Francis Larkin From Series A to IPO: Successful Product Marketing at Companies of Every Stage

Hi, I’m Fran. EARLY STAGE LATE STAGE SEED STAGE MID STAGE MID STAGE

All high-growth companies go through regular S-curves

Where is the traction? Why isn’t this going anywhere? Ok, maybe it’s not hopeless Wow, what is happening Help! Too many customers! We are all going to be rich! We are doomed! What went wrong? Growth Time & Effort

Growth Time & Effort Market / Product Shift Market / Product Shift Market / Product Shift

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Launch Everything Day!

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Riding those S-curves as your company grows 1. The changing role of PMM 2. Specialization as you scale 3. Staffing as you scale 4. Maturing processes

EARLY STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC SEED STAGE MID STAGE

EARLY STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC SEED STAGE MID STAGE

EARLY STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC SEED STAGE MID STAGE

EARLY STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC SEED STAGE MID STAGE

Distribution of Product Marketers by Company Stage 20% EARLY STAGE 32% LATE STAGE & PUBLIC 5% SEED 40% MID STAGE 4% OTHER Source: Product Marketing Alliance, State of Product Marketing Report 2019

The most common products and customers that PMMs work on Source: Product Marketing Alliance, State of Product Marketing Report 2019

The most common products and customers that PMMs work on 71% Market to businesses Source: Product Marketing Alliance, State of Product Marketing Report 2019

The most common products and customers that PMMs work on 71% 71% Market to businesses Work on digital products Source: Product Marketing Alliance, State of Product Marketing Report 2019

The Changing Role of Product Marketing

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The Changing Role of Product Marketing & Common Profiles SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC Primary Responsibility Find product-market fit with an audience Typical PMM Profile for Stage Marketing generalist (may not have a PMM title)

The Changing Role of Product Marketing & Common Profiles SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC Primary Responsibility Find product-market fit with an audience Test distribution channels to reach target customers Typical PMM Profile for Stage Marketing generalist (may not have a PMM title) Marketing generalist with channel experience

The Changing Role of Product Marketing & Common Profiles SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC Primary Responsibility Find product-market fit with an audience Test distribution channels to reach target customers Scale GTM to grow market share Typical PMM Profile for Stage Marketing generalist (may not have a PMM title) Marketing generalist with channel experience Experience with space or core audience

The Changing Role of Product Marketing & Common Profiles SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC Primary Responsibility Find product-market fit with an audience Test distribution channels to reach target customers Scale GTM to grow market share Go deeper & expand into new markets Typical PMM Profile for Stage Marketing generalist (may not have a PMM title) Marketing generalist with channel experience Experience with space or core audience Deep understanding of market dynamics, vertical needs or new audiences

Specialization as you scale

Specialization of Product Marketing related activities SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC Little specialization across the entire marketing team

SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC Little specialization across the entire marketing team Product marketing wears many hats Specialization of Product Marketing related activities

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Specialization of Product Marketing related activities SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC Little specialization across the entire marketing team Product marketing wears many hats Brand & Content development Sales enablement & training International and new markets Analyst relations

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SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC Little specialization across the entire marketing team Product marketing wears many hats Brand & Content development Scaling sales International and new markets Analyst relations Market intelligence / competitive Verticals and solutions Investor relations Research capabilities Marketing operations Pricing and forecasting sophistication Specialization of Product Marketing related activities

Staffing as you scale

Staffing by Company Stage Source: Based on job title information on LinkedIn SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC PMM Staffing Few, if any, marketers Example Companies & PMM-to-PM Ratio

Staffing by Company Stage Source: Based on job title information on LinkedIn SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC PMM Staffing Few, if any, marketers A few marketers, perhaps one or two PMMs Example Companies & PMM-to-PM Ratio • Bolt (1 : 3) • Clearbit (2 : 3) • Front (2 : 4)

Staffing by Company Stage Source: Based on job title information on LinkedIn SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC PMM Staffing Few, if any, marketers A few marketers, perhaps one or two PMMs Small teams, ratios vary widely based on GTM approach Example Companies & PMM-to-PM Ratio • Bolt (1 : 3) • Clearbit (2 : 3) • Front (2 : 4) • Nextdoor (2 : 5) • Lookout (3 : 7) • Flexport (3 : 12) • Blend (5 : 13) • Confluent (6 : 18)

Staffing by Company Stage Source: Based on job title information on LinkedIn SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC PMM Staffing Few, if any, marketers A few marketers, perhaps one or two PMMs Small teams, ratios vary widely based on GTM approach Generally see a ratio of 2:1 to 3:1 of product managers to product marketers Varies based on business model and GTM Example Companies & PMM-to-PM Ratio • Bolt (1 : 3) • Clearbit (2 : 3) • Front (2 : 4) • Nextdoor (2 : 5) • Lookout (3 : 7) • Flexport (3 : 12) • Blend (5 : 13) • Confluent (6 : 18) • Slack (12 : 27) • Snap (12 : 42) • Mailchimp (14 : 32) • Box (21 : 36) • LinkedIn (174 : 419) • Adobe (236 : 517) • Salesforce (343 : 317)

PMM-to-PM Ratios at Late Stage / Public Technology Companies Source: Based on job title information on LinkedIn

Maturing Processes

Common Product Marketing Processes SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC • Processes?

Common Product Marketing Processes SEED STAGE EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC • Processes?

Common Product Marketing Processes EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC ● Repeatable patterns from past successful launches

Common Product Marketing Processes EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC ● Repeatable patterns from past successful launches ● Messaging frameworks ● Marketing briefs ● Launch trackers ● Launch review meetings ● Kickoff meetings ● Sales training processes ● Campaign tracking

Common Product Marketing Processes EARLY STAGE MID STAGE LATE STAGE & PUBLIC ● Repeatable patterns from past successful launches ● Messaging frameworks ● Marketing briefs ● Launch trackers ● Launch review meetings ● Kickoff meetings ● Sales training processes ● Campaign tracking ● Advanced customer segmentation ● More robust customer feedback processes ● Opportunity assessments ● Long-term product and marketing planning ● Formal campaign planning & budgeting ● More sophisticated pricing & forecasting ● Regular analyst briefings ● Updates for earnings calls

Recap 1. The changing role of PMM 2. Specialization as you scale 3. Staffing as you scale 4. Maturing processes

Thank you Francis Larkin fran@invisionapp.com linkedin.com/in/flarkin