What other skills do consumer product marketers need to have that aren't required for b2b product marketers?

Question

Hege Thorbjornsen Starling · Accepted Answer

In general I think there is a lot of overlap in the fundamental skill set needed between the two roles even though they operate differently. In consumer product marketing you’re targeting the end-user with your offering/product. In B2B you’re targeting other companies with your offering/product which then helps them solve a problem for the end-user. I love the consumer landscape and most of my roles have been with brands that target the end-consumer so take my answer with that caveat, but I’ll highlight two areas that can impact how you think about market behavior and product launches differently.

The purchasing cycle is shorter

Imagine you need a new computer, as a consumer and end-user you could go online or in store and buy one in a few minutes. However if you were buying a new computer that your friend group of four was going to use. You would have to make sure the selected computer had all the right bells and whistles for every user, have everyone agree and figure out how to split the cost before you make a purchase. Understanding this difference in how a purchase is evaluated and made as a product marketer can impact how, where and at which frequency you communicate benefits of the product to your target audience

Marketing channels & targeting are likely to be different

There is more and more overlap here as our work life and home life merge, but still worth noting. Imagine you’re the product marketer for a new type of yogurt. You’re more likely to use channels such as TikTok or in-store promotional fliers or free samples vs. if you’re the product marketer for an accounting software, you’re more likely to buy ads on Linkedin or in industry publications to reach decision makers within the accounting field.

Madison Leonard 🕶 · Answer

B2C product marketers work much closer to Product, so you'll need to have a robust understanding of how EPD (engineering, product, design) teams work. You'll be plugging into road mapping and developing user personas alongside your PM counterpart, so you'll need to walk the walk and talk the talk!

You'll also find these skills in B2B, but they won't be as heavily influenced in traditional sales-led companies. However, skills like marketing to individual users rather than buyer personas is absolutely vital to do well in a B2C organization. It would help if you had some generalist marketing skills as well (content, paid, SEO, etc).

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