What is the role of product marketing in research? Do you write your questionnaires? Or just inform objectives etc.?
It depends on the company and if you have a formal research function or not! I've done everything from recruit participants, write discussion guides, field surveys, moderate research, synthesize insights. Or, I've given a researcher objectives and key questions and then sat in on a few interviews here and there. I think every PMM should have the experience of running their own research at some point - it keeps you close to the customer, helps you empathize with them and develop relationships with strategic customers (like if you run a CAB).
But, as an org grows, you won't always have the bandwdith to do so. So, you have to find more scalable ways of staying close to the customer via Gong calls or collaborating closely with Research teams to make it easy for you to listen in on research or calls if you want. It can be hard to prioritize in the day to day but will make you a stronger product marketer and able to add more value to your product, marketing and sales counterparts.
In my view, the goal is to
- help define the objectives of the research based on business & user needs
- support research as they execute the research plan to ensure the research methodology & questions deliver on the objectives
- Once research is complete, help narrow and refine how to apply the findings. I can't emphasize this one enough. We live in a world where data is everywhere. Most reports I see come back with 20+ pages of insights, and as a PMM, you're looking at results from multiple different sources. One of the most important things a PMM can do is help the business and PM narrow in on which insights are more critical to action.
Product Marketing plays a pivotal role in market research, bridging the gap between product development and the market's needs and desires. The specific role that PMM plays in market research will vary based on your organization and the different teams that are already in place. In general, here’s a breakdown of Product Marketing’s role in market research:
Defining research objectives: Product Marketing generally leads the work with cross functional teams, especially Product Management and Sales, to define what each team hopes to achieve from market research, whether it's understanding a target audience, understanding competitor trends, assessing market demand for a new feature, etc. This helps target the research methodology and information gathered. In some cases, if another team is leading market research, Product Marketing would then be a strong contributor in defining research objectives.
Targeting the right audience and segments: Product marketers have a keen understanding of the product’s target audience. This knowledge is vital in ensuring that the research reaches the right demographic and that the insights are relevant to the market that the product intends to serve.
Designing research methodology and questionnaires: Product Marketers are often intimately involved in the design of the market research methodology and questionnaires. Their deep understanding of the product and its positioning allows them to craft or guide the crafting of insightful questions. In some cases, Product Marketers will conduct the research and write questionnaires themselves, and in others, this may be done in close partnership with a strategy or market intelligence team.
Interpreting results: Once research is conducted, product marketers play a crucial role in interpreting the results. Their understanding of both the product and the market allows them to glean actionable GTM and product insights from the data, which might be overlooked by someone less familiar with the product or its positioning.
Informing product development: The insights gathered from research often serve as feedback for product development. Product marketers translate these insights into actionable recommendations, ensuring that the product evolves in a direction aligned with the needs of target buyers, the buying process, and the broader market.
Adjusting positioning and packaging: Research results can influence various marketing decisions, from positioning, pricing & packaging, promotional strategy, and beyond. Product marketers use these insights to inform decisions that enhance the product's market fit and GTM effectiveness.
Ultimately, whether they're writing questionnaires, setting research objectives, or collaborating on defining a market research program, Product Marketers play a critical role in ensuring that research efforts align with product and GTM objectives and that insights are actionable and relevant.Top of Form
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