AMA: Product Marketing Leader, Jennifer Kay on Consumer Product Marketing

B2C product marketing is a critical aspect of many companies' business strategies, particularly those in the consumer goods, retail, and e-commerce industries. Often in these organizations, the marketing team is going to be comprised of bigger teams of functional specialists or channel experts such as email or performance marketing. It can be more expensive to acquire new customers in the B2C market in a very short sales cycle, which means that marketers need to be more targeted in their advertising and marketing campaigns. B2C pricing is generally simple and the focus of the pmm involves creating clear, compelling pricing strategies that appeal to consumers. B2B marketing typically involves a longer sales cycle and requires the ability to nurture leads over time. There are a lot of different stakeholders or decision-makers in a big sales cycle and your message needs to land and resonate across. Also, B2B pricing is often more complex, involving negotiations and customized packages, upsells and crosssells.

The ability to effectively build cross-functional relationships is really important in product marketing and understanding the role that each functional area plays in making a product successful. I'd put into this bucket knowing how each team measures their contribution (KPI's), what their processes and pain points are, as well as who and what their stakeholders care most about. I'd also include investing the time to learn their communication style. Just as a pmm spends time getting to understand the customer, I'd recommend doing the same to know your cross-functional partners. So much of pmm is about building bridges between different groups and offerings that this interpersonal piece is often overlooked in skills development.

If the product marketing team is placed within the marketing department, they may be more focused on the promotion and positioning of products rather than on the development of the product itself. In this case, their ability to influence the product roadmap may be limited as they may not have a direct line of communication with the product development team. When the product marketing team is placed within the product department, they may have a more direct influence on the product roadmap as they are more closely aligned with the product and engineering team. This can be beneficial as the pmm can provide insights into the market and customer needs that can inform product development decisions.

The specific skills and criteria may vary depending on the company and industry. If you are unsure what these are in your specific role, it's a conversation to have with your manager to understand the leveling rubric in your org. With that here are a few key skills or focus areas that grow in importance as you grow in your pmm career, - Leadership and Management: A director is often overseeing their own initiatives and the work of direct reports. Experience managing a team and providing mentorship to help team members grow is critical. As a leader you have accountability for the work of your team and a professional responsibility around the impact and trajectory that you will have on your direct's individual careers. - Strategic Thinking: Thinking strategically about the business and the market, analyze data, identify trends, and make informed decisions that support the overall goals of the company. You'll be expected to have a strong understanding of the business and the industry in which it operates. This can include identifying new opportunities for growth and innovation,being aware of potential threats and challenges, partnerships, etc. - Communication & collaboration: As a lead (especially in a remote world) you'll need to be an excellent communicator and willing and able to articulate your vision, goals, and strategies to various stakeholders within the organization. You should be able to build strong relationships with stakeholders across the organization, and be willing to help others achieve their objectives. -Results-Oriented: To move up you should have a track record of delivering results, and be able to set and achieve goals.

The short answer is this is going to be highly dependent and will be different given your company, product or service, stage, and marketing organization. Every company is different and the role of product marketing is never the same. That said, B2C product marketers focus on metrics that measure customer acquisition, retention, and engagement, as well as revenue and profitability. Depending on your company, you could have KPI's tied to all or you could be placed on projects that are narrowly focused on moving a measure of just one.

The fundamental goal of building a strong position in the market remains the same between B2C and B2B: to understand the needs of your target audience and position your products or services as the best solution to meet those needs. And to move your customer to next action. In terms of tools and data, both B2C and B2B companies use similar market research techniques such as surveys, focus groups, and data analytics to gain insights into their target audience. However, B2B companies also rely on industry-specific research and data to understand the needs and pain points of businesses in a particular sector. Generally speaking, B2C (business-to-consumer) companies tend to focus more on consumer behavior and trends, as well as advertising and marketing campaigns that appeal to individual customers. They often rely on consumer data such as demographic and psychographic information to understand their target audience and tailor their products and messaging accordingly.

Moving from B2B product marketing to B2C/consumer product marketing (or vice versa) can at times be a challenging transition, but it's definitely doable with the right strategy and approach. Here are some of my recommendations 1. Gain knowledge of the B2C market: Start by researching and studying the B2C market. Understand the consumer demographics, buying behaviors, and preferences- and invest time learning about how the different channels and touchpoints influnce audiences. I'd invest time in brand, campaign strategy, and popular channels used in B2C marketing. 2. Build a narrative to leverage transferable skills: Identify the transferable skills from your B2B marketing experience that could be relevant to B2C marketing. Some examples messaging, content creation, project management, customer research, data analysis, and stakeholder collaboration and communication. 3. Reframe your experience as PMM rather than focusing on the division of B2B vs. B2C: Positioning, messaging, GTM are the bread and butter of pmm regardless of your product. Some of the tactics or timespan may be different, but focus on conveying your overall approach, process, along with examples of how you have successfully applied these in the past. 4. Clearly articulate your "why" for making the switch and what your looking to learn and cultivate. I would not be shy about identifying that you're looking to learn and grow your marketing tool kit. 

Here are some tips on how to prepare for a Product Marketing Manager (PMM) interview: 1. Research the company: Before going to the interview, make sure you have a good understanding of the company, its products or services, and its target customers. Visit the company website, read its mission statement, and review its recent press releases, and pricing pages to understand its operating model. 2. Understand the role of a PMM and product stage: Make sure you understand the responsibilities of a PMM such as conducting market research, developing messaging and positioning, creating go-to-market strategies, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. Understand the product stage to get a sense of what the team needs (MVP has different pmm needs then a product that has been in market for years). 3. Prepare for behavioral questions: PMM interviews often include behavioral questions that ask you to describe your experiences in detail. Be prepared to provide specific examples of how you have solved problems, overcome challenges, and achieved success in previous roles. STAR method is a great one to work from. 4. Be ready to showcase your marketing skills: As a PMM, you will need to have strong marketing skills.: Some common PMM interview questions include "What experience do you have with product launches?", "How do you conduct market research?", and "What is your approach to developing messaging and positioning?" Come ready to speak to specific examples. Be ready to discuss your experience with market segmentation, value proposition development, pricing strategies, and product positioning. 5. Ask about the customer and be ready to speak about the customers and segments you've focused on in the past and how you came to understand them. 6. As far as showcasing your aptitude, for better or for worse, most roles require you to do a project as part of the hiring process.