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AMA: Carta Vice President Product Marketing, Kelly Kipkalov on Product Marketing Career Path

January 20 @ 9:00AM PT

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👋 Kelly Kipkalov

Hi all, I'm Kelly Kipkalov, Vice President Product Marketing @ Carta:

• 👋 Based in: San Francisco Bay Area
• 🧠 Top of mind: Writing effective SKO presentations!
• 💬 Ask me about: PMM career paths
• 🍦 Fun fact: My maiden name is Smith. I met my husband in Russia and couldn't wait to get rid of my very generic last name. :)

What has been your career journey in product marketing?

Kelly Kipkalov•

Carta Vice President Product Marketing • 3mo

I actually started out in CPG - Consumer Packaged Goods. Right out of grad school (MBA), I was a brand manager on the Sonicare business. For some reason there's the per...

468 Views

1 request

What in your development tells you are going in the right direction with Product Marketing?

Kelly Kipkalov•

Carta Vice President Product Marketing • 3mo

You are in learning mode, every single day.You've never stopped being curious about the product and your customer.You are getting positive feedback from your PMs and your...

457 Views

1 request

What are the major differences you see between high level IC's (lead/principal) and Directors in terms of PMM skills and leadership? Are there any specific recommendations you have for making that first jump to a Director of PMM role?

Kelly Kipkalov•

Carta Vice President Product Marketing • 3mo

The answer to your question is actually partially embedded in your question! There are three major characteristics I look for:Showing leadership. You want to get a stro...

429 Views

2 requests

What did you wish you knew at the very beginning of your product marketing career as a Product Marketing Manager?

Kelly Kipkalov•

Carta Vice President Product Marketing • 3mo

I probably didn't realize how many different flavors of product marketing there are out there in the world, it turns out PMM means different things to different employers...

778 Views

1 request

Any tips for how to be creative with minimal resource / budget ?

Kelly Kipkalov•

Carta Vice President Product Marketing • 3mo

It definitely pays to be a scrappy PMM. You will always be resource constrained, with the lions share of tech marketing budgets going to the DG function. But the good n...

1211 Views

5 requests

How can a digital marketer transition into product marketing?

Kelly Kipkalov•

Carta Vice President Product Marketing • 3mo

I think the path from digital marketing to PMM is very, very viable. And I've interviewed several DG candidates for PMM roles in the past, I'm very open to it. The best...

452 Views

5 requests

How should a marketing generalist who has over 8 years of experience but doesn't have tech background pivot into Product Marketing?

Kelly Kipkalov•

Carta Vice President Product Marketing • 3mo

I answered a similar question about making the move from DG into PMM and most of the answer is applicable here as well. It's pretty simple. Look for an opportunity withi...

480 Views

3 requests

What tips do you have for standing out during a tough job market?

Kelly Kipkalov•

Carta Vice President Product Marketing • 3mo

The most tangible advice I can give you is to heavily invest in your LinkedIn profile and presence. Make sure your profile description is short and punchy. Get a great...

462 Views

2 requests