. how it's made/built/coded? 2) Do you find yourself always asking 'why would someone care?' when you talk about new capabilities or products? 3) Do you thrive on having unpredictable conversations with Sales? 4) Do people outside of Engineering come to you for an explanation of what your solutions do? And on another tangent, you'll know that your company can benefit from a product marketing headcount when your launches miss expectation or you hear the Product team wonder out loud why Sales and Marketing just don't seem to get it!

Product marketing skills are essential competencies and expertise required to ensure a product’s success; from concept to market. The creation and execution of a devised go-to-market strategy, defining target segments, channel strategies, pricing, and distribution, are integral to any product launch. Effective product communication is also key; it involves creating compelling content and campaigns that not only inform but also persuade and captivate customers throughout their customer journey.

Product marketing principles, when woven into varied roles, amplify efficiency and authenticity in business interactions. Product marketing, at its core, revolves around understanding and conveying value. When applied across roles, it's transformative. For HR, it means tailoring programs to real employee needs. Project managers can communicate clearer, ensuring aligned objectives. Sales teams, by adopting this ethos, foster deeper client relationships, focusing on solutions over transactions. Customer service benefits from authentic engagements, building trust. Leaders using a product marketing lens lead with understanding, ensuring strategy resonates.

I always advise people to map their skills and cross-reference what they have/don't have for any potential role or move to another category.

While some technical skills do cross over, like competitive analysis and research, perhaps content creation, it is important to also think through other aspects of the job. For example, cross collaboration, team leadership and being adaptable are also key skills for product marketers.

There are two sets is skills. The first set are product marketing responsibilities which are highly transferable across industries, ie. positioning, competitive analysis, GTM etc. It does take some ramp up time to learn the dynamics and ecosystem of a new industry, but any decent product marketing professional has the skill set to do this in a matter of 3-4 months. Often, I see hiring managers doubt this ability and only look for people who have done the exact job in the exact market. Instead hiring managers should look closely at the second set, the “soft skills.” The communication, persuasiveness, listening, curiosity, creativity, negotiation, decision making, and collaboration skills are all extremely transferable and invaluable.

In my experience, there are things that we know we don’t know, and then things we don’t know that we don’t know. In that regard, being open to learning new skills is an important skill!

Product Marketing skills are more or less transferable to other marketing and growth roles across organizations. It is all about landing right punches at the right time. For example, all marketers utilize storytelling, do market research, learn consumer sentiments, plug communication gaps and leverage existing customers. Context and relevance may differ. It is 60-40. 60% are your skills and rest 40% that differentiates you from others is always about execution.

Product marketers often conduct market research and analyze data to understand customer behavior and market trends. These skills can be valuable in roles such as market research, business intelligence, or data analysis, where quantitative skills and insights are necessary.

When it comes to transferrable skills and product marketing, you also have to think outside the box, and sometimes make a leap of faith. As someone who has worked in both the B2C and B2B worlds, I can say that the transition from one to the other was intimidating, especially when I applied for a job that was outside my comfort zone but within the range of my transferrable skills. Research can help you find some inspiration, but you will learn more about yourself by exploring new options and applying for new positions inside or outside your organisation.

The most important skill in any role or industry is adaptability, being agile and ready to pivot when needed. This is valuable especially in the ever changing technology world.

If I was looking to break into product marketing today or land a PMM job in a new industry, I would look to three places. LinkedIn, Podcasts, and Communities. There are so many talented PMMs sharing advice and examples on LinkedIn daily. Get involved in the comments, make connections, and those will turn into networking opportunities with people you can learn from. There are dozens of awesome PMM podcasts out there. You can learn a ton from listening to 1-2 each week. You'll also find podcasts on specific industries that will help you get a baseline understanding quickly. Communities like PMA, Sharebird, Healthy Competition, and PMM Camp help you connect with and learn from other talented PMMs. They also often share job openings ??

Knowing the market and industry is a great way to test the waters.. Is this a space you want to explore and dive all in or does it peak your interest? There are job sites that can show you what you need and you can start with a job search intention and plan. Connect with top PMMs in your space and build a relationship.

Using industry jargon and statistics in your resume may help you get by the AI resume bots, but may not be a deciding factor in landing the *right* position in a creative field. As a someone with product marketing skills, the best thing you can do is market yourself. It's not always easy - it is like being a photographer in front of the lens - but you can take advantage your skills to tell your story. Know your audience, connect with your network and potential employers in meaningful and authentic ways. Make a lasting first impression, develop your "personal brand" and communicate your unique selling points. Play to your strengths, and if you have fun while you're doing it, your authenticity will come across.

