What are the first PMM artefacts to create when joining as a new employee on the product marketing team?

My first step would be talking with the sales team (outside of my hiring manager and direct colleagues, of course), to see what they're using currently and what our customers are needing. Then create content for those immediate needs. Typically there are 'decks' (story of our lives, right?) or playbooks that either need updating or there's a need for net new content. Getting these content pieces done early and often will impress your manager and your sales teams -- win, win!

When I join a company as a new employee, the first artifacts that I create (if it hasn't been made yet) are:

• Content Repository: During onboarding, you'll already have read through all the materials, datasheets, web pages, etc. Create a spreadsheet, organize it, and identify outdated or inconsistent information.

• Personas: Partner with sales and CS to figure out who buys from you, what problems you're solving, and how you solve them and provide benefits. Bonus points if you can chat with a few customers

• Battlecards: Do competitive research. Figure out where you do where vs other competitors. See how competitors talk about themselves (this will help with messaging). Who can you help your team win?

• Messaging: Once personas are created, you can start work on messaging

• Enablement and Sales Plays: Run internal surveys to see where gaps are in enablement. Build out a plan to address those gaps with plays and regular enablement sessions

• GTM process: This usually comes up when there's a launch happening, but you'll want to meet with each department head to figure out what they need when launching a new product or feature. You'll need to see what your marketing team can do (has time and resources) and then figure out the launch levels.