Growth Product Manager vs Product Marketing Manager: Key Differences

In today's dynamic tech landscape, the roles of growth product manager and product marketing manager often intersect, leading to confusion about their distinct responsibilities. These positions play crucial parts in driving product success, but they approach it from different angles. Understanding the key differences between these roles has an impact on how companies structure their teams and allocate resources to optimize product growth and market penetration.

This article delves into the unique aspects of growth product managers and product marketing managers. It explores their core responsibilities, essential functions, and the skill sets they bring to the table. The piece also examines how these professionals measure success through various KPIs and metrics. By the end, readers will have a clear understanding of how these roles contribute to a product's lifecycle and why both are vital to achieve business objectives in today's competitive market.

Defining the Roles: Growth PM vs Product Marketing Manager

Growth Product Manager's Focus

Growth product managers (GPMs) play a crucial role in organizations that have embraced a product-led growth strategy. These professionals focus on improving specific business metrics or commercial goals, rather than owning a particular product 1. Their purview covers the entire user journey, from acquisition to retention and expansion 1.

GPMs rely on short-term experiments to incrementally improve and increase efficiencies throughout the funnel 1. They work to remove barriers to value, prioritizing initiatives that drive the most significant business outcomes . This approach often involves leading with the product using a free trial or freemium model to drive acquisition and employing a low- or no-touch sales channel 1.

In organizations new to the growth function, a single GPM typically oversees the entire engine from lead generation through to monetization and retention 1. They hone in on specific problems, form hypotheses, run experiments, and optimize metrics based on business priorities 1.

Product Marketing Manager's Responsibilities

Product marketing managers (PMMs) act as the voice of the product to the market. Their primary responsibility is to understand the product's value proposition and transform that information into compelling messages for customers, prospects, and internal audiences .

PMMs work at the intersection of product development, marketing, and sales, developing and implementing marketing strategy roadmaps for specific products . Their tasks include:

1. Developing user and buyer personas
2. Researching the competitive environment
3. Creating materials that highlight product features and benefits
4. Training sales teams on articulating product benefits
5. Developing go-to-market strategies
6. Defining goals and metrics for product launches

PMMs collaborate closely with colleagues across various departments throughout the product's life cycle, including strategists in digital, social media, brand, and market research .

Key Differences in Objectives

The primary distinction between GPMs and PMMs lies in their focus and approach to product success:

1. Stakeholder Focus: GPMs' primary stakeholder is the business itself, while PMMs act as the voice of the customer 1 .
2. Time Horizon: GPMs concentrate on short-term improvements and measurable business outcomes, while PMMs often work on longer-term strategies and messaging .
3. Funnel Emphasis: GPMs work across the entire funnel, from acquisition to retention, while PMMs typically focus more on the beginning of the funnel where it touches the market .
4. Experimentation: GPMs heavily emphasize rapid experimentation and data-driven decision-making, while PMMs focus more on messaging and go-to-market strategies .
5. Product Changes: GPMs often drive product changes to execute experiments or as a result of them, whereas PMMs typically work with existing product features to create compelling messaging .
6. Business Metrics: GPMs are highly attuned to the business side of the product, understanding costs, pricing, and optimizing towards specific business outcomes . PMMs, on the other hand, focus more on market positioning and customer perception 4.

While these roles have distinct responsibilities, they often work together to achieve shared product objectives. GPMs may collaborate with PMMs to run marketing-related experiments, such as tweaking campaigns, messaging, or SEO, to further "growth hack" the product . This collaboration ensures that products not only grow rapidly but also resonate with their target audience, combining the data-driven approach of growth management with the market-focused strategies of product marketing.

Core Responsibilities of a Growth Product Manager

Growth product managers (GPMs) play a crucial role in organizations that have embraced product-led growth strategies. Their primary focus is to improve specific business metrics or commercial goals, rather than owning a particular product 1. Let's explore the core responsibilities of a GPM:

Driving User Acquisition and Retention

GPMs are responsible for optimizing the entire user journey, from acquisition to retention and expansion 1. They work to remove barriers to value, prioritizing initiatives that drive the most significant business outcomes 1. This approach often involves:

1. Leading with the product using a free trial or freemium model to drive acquisition
2. Employing a low- or no-touch sales channel
3. Focusing on creating products that are not only functional but also emotionally engaging to foster a more loyal customer base 1

GPMs play a crucial role in driving customer acquisition and retention by working with cross-functional teams to develop and manage products that meet customer needs and stand out in an overly crowded market 1. They leverage their understanding of customer needs and behavior to develop products that keep customers engaged over time 1.

