How can you communicate product marketing goals to cross-functional teams?

In my experience, in absence of a consistent team process at sine companies, meeting with cross-functional peers to determine the right framework has been the key to a successful project start. The acronyms to these frameworks are always mentioned and for new folks who may have never used one vs another can be off/putting. So, align with peers on which framework, the product mktg goals and then begin the process of meeting regularly to discuss changes, additions, pivots or any other pertinent information. An easily accessible live document for regular updates is also recommended. Communication is key.

To add to this, information is always flowing and is how marketers fine tune their product strategy. A dashboard can also capture cross-functional team feedback at every milestone, competitive moves, consumer trends and other more qualitative information. It is important that your dashboard goes beyond quantitative numbers and takes into consideration the other things that affect performance.

Using stories or real-world examples from a similar industry, a similar company, or a competitor, to illustrate why certain development and distribution strategies are being adopted makes the strategy more relatable and easy to adopt. The storytelling can be aided by offering specific training sessions for sales (like sales enablement sessions) and customer success teams and providing them with tools or collateral (like sales playbooks or FAQs) that aid in their specific roles.

Establish regular check-ins by scheduling periodic meetings with individual teams to update the teams on progress, receive feedback, and address any concerns. Involve representatives from sales, engineering, product, and customer success to get holistic feedback. Their insights can help refine the strategy, and their involvement ensures a stronger buy-in. You may also host a cross-functional workshop where you can break into smaller team-specific sessions to delve deeper into each team's feedback and how they can play a role in improving the strategy.

Different teams may have different priorities. When you present your strategy, it is imperative that you tailor the goals to highlight the aspects most relevant to each team. Along with creating individual product goals, it is also important to create shared objectives that require collaboration between product marketing and other teams. This fosters a shared sense of purpose. While clearly defining the metrics that will be used to measure success is paramount, one should ensure that each team understands how they impact these metrics and how their efforts will be measured.

Be more visible. Exploit the company planning cycle and secure a slot at the annual kick-off and other company meetings, such as monthly and end-of-quarter meetings. Use this opportunity to reiterate your team's goals, achievements, and progress towards your annual goals. This will keep product marketing top-of-mind for your colleagues in different company roles.

- Develop a clear, concise, and accessible centralized product marketing document. This can include personas, positioning, key messages, and goals. Regularly update it based on performance metrics and feedback received and ensure all teams can access it anytime. - Use Champions or Ambassadors from each team who understand and advocate for the product marketing vision. They can be crucial in spreading enthusiasm and clarity within their respective teams. The latter can be achieved by leveraging internal communication platforms like Slack or Teams to share success stories, customer testimonials, or market insights regularly.