A strong product marketing strategy can either make or break a product, which in some cases can affect the future of your business. For that reason, you need to ensure that your product marketing team is fully trained so they have all the relevant skills and knowledge to make sure every strategy is a success.
We’re going to take a look at everything you need to know when considering product marketing training, including the skills your employees need, how long training takes, and what courses are best.
What is product marketing?
The role of product marketing is to ensure the launch of a product is a success. It involves product research, analyzing customer needs, creating content, and engaging with customers. Product marketing associates and managers will also monitor metrics to determine the overall success of the campaign.
What is the goal of product marketing?
Product marketing goals are simple: to give your business' products the best possible chance at success through thorough research and strategizing. It looks at the process customers take before purchasing your product and how your business can create campaigns that lead to sales and increased revenue.
Why is product marketing important?
The marketplace is an oversaturated one, and there’s a high chance that your competitors are all releasing products similar to yours. A strong product marketing strategy pinpoints what your ideal customer is looking for and helps you to tell them why your product is just that.
Without a thorough understanding of your customers and the market, you face launching a product that nobody buys, for any number of reasons. It could be that perhaps it’s priced too high or you’re not targeting ads to the right customer. This can of course cost your business a great deal. Product marketing prevents the need for a trial and error approach so the launch of your product is as strong as possible.
It’s this reason why your product marketing team should spend regular time learning and developing their knowledge and skills. The marketing industry is fast-paced and is constantly evolving with new methods, platforms, techniques, and technologies. So, ensuring that your employees have access to training allows them to create up-to-date strategies so your products launch to customers ready to open their wallets.
How to learn about product marketing
Product marketing is a complex topic, and experience in marketing and product development helps employees looking to move into a role in this area. As we’ve already highlighted, it’s also an ever-changing industry, so it’s important that employees keep their knowledge and skills sharp so your business doesn’t fall behind your competitors.
Product marketing courses are a great way for employees to develop, learn, and refresh their knowledge. Courses can be taken in person, either within your organization or externally, however, courses can be expensive and time-consuming. It’s an effective way to learn, but in-person training removes employees from their daily responsibilities and can potentially lead to disruption.
There are plenty of existing materials employees can learn from, including books, videos, and blogs. These can be useful resources for those new to product marketing or those looking to transition into the industry. Unfortunately, because of the aforementioned evolutions in product marketing, training materials like these can soon become outdated.
One useful and affordable way to train your product marketing professionals is with eLearning courses. Online courses have already been produced by industry experts and can be updated when changes occur. They’re also instantly accessible, and can be picked up as and when your employees have the capacity to learn. eLearning’s flexibility means it doesn’t interfere with employees’ day-to-day responsibilities.
What skills should a product marketing manager develop?
Product marketing requires employees to have a wide range of skills, from communication to leadership. Below are five skills that product marketing managers (and associates) should continuously develop.
Research and analytics
Without strong research and analytics skills, product marketers will never be in a position to create strong campaigns. Research enables you to put together a plan that has more chance of connecting to your audience, and analytics skills allow you to track performance and discover ways to improve.
Empathy
The ability to understand others with strong emotional intelligence allows product marketers to create a campaign that resonates with their target audience.
Creativity
In order to effectively market a product your campaign needs to stand out, and to do that your employees require creativity. From engaging with your customers to strategizing, creativity is required throughout the process. This includes coming up with creative solutions to problems that may arise.
Storytelling and copywriting
One of the most effective ways to reach and engage your audience is through storytelling. Can your product marketing team tell a story that accurately conveys the strengths of your product and why customers should care?
Part of telling a story involves copywriting, which should be succinct, cliché-free, and in a unique and consistent tone of voice.
Planning and organization
Launching a new product is a long and complicated process, so meticulous planning and organizational skills are a must. Even just a single missed deadline can have a devastating knock-on effect. Teamwork and effective communication and delegation are key parts of this.
Product marketing training courses are a fantastic resource to ensure your employees have all the tools they need to deliver effective campaigns every time.
How long does it take to become a product marketing manager?
Becoming a product marketing manager can take a lot of time, dedication, and effort. It also requires employees to be fully trained in every aspect of marketing and product marketing so they’re able to manage a launch.
Firstly, employees will start their careers as an associate and work closely with a manager. There is no set time frame for how long an employee will be in an associate role, but it may be anything from two to five years, or perhaps longer.
In order to become a strong product marketing manager, employees need the experience gained as an associate or in a similar role. To help with this, employees should always strive to learn more, both from their peers as well as training courses.
What is the best course for product marketing?
Online product marketing courses cover a wide range of topics for both beginners and experienced professionals.
The best product marketing courses for those new to the industry and those looking to refresh their knowledge include:
Useful product marketing manager training courses include:
Ready to enroll your teams in product marketing training courses?
Ready to upskill and develop your employees with product marketing training courses? At Go1, we have a range of courses available to access right now to build on the knowledge and skill of your teams.