Implementing Data-Driven Growth Strategies

Data-driven product management is at the core of a GPM's responsibilities. This approach involves collecting and analyzing data to guide decisions when creating and evolving a product . GPMs use data to:

1. Gain insights into customer needs and behaviors
2. Assess the impact of the product on the overall business
3. Make informed decisions about features and pricing

To practice data-driven product management effectively, GPMs focus on two key questions:

• How does the product resonate with customers?
• How much revenue will the product generate?

GPMs analyze both customer-oriented metrics (such as product usage, adoption rates, and customer retention) and business-oriented metrics (like customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and monthly recurring revenue) to guide their strategies .

Conducting Rapid Experimentation

A critical aspect of a GPM's role is conducting rapid experiments to drive growth. This involves:

1. Strategically prioritizing initiatives
2. Designing and executing experiments
3. Defining measurements for success 1

GPMs typically work with a dedicated team of engineers, analysts, and UX designers to carry out these experiments effectively 1. They focus on short-term improvements and measurable business outcomes, always asking, "How can I drive more value from this product?" 1

Key characteristics of successful GPMs in conducting experiments include:

1. A need for speed: Good growth PMs understand the importance of rapid iteration and quick decision-making 1.
2. Adaptability and flexibility: They must be willing to pivot strategies based on experimental results 1.
3. Analytical skills: Strong data analysis capabilities are crucial for interpreting experiment results and making data-driven decisions 1.

To excel in rapid experimentation, GPMs must possess:

• Genuine curiosity to experiment and measure impact
• Willingness to fearlessly question assumptions and challenge the status quo
• Ability to identify and reduce friction in the user experience
• Excellent communication skills to make compelling business cases when prioritizing initiatives and developing experiments 1

By focusing on these core responsibilities, growth product managers drive significant business impact, optimize product performance, and ensure sustained growth in today's competitive market landscape.

Essential Functions of a Product Marketing Manager

Product marketing managers (PMMs) play a crucial role in bridging the gap between product development and customer engagement. Their responsibilities encompass a wide range of activities that contribute to a product's success in the market. Let's explore the essential functions of a PMM:

Developing Go-to-Market Strategies

A go-to-market (GTM) strategy is a comprehensive plan for launching a new product or expanding into a new market. It helps ensure that the product reaches the right audience, with the right messaging, at the right time 1. PMMs are responsible for creating and executing these strategies, which involve:

1. Identifying the target market and understanding customer needs
2. Clarifying the product's value proposition
3. Defining pricing strategies
4. Crafting promotion plans
5. Choosing appropriate sales and distribution channels

Developing a GTM strategy helps mitigate risks associated with product launches and market expansions. It provides a roadmap for success by anticipating challenges and optimizing potential outcomes .

Creating Product Messaging and Positioning

Product messaging and positioning are critical components of a PMM's role. They work hand-in-hand to create a consistent, strategic brand narrative that resonates with target customers . Here's how PMMs approach this function:

1. Understand the market landscape: Research the industry, competitors, and customer needs to inform positioning .
2. Identify target customers: Analyze demographic, geographic, psychographic, and behavioral data to create valuable buyer personas .
3. Determine the value proposition: Pinpoint the primary value the product provides to target customers .
4. Find differentiation: Highlight the stand-out qualities and benefits that only the product delivers .
5. Craft the brand story: Shape a compelling narrative that weaves together the value proposition, differentiation, product attributes, and customer perspective .

PMMs ensure that the product's positioning is clear and quantifiable, often focusing on three core benefits in the B2B sector: enabling customers to make money, saving time or reducing costs, and minimizing risk 3.

Managing Product Launches

Product launches are pivotal moments for any company, and PMMs play a central role in their success. The launch process involves several key steps:

1. Pre-launch preparation: This phase is often likened to the submerged part of an iceberg, with extensive work happening behind the scenes 4. PMMs coordinate across various teams to ensure everyone is aligned on goals, targets, and the specific audience they aim to reach .
2. Launch execution: On the day of the launch, PMMs focus on implementing the plans they've laid out. This involves coordinating marketing efforts, managing communications, and overseeing the rollout of the product .
3. Post-launch activities: The work doesn't stop after the launch. PMMs are responsible for:Gathering and analyzing customer feedbackMaintaining consistent marketing effortsProviding robust customer supportMonitoring key performance indicatorsExploring opportunities for product extensions or new markets 4
4. Gathering and analyzing customer feedback
5. Maintaining consistent marketing efforts
6. Providing robust customer support
7. Monitoring key performance indicators
8. Exploring opportunities for product extensions or new markets 4

Throughout the launch process, PMMs must be prepared to iterate and make adjustments based on market response and feedback .

In conclusion, product marketing managers serve as the vital link between product development and market success. By developing go-to-market strategies, creating compelling messaging and positioning, and managing product launches, they ensure that products not only reach their target audience but also resonate with them effectively. Their role is crucial in driving product adoption, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, business growth.

