3 Surprising Insights That Will Make You Rethink Product Marketing

Product marketing is evolving faster than ever. Are your strategies keeping up, or are you falling behind?

As a PMM, it's easy to get caught up in day-to-day tactics and lose sight of the bigger picture. But the hard truth is, that the PMM role is becoming increasingly critical for SaaS companies. By 2027, the Product Marketing Alliance Marketing Alliance predicts there will be over 1 million PMMs globally.

To stay ahead of the curve, we need to challenge conventional thinking.

Here are 3 counterintuitive insights I've learned that transformed my approach to product marketing:

1. Launch less, understand more: Conventional wisdom says more launches = more growth. False. According to a 280 Group study, 21% of products fail because companies don't truly understand their market. The best PMMs I know launch selectively, but go deep on buyer research first. They uncover game-changing insights that shape positioning and GTM strategy. Fewer, bigger launches beat frequent but forgettable ones.
2. Align with sales by disagreeing: Most PMMs try to gain sales' approval on messaging and content. Here's a different approach: respectfully push back. The top PMMs I've worked with debate with sales, challenge assumptions, and push for a customer-centric narrative. Disagreement, when done productively, leads to better alignment. According to Gartner , B2B companies with strong sales-marketing alignment achieve 24% faster revenue growth.
3. To change minds, change behaviors first: PMMs often try to shift perceptions with new narratives and content. However, research shows the path to changing minds runs through changing behaviors. A Harvard study found when people are incentivized to act differently, their attitudes follow. The lesson? Work with Sales Enablement to drive new rep behaviors (discovery questions, objection handling, etc). Shift actions first, then minds will follow.

Becoming an elite PMM means shattering old mental models.

• Embrace a beginner's mind.
• Question "best practices."
• Adopt a contrarian stance.

The product marketing world is evolving rapidly - make sure you're staying ahead of the curve.

Agree or disagree with these insights? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.