How do you keep learning as a product marketer?

Talk to customers. Talk to customers every time you can. Sales may push back on having another voice in the call but you fundamentally can't do your job unless you can reflect that customer voice into the rest of the company.

Investing in yourself is always the best bet of all. Some tips for product marketers: 1) Participate in industry and category events;2) Test and learn new concepts and ideas ;3) Join a community of experts in the field to learn from actual use cases;4) Subscribe to relevant newsletters and publications. 5) Get inspiration from Podcasts, TED talks, and other relevant sources. 5) Acquire new certifications relevant to your role or future role; 6) Volunteer in a cross-functional project to learn from other areas within your company; 7) Set goals for learning and create a spreadsheet or use your favorite task management tool to track. 8) The most important one: Ask for feedback from your customers or audience and learn from and about them.

Product Marketing is not the same as it was 5 yrs ago.. trends are changing in fast pace.. So learning attitude for a Marketer is important to keep pace with changing trends. Some of things that we can consider are 1. Learn from industry, kèep pace with changing industry tends 2. Learn from customers, understand current and future need of customer. Also see how to interpret customer needs to effective solutions 3. Develop data driven approach 4.Learn tool to execute data driven approach. Finally apply them, without application one can't understand if particular solution works or not. And finally, be ready to unlearn and Learn.

As product marketers, we're usually T-shaped - so it's always good to ask yourself, are you trying to specialize right now, or are you trying to broaden your knowledge? What is most needed from you right now, and what will get you to your next job? There is so much to learn, so prioritizing based on most value and least effort is a great way to go!

Product marketing is one of the least understood marketing disciplines and I’ve seen it vary quite a bit in role/ scope of responsibility across firms. One of the best ways to learn is to network within the function and compare notes with peers whenever you can. Even PMMs from totally different industries use frameworks and approaches that could be useful. Ask your boss who they can introduce you to that might be insightful; also take the initiative to find your tribe via PMA or even via outreach on LinkedIn. The other obvious learning sources are: (1) your internal partners - you should understand their world since you’re at the intersection (sales, other marketers, product etc.) And (2), customers! But that’s a separate post. :)

1) Participate in industry and category events. 2) Test and learn new concepts and ideas. 3) Join a community of experts in the field to learn from actual use cases. 4) Subscribe to relevant newsletters and publications.

1. The smartest marketers master human psychology. Go the extra mile and consider resources on behavioral economics, copywriting and psychology. 2. Compliment your learnings by following thought leaders on social media. Supercharge your learning through relevant and timely insights across categories. 3. Last, don't underestimate the power of peer collaboration and mentorship. It can offer practical, real-world advice that formal resources may lack. Remember: The more diverse your sources, the richer your learning experience will be.

There's a ton of great resources for continuing to learn and improve as a product marketer. I've found a lot of value out of product marketing communities, such as Product Marketing Alliance and Product Marketing Hive. Both have great slack communities that are very active with peers sharing ideas and best practices. I've also found some great product marketers to follow on LinkedIn. April Dunford, Anthony Pierri, Robert Kaminski, Jason Oakley, Tamara Grominsky, Jonathan Pipek, Alex Virden, and Elena Madrigal are a few of my favorites. I continue to learn SO much from them. Finally, podcasts. Product Marketing Life with Collin Mayjack and previously Mark Assini is awesome. I'd also throw in my own company's, The GTM Pack with Jorge Soto.

I'm a big believer in the benefits of observing your target audiences in their natural environment, not just relying on phone win/loss interview learnings. I remember joining a reservation software company (had never worked in the industry nor function) and the immediate value of watching (in this case) reservationists handle calls, learning the questions they're asked, and watching them multi-task across several monitors and different applications. So much learning! Too many users do what the do everyday b/c that's what they've always done and can't tell you what they need. True innovation is build functionality that improves their work lives and creates an insightful, unique differentiator. Be sure to schedule learning time onsite!

Diversify your learning methods for better retention and enjoyment. Incorporate learning into nature walks for fresh perspectives. Join or start a book club to explore varied topics and viewpoints. Use breakfast time for flashcard reviews, and turn commutes into podcast learning hours. Local trips, be it to museums or historic sites, offer rich learning experiences. Embrace creative journaling, combining daily learnings with illustrations. Cook dishes from different countries weekly, understanding their history. Delve into music's roots or pick a craft, understanding its background. Use lunch breaks for language practice and discuss historical events during dinners. Consistency turns these into enriching daily habits.