Skill Sets and Tools

Growth product managers (GPMs) and product marketing managers (PMMs) possess distinct yet complementary skill sets that are crucial for driving product success. While their roles have unique focuses, there are also overlapping competencies that contribute to their effectiveness in the dynamic tech landscape.

Technical Skills for Growth PMs

Growth product managers require a blend of analytical, technical, and strategic skills to excel in their role. They need to be adept at understanding user behavior and optimizing products for both customer and business needs 5. Some key technical skills for GPMs include:

1. Data Analysis: GPMs must be comfortable collecting, analyzing, and reporting on both quantitative and qualitative data. They use product analytics tools like MixPanel or ChartMogul to track metrics such as customer lifetime value (LTV) and churn rate 5.
2. Experimentation: A/B testing and rapid experimentation are crucial for GPMs. They use product experimentation tools like Google Optimize and Optimizely to test changes and incrementally roll out product updates 5.
3. Product Management Tools: Proficiency in tools like Productboard and Jira helps GPMs plan, manage, and prioritize the product roadmap 5.
4. User Research: GPMs use tools like UserZoom or Hotjar Surveys to collect product feedback from real users and understand their pain points 5.
5. Design Thinking: An understanding of product design methodologies, such as design thinking and agile product management, is valuable for GPMs 5.

GPMs need to be naturally curious, skeptical, and analytical. They should be willing to take a data-driven, almost scientific approach to challenges, digging under the surface to understand what's really happening 6.

Marketing Expertise for PMMs

Product marketing managers focus more on the external aspects of product success, requiring a different set of skills:

1. Market Research: PMMs need to be skilled in conducting thorough market research and competitive analysis 7.
2. Positioning and Messaging: Developing product positioning and crafting compelling messaging are core responsibilities of PMMs 8.
3. Content Creation: Strong writing and presentation skills are essential for PMMs to create marketing collateral and deliver impactful presentations 7.
4. Strategic Thinking: PMMs need to devise strategies for product positioning, go-to-market plans, and competitive differentiation 7.
5. Digital Marketing: In-depth knowledge of social media marketing, digital marketing, and demand generation is crucial for PMMs 7.

PMMs should also possess strong communication skills, both verbal and written, to interact effectively with diverse audiences, from customers to executives 5.

Overlapping Competencies

While GPMs and PMMs have distinct focus areas, there are several skills and competencies that both roles share:

1. Cross-functional Collaboration: Both roles require the ability to work seamlessly with various teams, including marketing, sales, engineering, and design 5 8.
2. Customer-Centricity: Understanding the customer journey and empathizing with user needs is crucial for both GPMs and PMMs 9.
3. Data Interpretation: While GPMs focus more on product data, both roles need to be comfortable with analyzing and interpreting data to inform decisions 5 7.
4. Strategic Planning: Both roles contribute to product strategy and roadmap development, albeit from different perspectives 8 5.
5. Communication Skills: Clear and effective communication is essential for both roles, whether it's presenting findings, collaborating with teams, or crafting messaging 5.
6. Adaptability: The fast-paced nature of product development and marketing requires both GPMs and PMMs to be flexible and quick to adapt to changes 6 8.

By leveraging these diverse skill sets and tools, growth product managers and product marketing managers can work together effectively to drive product success. Their complementary expertise allows for a holistic approach to product development, marketing, and growth, ensuring that products not only meet customer needs but also achieve business objectives in today's competitive market landscape.

Measuring Success: KPIs and Metrics

Measuring success in product management and marketing requires a comprehensive understanding of key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics. These quantifiable measures allow businesses to define and track the success of their products and activities, providing insights into performance and guiding strategic decisions 10.

Growth PM Performance Indicators

Growth product managers (GPMs) focus on metrics that directly impact business growth and product adoption. Some key performance indicators for GPMs include:

1. User Acquisition and Retention: GPMs track metrics such as Daily Active Users (DAU) and Monthly Active Users (MAU) to gage how frequently users interact with the product. Higher numbers typically indicate stronger user engagement and help track the growth of the user base over time 10.
2. Stickiness: This metric, often calculated as the ratio of DAU to MAU, reflects how frequently users return to the product. A higher stickiness ratio suggests that the product has successfully retained its audience and customers are satisfied with it 10.
3. Average Sessions per User: This KPI reflects whether users are coming back to the online resource. Research indicates that the average number of sessions per user is 1.4, so anything above that generally means the website is performing well 10.
4. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): CLV measures the total profit a customer delivers during their time as a customer. This insight helps guide important investment decisions around customer acquisition and retention 11.
5. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): CAC represents the total cost to acquire a single customer. Understanding this metric helps GPMs optimize their growth strategies and ensure profitability 11.