Product marketing skills, including market research, customer understanding, and effective communication, are highly adaptable across roles and industries. They benefit sales, content marketing, product management, UX/UI design, customer support, data analysis, product management, public relations, entrepreneurship, nonprofit work, and education. Additionally, expertise in product life cycle management guides product development, marketing, sales, and strategic planning in various domains, ensuring the product aligns with customer needs and market positioning effectively.

The big point I'll reiterate here is that you need to be SPECIFIC. In your resume, your cover letter, your personal outreach, your interview — everything. ? Don't just say you have launch experience ? Talk about a specific launch, the role you played, the results, what worked, what didn't. ? Don't just say you did VOC research. ? Talk about a specific research project you worked on and how those insights drove some type of decision. ? Don't just say you're skilled with messaging. ? Share specific examples and the impact it had.

When it's time to zoom in on your choices, giving your resume and cover letter a custom fit can really make your product marketing skills shine for the role and field you're eyeing. Sprinkle in those keywords and industry-specific lingo that match the job you're after. And don't just tell them what you did—show them the numbers that prove your impact, like boosting user retention or growing revenue with your initiatives. Remember to spotlight those versatile skills of yours, too, showing off how you're not just a quick learner but also ready to adapt and thrive in new environments. It's all about painting a picture of not just what you've done, but how what you've done can propel you (and your future employer) forward.

Tailoring your experience for the new industry or role you are interested in takes time. Give yourself time. Do all the right things in researching a company, being specific and mapping what you can do to what they need - BUT always be yourself. Ultimately, I believe, they are hiring a person and their talent. You need to be you.

Be prepared. Like the scouts :) Do your homework on the company, the people interviewing you and the role. Be prepared with specific examples of the work you've done and the ideas you have for the new role. Remember, product marketing is about knowing your audience - this is the same thing, with the product being you. Know your unique value and position it.

In an interview, the product you are marketing is you. You need to know your audience, engage with the interviewers, tell your story, and be open and honest. Let your personality shine through, and request the same level of transparency from those interviewing you. Just as in product marketing, your potential employer wants to know what they are getting when they invest in you, and conversely you deserve to know your potential new team (and company's) strengths and weaknesses. Focus on the positive, but over-promising and under-delivering on either side doesn't serve anyone's interests.

Considero que el destacar las habilidades transferibles durante la entrevista, puede lograr el convencer a los entrevistadores de que esas habilidades de marketing te convierten en un candidato ideal, incluso si no tienes experiencia previa en ese rol o industria específicos. Reforzando sobre todo el utilizar un lenguaje claro y conciso para explicar las habilidades y experiencia, dando ejemplos concretos de cómo se ha aplicado las habilidades en el pasado, y de igual manera haciendo preguntas que demuestren el interés, comprensión del rol y la empresa.

One thing I've done in past interviews is have my own portfolio of examples ready to share. When the interviewer asked a question I would ask permission to share my screen and walk them through a real example. Without them having to ask. Most were surprised and impressed.

As a part of the preparation you should research the relevant company, it's goals, target market, customers, success stories and teams. Show this knowledge at different points of the interview.

Product marketers often work closely with sales teams to provide them with the necessary resources and materials to sell the product effectively. These skills can be applied to roles like sales enablement, training, or even customer support, where knowledge transfer and ensuring a consistent customer experience are crucial.

As a product marketer who has worn multiple hats, I can confidently say that product marketing teaches you enough to be able to adapt to a variety of roles. Some of the most common roles would be: 1. Growth marketing: If you have been deeply involved in the process of product marketing, you sure have an understanding of all the channels that can drive maximum growth for the product. 2. Content Marketing: As a product marketer, you can't survive without a strong content marketing team. Working closely renders some of those skills to you which you can hone further. 3. Marketing Communication: Communication is the strongest pillar that holds a product marketing strategy in place. This experience can help you land a marcom role.

"Product marketing" as described here is a huge scope. In a small company, you might be the single person respnosible for every aspect, from initial research to product feedback and KPI analysis. In a larger company, you might focus on just one part of this process. As a generalist you have the advantage that you can identify the parts of the product marketing process you enjoy most and move your career in this direction. As a specialist, shifting your focus to a different part of the process might be a bit more challenging, but "zooming out" to the bigger picture in the direction of a managerial role may be an inticing option. Once again, being be true to yourself and your interests and focus on what makes you happy.

Be your own product marketer! By that I mean show your positioning skills in how you sell yourself. Why should they choose you over the competition? What differentiators do you have that make you the ideal candidate for this specific job? You can even have fun with this and be very transparent in your approach. A good product marketing leader will appreciate it.

As long as there is a product manager and/or a brand manager in the company, a product marketeer can fit in any company, industry agnostic!