4 Predictions for the Role of Product Marketing in 2020

2019 was a great year to be a Product Marketer in SaaS. There was a huge focus on the evolution, elevation and celebration of the role. We saw the formation of the Product Marketing Alliance, which is a collective of more than 5,000 PMMs across the world, as well as the launch of the Product Marketing Summit conference series.

As we look forward to 2020, I’m predicting 4 trends we can expect to see as a continuation of the conversations and movements that began this year.

Matching PMM Compensation to Value

Pay has always been a sticky topic for Product Marketers, as its been difficult to benchmark the function against other roles in a tech company. Is the role of a Product Marketing Manager most similar to a Marketing Manager or Product Manager? The answer has huge implications on compensation.

In 2019 we’ve reached general consensus that Product Marketing and Product Management are the most aligned and should be considered as two halves of a whole.

In 2020, I predict this benchmark, coupled with a focus on the elevation and impact of product marketing within organizations, will result in a substantial increase in compensation for Product Marketers (we’re already seeing early signs of this in the market). I also predict that 2020 will be the year where Product Marketers start requesting pay equity with their Product Management peers.

Doubling Down on Customer Marketing

Once upon a time, Customer Marketing was a side of desk project that no-one really owned. Customer Success might manage the online community, UX might build in app messaging, and Product Marketing might write an email about a new feature launch.

But, the popularity of product-led growth is putting the user (and customer) at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and the result is the formation of entire Customer Marketing teams. These teams are focused on the customer lifecycle, and often include strategies around monetization, feature adoption and customer retention.

In 2020, I predict we will see Customer Marketing paired with, or embedded within, Product Marketing. Embedding customer lifecycle marketing within product marketing will accelerate go-to-market activities and streamline customer strategy.

This level of collaboration results in a deeper understanding of customers, more successful product launches, and data-informed campaigns that drive results for customers and the business.

PMM Teams Get A Growing Budget

As the role of Product Marketing has evolved, so too has the need for tools, software and contract services. This means PMM teams need their own budget separate from the Marketing or Product teams.

In 2020, I predict that Product Marketing budgets will reach an all-time high, and PMM leaders will advocate strongly for the tools they need to do their jobs effectively.

The Product Marketing Alliance’s State of Product Marketing Report showed that 89.8% of Product Marketing teams have their own budget. A few high-spending items mentioned in the report include software, competitive research (think tools like Klue) and customer research. I believe these items will continue to be prioritized by PMM teams in 2020 in addition to increased spending on pricing, packaging and monetization research.

Redefining Buyer and Customer Personas

Profitwell’s Patrick Campbell argues that “buyer personas aren’t good enough.” And, he’s right. Traditional buyer personas provide very little value and are stuffed with generalities that are impossible to action.

In 2020, I predict quantified buyer personas will become the preferred approach to determine what your customers look like, what they value, and how much they are willing to pay for your product.

Quantified personas are rooted in data and allow Product Marketers to make strategic go-to-market decisions. There are three core activities at the heart of quantified personas: 1) customer segmentation, 2) feature preference, and 3) willingness to pay.

As quantified personas rise in popularity next year, these activities will become standard across Product Marketing teams.