Product Marketing Manager Success Metrics

Product marketing managers (PMMs) focus on metrics that demonstrate the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and product positioning. Key metrics for PMMs include:

1. Win Rates: Increases in win rates after re-positioning exercises or large product updates can be reliable indicators that product marketing is delivering as expected 12.
2. Website Traffic and Engagement: Improvements in search performance (impressions, average position, clicks) and an increase in site visitors are reliable indicators of the potency of the product marketing message 12.
3. Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs): Identifying spikes or dips in MQLs and SQLs can provide insights into how receptive the market is to the story product marketing creates 12.
4. Net Promoter Score (NPS): NPS awareness throughout the organization motivates employees to deliver more value, react to issues faster, and get to the root of detractors' problems 10.
5. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and Overall Satisfaction (OSAT): These metrics help understand customer sentiment, identify areas for improvement, and monitor the effectiveness of customer experience efforts 10.

Aligning Metrics with Business Goals

To ensure that KPIs and metrics contribute to overall business success, it's crucial to align them with broader organizational objectives:

1. Set Clear Objectives: Before selecting KPIs, start by setting up clear business goals. This helps in choosing metrics that directly contribute to achieving these objectives 13.
2. Focus on Contribution: Measure how the product helps the business achieve its goals, such as driving revenue, reducing costs, improving retention rates, or reducing churn 11.
3. Balance Short-term and Long-term Metrics: While tracking immediate performance indicators, also focus on metrics that indicate long-term success, such as Customer Lifetime Value and Retention Rates 11.
4. Regular Review and Adjustment: Continuously review the relevance and effectiveness of your chosen metrics. As business goals evolve, so should your KPIs 13.
5. Cross-functional Alignment: Ensure that metrics are understood and valued across different departments. This promotes a unified approach to achieving business objectives 12.

By carefully selecting and monitoring these KPIs and metrics, both growth product managers and product marketing managers can effectively measure their success, demonstrate their impact on the business, and make data-driven decisions to drive product and company growth.

Conclusion

The roles of growth product managers and product marketing managers have a significant impact on a company's success in today's competitive market. These professionals bring unique skill sets and perspectives to the table, working together to drive product adoption and business growth. Growth PMs focus on data-driven strategies and rapid experimentation to optimize the user journey, while PMMs craft compelling messaging and manage product launches to ensure market resonance.

To sum up, the collaboration between growth PMs and PMMs creates a powerful synergy that propels products forward. By leveraging their complementary expertise in areas such as data analysis, market research, and strategic planning, these roles contribute to a holistic approach to product development and marketing. This teamwork is crucial to achieve business objectives, meet customer needs, and stay ahead in the ever-changing tech landscape.

FAQs

1. What distinguishes a Product Marketing Manager from a Growth Marketer?
   A Product Marketing Manager concentrates on identifying the target audience, while a Growth Marketer focuses on strategies to attract that audience.
2. How does a Marketing Manager's role differ from that of a Product Manager?
   A Product Manager is responsible for defining the product's purpose and specifications, often collaborating closely with the development team. In contrast, a Marketing Manager aims to generate demand for the product and the brand, and should work in close partnership with Product Managers.
3. What are the main differences between a Product Manager and a Go-To-Market (GTM) role?
   Product Managers are primarily concerned with the development and design of the product, whereas GTM roles focus on launching the product to the market and driving its commercial success.
4. How does a Core Product Manager's responsibilities differ from those of a Growth Product Manager?
   Core Product Managers are tasked with addressing customer needs and pain points, primarily through feature development. Growth Product Managers, on the other hand, concentrate on enhancing business metrics by optimizing the customer journey.

References

[1] - https://www.hotjar.com/product-forge/product-marketing-vs-growth-marketing/
[2] - https://producthq.io/growth-product-marketing-manager/
[3] - https://www.antmurphy.me/newsletter/product-manager-vs-product-marketing-manager-vs-growth-pm-whats-the-difference
[4] - https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/whats-the-difference-between-a-product-manager-and-a-product-marketing-manager/
[5] - https://www.hotjar.com/growth-product-management/growth-product-manager/
[6] - https://www.appcues.com/blog/growth-product-manager-skills
[7] - https://www.ringcentral.com/gb/en/blog/10-skills-you-need-to-have-as-a-successful-product-marketing-manager-product-marketer/
[8] - https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/key-skills-needed-to-be-a-product-marketing-manager/
[9] - https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/influence-of-pm-and-pmm-relationships-go-to-market/
[10] - https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/15-key-product-management-metrics-and-kpis/
[11] - https://www.pragmaticinstitute.com/resources/articles/product/7-metrics-every-product-marketing-manager-should-know/
[12] - https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/a-guide-to-measuring-product-marketing-success/
[13] - https://www.chameleon.io/blog/product-management-kpi