AMA: HubSpot Head Of Product Marketing, Tiffany Tooley on Building A Product Marketing Team

I've done a lot of interviews and hiring over the years and I'm constantly impressed by how smart and driven Product Marketers are! It's one of the things that makes interviewing so much fun - you get an opportunity to talk to and learn from the best of the best. That said, I think there are a few things that really stand out for me, and they are: Curiosity - Most candidates are well-educated and skilled, so it's the folks with humility and a curiosity to learn that really shine during the inter ...Read More

Great question! I'd recommend 4 things: Stay up on current trends in the industry. This seems like a no-brainer, but it's one of the things that I see folks deprioritize as they're working to get things done early in their careers. Whether it's AdWeek, Forbes, you name it! Stay up on the recent trends and technologies on a weekly basis.  If your organization has a sales team, get to know them and your customers. They're your primary "customers", so spend time listening - understanding their chal ...Read More

This very much depends on your company size, but I'd say the basics are:  Messaging & Positioning GTM Strategy Development & Execution Sales & Buyer Enablement Campaign Support Competitive Support Consistent partnerships with Product, Sales & Customers There are always a ton of questions about TAM, Pricing & Packaging, Personas, etc. I've been on teams where those things are certainly supported or led by PMM teams, but as the business scales, I often find the TAM, Pricing &am ...Read More

Great question! Sounds like your team is really prioritizing the awareness and consideration phase of your buyer's journey, so you're optimizing for product intel, launches and then sales enablement/support. I think one other area to consider, which may be in your launch team's remit, is buyer enablement and customer stories/proof, so the experience and content you're creating to help your buyers quickly and confidently make decisions. Outside of that, I'd recommend you have a good partnership w ...Read More

This is a fun question! I'd say you want to typically start with the Product first. If you have overlap, meaning one persona often purchases multiple products (especially if they're purchasing them at once), then you could certainly consider starting with the Persona approach first and building a solutions strategy over a product-oriented one. If however, your persona typically purchases one product at a time, I recommend you start with the Product approach and then support your teams with a bet ...Read More

I think you have to remember that people typically stay with an organization when 5 things exist: A great culture that they believe in Sticky relationships with their peers Good pay & benefits They're appreciated and can see how they can grow their careers Good work/life balance Focusing on balancing those 5 things and keeping your finger on the pulse of them is key to retaining great talent. If one or more of these aren't addressed, it can be really challenging for your team to want to stay ...Read More

Without knowing how many you're talking about, this is a bit of a tough question to answer with specificity, but I'd say you definitely need to create and/or revisit your operating model every time 2-3 new people join your team, especially when you're going from 1-4. Think about establishing principles for: Who is doing what? (i.e your key functions and workstreams - I often find DARCIs help out here) How you'll share information - (i.e. which meetings help us discuss and progress our workstream ...Read More

We start by co-creating it! It's very much a collaborative exercise across the team to determine how we want to show up as a team! Some of it comes from listening to individuals, replaying back what you've heard and key themes, and then using that to facilitate good conversations around what's next. We very much anchor our team values back to HubSpot's culture code, which embraces Humility, Empathy, Authenticity, Relatability, and Transparency. We also recognize the values we create have to be c ...Read More

I'd say there are 3 things to keep in mind as a new PMM:  1. Go easy on yourself and prioritize the things that will have the biggest impact. Product Marketers are central to a GTM strategy, but that doesn't mean you have to know everything or do everything. Think of your career less like a sprint (which leaves you quickly exhausted and solely focused on getting across the finish line!) but more as a run (in which you can manage a comfortable conversation and can keep your head up to see and emb ...Read More

This one is so important! That's because it helps define your team's strategic impact on the organization. At a very high level, I think your team's goals should directly map into the company's organizational goals so that your team can convey how they're helping to grow the business. Once you've defined the team's prospective impact on your annual goals, then you can determine how your respective sub-teams across your PMM team (or individuals if you're leading a smaller team) can support them. ...Read More