So you’re a digital marketer thinking about switching to product management? You’re not alone. Plenty of marketers are drawn to product management because it’s exciting—you get to shape how products are built, improve customer experience, and influence the direction of a business. Sounds cool, right?
But, let’s be honest, the jump isn’t automatic. You’ll need to plan, build on your strengths, and pick up a few new skills. Don’t worry; I’ve got you covered. Let’s break it down in simple terms.
Why Do Marketers Want to Become Product Managers?
Here’s why making the move makes sense for a lot of people:
- More Involvement in Strategy: As a product manager, you’re not just running campaigns; you’re overseeing the whole product from start to finish. That means shaping the strategy and driving the big decisions.
- Customer-First Thinking: If you love putting the customer first, product management is all about understanding their needs and delivering solutions. Your marketing experience here is a goldmine.
- Variety of Work: You get to mix things up—work with data, collaborate with engineers, talk to designers, and basically have your hands in all parts of the process.
The Skills You Already Have as a Marketer
Good news! As a digital marketer, you’re not starting from scratch. You already have some of the skills product managers need:
- Understanding Customers: You already know how to figure out what customers want, what pains them, and what motivates them. Product managers need this skill every day.
- Data Analytics: If you’ve used data to track the success of your campaigns, you can easily apply that skill to analyzing product performance.
- Cross-Functional Teamwork: You’re used to working with designers, sales teams, and developers to run campaigns. That’s basically what product managers do, but for the entire product.
What New Skills Do You Need to Learn?
Okay, you’ve got a solid base, but there are a few things you’ll need to brush up on:
Technical Skills
- Agile and Scrum: Learn the basics of Agile methodologies—how to run sprints, manage a backlog, and work on iterations.
- User Experience (UX): You don’t need to be a designer, but you should understand how design impacts usability.
- Product Analytics: Tools like Google Analytics, Tableau, or SQL will help you measure how well a product is performing.
Business Skills
- Roadmapping: You’ll need to learn how to plan and prioritize product features to align with business goals.
- Market Research: Go beyond marketing data—learn to spot opportunities in the market and gaps your product can fill.
- Stakeholder Management: You’ll be working with everyone—developers, sales, leadership—so knowing how to align them is a must.
Soft Skills
- Storytelling: Whether it’s pitching a product idea or explaining priorities to your team, you need to sell your vision clearly.
- Problem-Solving: Things will go wrong (they always do). You need to adapt, adjust, and find solutions.
How to Make the Transition (Without Stressing Too Much)
1. Leverage Your Marketing Experience
Start by showing how your current role connects to product management:
- Talk about how you’ve used customer insights to influence marketing strategies.
- Show how you’ve worked with data to improve campaigns and explain how those same skills apply to measuring product success.
2. Get Involved in Product-Like Projects
Start small within your current job:
- Volunteer for projects that involve working with the product team. For example, help with user research or test a new product feature.
- Start a side project—a small app, a website, or anything that lets you learn about planning, building, and getting user feedback.
3. Upskill Yourself
You don’t need a degree, but some targeted learning will help:
- Courses: Try platforms like Coursera or Product School for product management courses.
- Certifications: A Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or Agile training can make your resume pop.
- Books and Podcasts: Check out “Inspired” by Marty Cagan or listen to “This is Product Management” for insider tips.
How to Update Your Resume and LinkedIn
You’ve got the skills, you’ve done the work—now you need to look the part.
- Reframe Your Experience: Focus on achievements that tie to product management. For example, instead of just saying you ran a campaign, talk about how it solved a customer problem or boosted engagement.
- Highlight Cross-Team Work: Show where you collaborated with developers or designers.
- Use Numbers: Metrics speak louder than words. Show how you increased engagement, conversion rates, or user retention.
On LinkedIn, use a headline like “Customer-Focused Marketer Moving Into Product Management” to grab attention.
Networking Is Your Secret Weapon
You can’t do this alone. Start connecting with people who can help:
- Talk to Product Managers: Reach out on LinkedIn or join communities like Product School. Ask questions, get advice, and learn from their experiences.
- Use Your Current Network: If you’re in a company with a product team, ask for introductions or offer to collaborate on projects.
Handling the Common Challenges
- Not Technical Enough? You don’t need to code, but understanding the basics of how products are built will help. Take an intro to coding course or learn about APIs.
- Breaking into the Role? Consider roles like Product Marketing Manager (PMM) or Associate Product Manager (APM) as a stepping stone. These positions let you use your marketing skills while learning the product side.
Is Product Management Really for You?
Before you dive in, ask yourself:
- Do you love solving problems and understanding customer needs?
- Are you okay with juggling different priorities and working with multiple teams?
- Can you adapt to constant changes and make decisions on the fly?
If you said “yes” to these, product management might be your calling.
The Bottom Line
Moving from digital marketing to product management is totally doable. It’s all about showing how your skills translate, learning the ropes of product development, and putting yourself in the right place at the right time.
Take it one step at a time—volunteer for projects, build your skills, and connect with the right people. Before you know it, you’ll be managing your first product, shaping customer experiences, and driving business growth.
Remember, it’s not about starting over; it’s about leveling up! 🚀
Wole Oduwole, an SEO & Digital Growth Expert is the Founder of SEOGidi. Harnessing with over 10 years of experience to scaling startups and emerging businesses.