In my experience as both and educator and entrepreneur, I have found it extremely important and deeply profound when there is dedicated learning time. I have been an advocate at every place I have worked and partnered with that time set apart to learn, ponder, gain clarity and share thoughts is paramount for team “buy-in” and ultimately leads to a more successful and well rounded workplace.

While scheduling individual learning time is important, in reality these time slots often get treated as "placeholders" and moved around whenever something "urgent" comes up. The best way around that problem is to schedule weekly learning sessions with your team, or lunch & learn sessions for bigger groups. The social aspect adds accountability and ensures there's enough buy in from different stakeholders to make those events a priority. Last, leaders need to set an example and make continuous learning a company priority.

Listening to PMM podcasts while on the train/tube is one of my favourite things to do. They usually take the format of interviewing a product marketing leader who speaks on what they do at their company. I'll keep notes of key learnings on my phone, but also take it one step further by checking out that company's website to study how the insights they shared actually manifest in real life. I'll keep more notes on my thoughts on their execution - what did I like or not like? What could I apply to my company? It really helps you to see how the theory is applied, and how you could apply it too.

To enhance your learning journey as a product marketer, consider these insights: 1. Embrace data-driven decisions: Measure the impact of your strategies using metrics to optimize your efforts. 2. Staying agile: Adapt quickly to emerging trends and technologies to get first-hand learnings. 3. Feedback loop: Establish a feedback loop with customers and stakeholders to hold you accountable. Incorporating these strategies will elevate your effectiveness as a product marketer and keep you at the forefront of the industry.

Learning becomes truly effective only when it's utilized in your work or shared with others. It's not just about gaining information, but using it effectively in your role. Popular activities for PMs to apply their learning include: - Revising existing marketing strategies - Conducting new market research - Implementing A/B testing for campaigns - Developing new product messaging - Running data analysis for insights Besides direct application in your projects, sharing your learning by teaching colleagues, writing articles, providing feedback, or engaging in discussions is equally valuable.

Analyse customer feedback and reviews to understand the market perception of your product. Use this information to refine your messaging and positioning strategies.

I strong believe in bias for action philosophy. If anyone cannot apply what they have learned then the learning becomes shelf ware and pretty trophy. Your learning path needs an activation path also. One of the best ways to do that is to use the learning on the current position or take additional project or new deliverables. I also believe that experimentation (e.g., A/B message testing) is best way to apply what you have learned and continuous measure the results to make adjustments.

Take every opportunity to engage with your company’s customers. This is not just about refining your message/targeting - this is an exercise in how people think about your category, how they view your company & competitors, & will improve your capability to consider a customer perspective over the long term, no matter where else you land. Talk with your sales team - again, not just around a specific campaign on annual plan, but rather about how they sell. What do they hear in the market? When are they losing? why do they feel they win? Focus not only on building the skills of a product marketer… but also on understanding the skills & perspectives of the teams around you - you will be better informed and better at your job as a result.

I've been a SaaS product marketer all my life - and continue to specialize in it since I started my own business in 2017 - and the single thing I can advise every product marketer to invest in is this: 1 - Start a podcast where you interview customers. It just keeps you so connected with the market and what's going on in the minds of your customers 2 - write. Ideally write every day. Initially I did a blog a week, then a couple of posts per week on Social, and since May 2022 every day of the week. It's transformative. The more your write, the sharper you get. Everyone benefits from it

Don't fall into the trap of trying to master the knowledge of others around you. I once made the mistake of trying to learn as much about my product and its underlying technology as my counterparts in the product management team. Instead, I should have spent more time learning about the latest messaging and positioning techniques. These were skills that didn't exist elsewhere in the company and they would have enabled me to make a much bigger impact.

Product Marketing really requires a combination of constantly understanding customer problems and needs, but also keeping up to speed on innovations and technology. This just doesn't mean following the herd or throwing around words without understanding how they are used by your audience. Too many marketers take extreme liberties due to lack of being technical and harm credibility for themselves and the organizations they represent Words matter. They should not be dismissed! Know how your prospects and customers talk about the products and/or technology and use terminology accurately.

Being a product marketer also means being the bridge between your customer and your product tech team. Mostly what insiders think will work is not based on customer discovery. You have a lot of work carved out for you. Listen to your customer, watch competition closely, do much of social listening, connect to brand team and sales. Positioning a product will be hard if you don’t do customer discovery. And be your own customer to understand deeply what you need to do. Partnerships that complement will help market and sell your product faster.