The market's need for skilled product managers continues to grow as space expands, and new opportunities arise. This blog is part 2 of our previous blog [become product manager as a digital marketer].
If you're a digital marketer considering becoming a product manager, you might be wondering if this would be the right move for you. Depending on where you are in your career, you may have set into a comfort zone that might be difficult to change out from.
On the other hand, you might not want to miss out on opportunities to have a new and exciting career in product management, as a product marketing manager or as a brand manager. Either way, there are many things to consider, like the training you might require and the skills that translate over both careers.
What is expected from a product manager?
Several things are expected from a product manager. Product managers are responsible for -
- Defining the goals of the product
- Setting expectations
- Product planning and marketing
- Organising and prioritising product backlog
- Set product pricing and revenue goals
- Providing monthly reports about the performance of the product
- Product lifecycle management
Read Also：Innovation: The Key Ingredient In The Making Of A Great Product Manager
These are just some of the core responsibilities of a product manager. The product manager acts as the leader of the team and works with other members in various fields like sales, support and marketing to make sure that the product is created according to blueprints and performs well in the market.
What are the transferable skills from digital marketer to a product manager?
There are quite a few skills that are transferable between the roles of a digital marketer and product manager.
Teamwork
Teamwork is an important skill that is common among almost all careers around the globe. Especially in digital marketing, teamwork is vital to make sure that goals are met.
Same too, in product management, your role will involve extensive interactions and teamwork to push your product out to the market and achieve your goals. Google Adwords experts, PPC specialists, and graphic designers all form a core team of marketers that work to promote a product to a wide audience successfully.
Communication
Communication is key when working as part of a team. If a team is not communicating properly, there can be misunderstandings and ensuing conflict between team members which can affect productivity and the company's bottom line.
Work Ethic
Certain soft skills are transferable between both digital marketers and product managers. A good work ethic is the hallmark of a product manager because they are the ones that set an example for the rest of the development team. A good product manager leads from the front and inspires other team members to strive for better performance and productivity.
Problem-solving Skills
During the course of your career as a digital marketer, you may have experienced many situations where problems needed to be handled in a mature and level-headed manner. Similarly, in the role of product manager, you may go through times that require discussion, deliberation and assertiveness.
Being able to solve problems without them, resulting in unnecessary conflict is a sign of a good product manager and is a desirable skill in both careers.
In order to obtain more skills and knowledge in the area of product management, it is important to upskill through courses. Xccelerate provides a 6-week-long, part-time beginner's Product Management Course.
Read：Top Tech Skills for Aspiring Product Managers
What is the difference between product management and product marketing?
There are key differences between product management and product marketing. While we've already discussed some of the main roles of a product manager, a product marketing manager is responsible for identifying a coherent marketing strategy for your product, setting up marketing campaigns to create demand, etc.
A product manager is the one that leads to demos and presentations, positions the product in the market and selects the appropriate pricing methodology for the product.
While neither role is more important than the other, they're both required to ensure the success of the product in the long run.
Product managers define the goals of a project.
The role of a product manager differs from that of a digital marketer in many ways. One such difference that you may have to get used to is the greater responsibility to define the goals and expectations of a product during its lifecycle.
The product manager is solely responsible for creating an outline or roadmap for the future development of a product and interacting with the team to check on the status and progress of feature implementation.
Digital marketers create content.
Different from the role of product manager, digital marketers are more concerned with content creation and marketing to potential customers and clients. Product managers, on the other hand, are concerned with a variety of other responsibilities like product lifecycle management, setting the goals and expectations for a product, etc.
Digital marketers create compelling content to market products.
Digital marketers are essential to a company because of the marketing role that they fulfill. A product cannot be effectively brought to a market unless there is a team of digital marketers that understand various aspects of the process.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), ad creation, creative copy, targeting and retargeting, conversions and customer retention are all parts of a digital marketer's responsibilities that lie outside the role of a product manager.
Product Management related courses:
- Introduction to Product Management
- Digital Marketing and Growth Hacking
- UX Design
- Web Development for Absolute Beginners
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