3 ways a Product Marketer is like a COO

Felicity Harding
Nov 6 · 1 min read

The primary benefit of a function or role gets the lion share of attention. For Product Marketing, that’s often a customer metric like acquisition or utilisation.

A good Product Marketer also adds impact in the ‘how’ they work in the business. While a COO works at an organisational level and product marketers work at a product or portfolio level, there are 3 ways a Product Marketer is like a COO in the way they can improve the business.

  1. They improve collaboration. Getting a product to market and driving success is a team effort. A Product Marketer is responsible for fostering collaboration across functions like sales, marketing, product and operations. This can mean fewer communication and people issues, and a healthier culture.
  2. They drive growth. Growth can be achieved through a combination of more revenue and lower costs. A Product Marketer is responsible for working end-to-end on the product or portfolio, not just on revenue. This can mean better and more predictable business performance.
  3. They improve execution. Getting functions aligned and sequenced to deliver great customer experiences takes planning and controls. A Product Marketer is responsible for creating and executing the GTM plan. This can mean better prioritisation, better performance, fewer bottlenecks and fewer issues.

Like a COO, the exact responsibilities of a Product Marketer vary from business to business based on organisational needs. For a Product Marketer that also delivers on the ‘how’, consider the attributes — not just responsibilities — right for your context.

Felicity Harding

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