What should be the top PMM skills for a solo marketer in a SaaS startup?

I started my product marketing career in SaaS startups and this is a topic I discussed with my early mentors often. Being a solo PMM can be a lonely world and it's so important to stay connected to communities like Sharebird and other PMMs.

The key success factors to keep in mind to be an all-star PMM at a startup are the ability to move fast and be scrappy, focus on high-impact activities, wearing multiple hats, and data-driven decision making.

Stay focused on what moves the needle for growth and revenue, then expand your scope as the company grows.

Here are the must-have PMM skills:

1. Product & Customer Focus

• Customer research/interviews

• Product positioning & messaging

• User journey mapping

• Basic product analytics

2. Content & Communication

• Sales enablement materials

• Website copy/messaging

• Basic email marketing

• Clear technical writing

3. Growth Fundamentals

• Basic acquisition channels

• Lead generation

• Simple funnel optimization

• Core metrics tracking

4. Project Management

• Priority setting

• Quick execution

• Stakeholder management

• Resource optimization

The best type of solo marketer is one that is willing, flexible and excited about wearing many different hats. You should be a curious problem-solver who enjoys setting the foundation of processes. You are probably very comfortable in ambiguity and appreciate variety in your role. It will also be very important to build cross-functional relationships as you will likely need to do a lot of education around your role and how you can be a partner to different organizations in the company.