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Judy Abad

AMA: Slack Former Product Marketing Lead, Judy Abad on Messaging

September 19, 2017 @ 10:00AM PT

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  1. What are good messaging framework resources that you use?

    Judy Abad
    Judy Abad

    Navan Global Director, Business Strategy and Comms • 8y

    Hmmm … this depends on what you’re launching. The most important things to understand when you’re creating any messaging is who your audience is, what is the benefit to them, and how you'll reach them. This is a great read if you’re just getting started (and something I make my new hires read): https://medium.com/startup-grind/people-dont-buy-products-they-buy-better-versions-of-themselves-2ce85fdb5ff1   In general, the framework is only as important as the message you’re trying to deliver. Play ...Read More

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  2. What's an example of a company that you think does product marketing really well?

    Judy Abad
    Judy Abad

    Navan Global Director, Business Strategy and Comms • 8y

    Great question! In general, I don't think of product marketing as separate from the overall consumer-facing experience because that's what we're all doing at the end of the day (whether your audience is consumers or businesses). The best in class for me is Apple. I know, what an original answer! :) I am a self-professed Apple fangirl. When you build great products and market them well, it can be a magical experience for the consumer. They do a great job of focusing on key benefits and making it ...Read More

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  3. Where does in-app copy fit in your org? (Under Product Marketing, Design or other?)

    Particularly interested in technical products, but also curious for nontechnical.

    Judy Abad
    Judy Abad

    Navan Global Director, Business Strategy and Comms • 8y

     
    It depends on how big your company is! At large companies, there’s often a Content Strategy or Product Writing person or team that sits under Design. The PMM should ensure the in-product copy aligns with overall positioning, but is not the directly responsible person for that. 
     

    Absent a product writer, a PMM should work with a PM to deliver the right in-product copy.
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  4. If you were building a PMM team from the ground up, e.g. in a startup, which responsibilities would you want to own vs what would you expect the PM team to manage?

    Judy Abad
    Judy Abad

    Navan Global Director, Business Strategy and Comms • 8y

    This is something I have experience doing since I was one of the first monetization product marketers at Instagram and the first product marketer at Slack. I'll say that it was different at both companies, so it can vary. It really matters what your company's priorities are and what each individual is focused on and where their strengths lie.    PMMs do not support PMs 1:1 in small companies (wouldn't that be nice!), so it's best to be strategic about where a PMM can help fill in gaps early on. ...Read More

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  5. How do you prioritize your product marketing projects and still make time for ad-hoc requests?

    Judy Abad
    Judy Abad

    Navan Global Director, Business Strategy and Comms • 8y

    This is a tricky one because you need to prioritize your work and hit your goals. At the same time, you want to be flexible if new projects come up that supersede what you’re working on.    There are ways to ensure you arrive at the best decision for the good of the company. At the end of the day, everyone is working to make the company successful, and if your teams are functioning well, people will get that. A win for the company doesn’t always mean a win for you, personally.    The best thing ...Read More

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  6. Which role is more strategic and has more power in the Tech industry, the PM or the PMM? Who has the final call on products decisions?

    Judy Abad
    Judy Abad

    Navan Global Director, Business Strategy and Comms • 8y

    As Mary said, it definitely depends on how you define power, but in general, the PM makes the final call on the building the product and the PMM makes the final call on the launch strategy. Well, actually, it’s really the CEO that has the final call on everything, but you get my point.    In terms of which role is more strategic, it depends on what you enjoy doing and what you want to learn to do more of. PMs are generally defining the “what, why, and how” of the product, working closely with en ...Read More

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    5 requests