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Raman Sharma

AMA: DigitalOcean Vice President, Product Marketing, Raman Sharma on Brand Strategy

February 7, 2023 @ 10:00AM PT

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  1. What is the difference between "value proposition," "messaging," "pitch," and "story?"

    Do you see these as separate, complementary, the same thing, or else?

    Raman Sharma
    Raman Sharma

    Confluent Product Marketing Leader (Microsoft / DigitalOcean / Sourcegraph / Confluent) • 3y

    [Warning] Extremely Opinionated Zone starts now :) Value Proposition answers the question of whether buying your product is a good value exchange for the customer/prospect. The pain you are reducing or the delight you are introducing - is it worth the commercial exchange and a good deal for the prospect? Messaging is the act of clearly articulating the value proposition through words that resonate with the target audience. Pitch is a succinct and impactful delivery of the messaging, frequently c ...Read More

    4,330 Views
    1 request

  2. How important are brand marketing skills for product marketers compared to analytical skills?

    There is often a huge emphasis on analytical skills, instead of brand marketing skills, when it comes to product marketing job descriptions.

    Raman Sharma
    Raman Sharma

    Confluent Product Marketing Leader (Microsoft / DigitalOcean / Sourcegraph / Confluent) • 3y

    In my opinion, a big part of Product Marketing is storytelling - connecting the customers' and prospects' desires and pain points to the capabilities of your products and solutions.  Brand Marketing is not dissimilar. Just that brand is not limited to a single product; in this case, the entire company is the "product." Understanding your company's " story, "your reason for existence (or point of view), and your unique differentiation in the market are essential elements of the brand. These are i ...Read More

    1,685 Views
    1 request

  3. How does your company define the difference between product marketing and integrated / brand / customer marketing?

    Do you see value in having both roles, e.g. Integrated team works more closely with the creative team on seasonal/holiday/brand campaigns whereas Product Marketing works more closely with the Product team on product launches, user research/insights, positioning strategy, etc. I have found it challenging for Product Marketing to own all of this, and often see different skill sets from marketers who are great at creative brand campaigns vs. PMMs who are skilled at positioning a new product and bringing it to market.

    Raman Sharma
    Raman Sharma

    Confluent Product Marketing Leader (Microsoft / DigitalOcean / Sourcegraph / Confluent) • 3y

    I have seen this done differently in different organizations. There is no right or wrong way. However, I firmly believe that the Product Marketer should own the narrative for their product.  If it is a customer story - what value prop are we trying to highlight?  If it is an ad campaign, what audience are we going after and what is the right messaging and CTA? If it is an email campaign to existing customers, what outcome are we trying to drive, and what messaging are we using? PMM, as the perso ...Read More

    7,899 Views
    1 request

  4. What would you rec highlighting in prod mar portfolio and what would make a candidate stand out to you?

    Writing samples? Case studies?

    Raman Sharma
    Raman Sharma

    Confluent Product Marketing Leader (Microsoft / DigitalOcean / Sourcegraph / Confluent) • 3y

    I am a big fan of writing examples.  Writing crisp customer-facing content (blog posts, data sheets, whitepapers, product pages, etc.) is essential for any Product Marketer. I must also add that the cross-functional nature of a PMM's job makes internal writing also very important. Clear, concise writing (GTM plans, memos, messages, 1-pagers, etc.) to get the point across succinctly to multiple stakeholders, drives alignment, and reduces duplicated efforts. Besides, I firmly believe that writing ...Read More

    2,290 Views
    1 request

  5. What role does brand play in product marketing

    Raman Sharma
    Raman Sharma

    Confluent Product Marketing Leader (Microsoft / DigitalOcean / Sourcegraph / Confluent) • 3y

    A brand is not a logo. It is not a catchy tagline. It is not a color or font scheme. It is not the visual imagery. It is not the writing style guideline. It is the sum total of all the experiences an organization provides to its customers and prospects. I have worked in organizations where the company's most prominent "brand surface area" is its educational content (even though it is not in the education business). I have also worked on product teams where the product is the users' most signific ...Read More

    1,198 Views
    1 request