What does a Product Marketing Manager do?
A product marketing manager is an expert of their company’s product and therefore, uses this expertise to lead the act of promoting and selling their product to customers, both the existing base and the general public.
Tasks of a product marketing manager include:
- Conduct lots of market research
- Analyzes the competition
- Translates new product features and benefits to the consumer
- Works with other departments of the company to optimize their sales and marketing approaches
- Trains the sales team on the product and guides them on how to market it
- Watches the sales of the product
- Creates new marketing campaigns in order to entice new sales.
Description of Duties
In order to do the job, a product marketing manager must perform these tasks listed below.
- Create the training material that each member of the outside sales team will use
- Lead the marketing team
- Push momentum within the marketing team
- Develop new marketing plans
- Work with the product development team to optimize the products profitability and efficiency
- Implement programs to keep high quality leads coming for the company
Work Environment
In the office, a product marketing manager can face very long work weeks. Determined professionals can spend 50 hours per week at work in order to get the job done. This is not surprising, given the large amounts of responsibility that come with the job.
Besides the office, traveling for work may also be needed, depending on the company.
Education
To be in considered for this position education is key. A hopeful candidate will need a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or other related fields. Often times, employers prefer a master’s degree in business administration to handle the job.
Experience in similar work is needed for this position. The more experience the better. For example, 5 years or more is preferred by many companies.
Salary
A typical salary for a product marketing manager is around $100,000. This amount varies, however, the typical range falls between $32,000 and $211,000 per year.
Salary is often dependent upon the candidate’s experience, skills, and education.
Skills Needed
There are plenty of skills needed to lead the charge and become a product marketing manager.
The most important ones are:
- Public speaking
- Search engine optimization
- Sales
- Research and analytics
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Strategic planning
Other major skills are proficiency in Microsoft Office and being tech savvy. In addition, excelling in any or all of these skills will help to advance you in your career.
Advice for College Students with Interest
In short, the number one piece of advice for a college student interested in this career is to go to college and earn a bachelor’s degree in business or marketing.
Secondly, learn to focus very hard on the art of selling. This will help you when searching for a job in the field.
While still in school, seek an internship with a marketing company! This will help you in order to grow connections and gain hands on experience. Keeping your eyes open can lead to many opportunities.
After this, study to become certified in the field. Look into becoming a certified product marketing manager or certified innovation leader. These are helpful to make you stand out from the crowd. This is a crowded field, so standing out can help you lots.
Nervous about a potential job interview? Check out some of the questions you may hear in this mock job interview below.
Job Outlook
The outlook for a product marketing manager is bright. For example, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has reported that the employment of marketing managers is expected to rise faster than the national average for all jobs within the next four years.
This career path is for driven individuals with great leadership and public speaking skills. Similarly, if you have a creative mind and love to express it through marketing, this may be the job for you. In order to succeed in this field, a passion for sales, marketing, and leading a team are all musts, for this amazing job.
Sources
11-2021 Marketing Managers. (2020, July 06). Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes112021.htm
Careers. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/careers/what-does-a-product-marketing-manager-do
Marketing Manager Career & Job Outlook. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://www.floridatechonline.com/blog/business/marketing-manager-career-job-outlook/
Product Marketing Manager Job Description Examples. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://www.indeed.com/hire/job-description/product-marketing-manager
