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What does a product marketing associate do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
V. Scott Solberg Ph.D.

A product marketing associate is responsible for supporting the operations of the marketing department of an organization, ensuring the efficient deliveries of marketing techniques to promote brand image and increase media presence to reach the target audience. Product marketing associates coordinate with the clients to respond to their inquiries and concerns, provide them progress updates, and inform them of marketing solutions that the team developed. They also analyze the current market trends to identify potential business opportunities that would generate more resources for revenues, implement new services, and attract potential clients and business partnerships.

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Product marketing associate responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real product marketing associate resumes:

  • Develop trade promotion strategies, marketing plans and budget allocation to achieve target ROI.
  • Lead product development and business development of emerging mobile and cloud solutions.
  • Research industry and customer specific data to conduct cost benefit analysis to generate ROI and create marketing collateral and sales presentations.
  • Assist with social media - blogs, facebook, twitter, smart phone applications, etc.
  • Promote to research target market customers and competitors and develop solution and sales strategies for on-premise and SaaS enterprise applications.
  • Provide statistical analysis and technical responses to customer RFQ.

Product marketing associate skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Product Marketing Associates are proficient in Digital Marketing, Market Research, and Product Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Organizational skills, and Analytical skills.

We break down the percentage of Product Marketing Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Digital Marketing, 8%

    Collaborate with outside resources to develop appropriate print and digital marketing and communication campaigns and materials that support business objectives.

  • Market Research, 8%

    Conducted comprehensive domestic and global market research to determine key trends in energy drink product and packaging innovation.

  • Product Management, 6%

    Executed marketing projects and competitive analyses under the direction of product management to identify and meet national and regional market needs.

  • Project Management, 5%

    Manage technical consulting and project management staff.

  • Product Development, 5%

    Led product development consumer research efforts including extensive focus groups, online subscriber surveys, sales channel feedback and industry competitiveness.

  • PowerPoint, 5%

    Researched Blue Cross's competition and summarized findings in PowerPoint presentations & dashboards.

Common skills that a product marketing associate uses to do their job include "digital marketing," "market research," and "product management." You can find details on the most important product marketing associate responsibilities below.

Creativity. The most essential soft skill for a product marketing associate to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." Additionally, a product marketing associate resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "conduct training sessions for product changes and launches across sales, customer support and the creative teams"

Organizational skills. Many product marketing associate duties rely on organizational skills. "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members.," so a product marketing associate will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways product marketing associate responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "direct all global marketing, branding and communication growth strategies to meet organizational objectives and drive profit with effective roi management. "

Analytical skills. product marketing associates are also known for analytical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to product marketing associate responsibilities, because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." A product marketing associate resume example shows how analytical skills is used in the workplace: "performed market analysis, identified key customer needs, formulated product positioning and overall marketing strategies. "

Communication skills. A big part of what product marketing associates do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to product marketing associate responsibilities because "managers must be able to communicate effectively with a broad-based team made up of other managers or staff members during the advertising, promotions, and marketing process." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical product marketing associate tasks: "created and distributed external communications, such as html electronic mailing campaigns, website content, and press releases. "

See the full list of product marketing associate skills

Compare different product marketing associates

Product marketing associate vs. Business development manager

A business development manager's duties include identifying business opportunities, developing effective models and strategies to improve business performance, searching for potential clients to generate income and attract partnerships. A business development manager must have extensive knowledge of the market trends and adjust strategies as needed to meet the needs of the client. Excellent communication, decision-making, critical thinking, and leadership skills are just some of the key factors that business development managers should possess to communicate and negotiate with the clients.

The annual salary of business development managers is $18,949 higher than the average salary of product marketing associates.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both product marketing associate and business development manager positions are skilled in market research, project management, and product development.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, product marketing associate responsibilities require skills like "digital marketing," "product management," "powerpoint," and "sales tools." Meanwhile a typical business development manager has skills in areas such as "customer service," "crm," "healthcare," and "business relationships." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Business development managers really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $103,515. Comparatively, product marketing associates tend to make the most money in the start-up industry with an average salary of $81,370.The education levels that business development managers earn slightly differ from product marketing associates. In particular, business development managers are 2.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a product marketing associate. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Product marketing associate vs. Marketing communications coordinator

Marketing communications coordinators play an administrative role in supporting the communications department in the execution and monitoring of communications strategies. The coordinators establish public relations and marketing materials and implement advertising and marketing campaigns. They plan and organize promotional presentations and update calendars. Among the necessary skills for this job are interpersonal skills, computer skills, communication skills, and marketing techniques. They should also have a degree in communications or marketing.

Marketing communications coordinator positions earn lower pay than product marketing associate roles. They earn a $32,669 lower salary than product marketing associates per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Product marketing associates and marketing communications coordinators both require similar skills like "digital marketing," "market research," and "project management" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, product marketing associate responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "product management," "product development," "sales tools," and "competitive analysis." Meanwhile, a marketing communications coordinator has duties that require skills in areas such as "graphic design," "proofreading," "instagram," and "crm." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Marketing communications coordinators may earn a lower salary than product marketing associates, but marketing communications coordinators earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $58,199. On the other hand, product marketing associates receive higher pay in the start-up industry, where they earn an average salary of $81,370.In general, marketing communications coordinators achieve lower levels of education than product marketing associates. They're 7.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for product marketing associates in the next 3-5 years?

V. Scott Solberg Ph.D.V. Scott Solberg Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor, Counseling Psychology and Applied Human Development, Boston University

It is essential to dive in and learn advanced uses for the necessary technologies we use every day, such as Microsoft, Google, and related platforms. Understanding database management systems, statistical packages, and graphic design will enable one to learn how to generate and communicate data. Learning technologies associated with engaging in project management are also a good investment. The key is to continuously keep up with trends in technology to gain an edge in being able to demonstrate the unique skills and qualities you will be adding to an organization and project team.

Product marketing associate vs. Marketing communications specialist

A marketing communications specialist is an individual who is responsible for creating all the marketing materials that are distributed to customers to increase brand awareness for the company's products or services. To create these materials, marketing communications specialists must collaborate with graphic design teams. They are required to track their marketing performance so that they can identify ways to improve their marketing strategies. Marketing communications specialists must also set up interviews and press conferences as part of their marketing campaign.

On average, marketing communications specialists earn lower salaries than product marketing associates, with a $27,827 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on product marketing associates and marketing communications specialists resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "digital marketing," "market research," and "project management.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a product marketing associate is likely to be skilled in "product management," "product development," "go-to-market strategy," and "sales support," while a typical marketing communications specialist is skilled in "graphic design," "customer service," "crm," and "email marketing."

Marketing communications specialists make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $70,324. On the other hand, product marketing associates are paid the highest salary in the start-up industry, with average annual pay of $81,370.When it comes to education, marketing communications specialists tend to earn lower degree levels compared to product marketing associates. In fact, they're 6.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Product marketing associate vs. Marketing director

Marketing directors are responsible for the overall branding and marketing direction of the company. They are in charge of identifying goals and strategies related to marketing. They create strategies that cater to the target market of the organization's products and services to help with sales. They lead the company's marketing department and create the company's brand promise. They ensure that all marketing collateral is in line with the rest of the marketing campaigns of the organization. They should be updated on all the current trends in the marketing world.

Marketing directors tend to earn a higher pay than product marketing associates by an average of $33,086 per year.While their salaries may vary, product marketing associates and marketing directors both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "digital marketing," "market research," and "product management. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between product marketing associates and marketing directors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a product marketing associate might have more use for skills like "go-to-market strategy," "brand awareness," "marketing collateral," and "sales support." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of marketing directors require skills like "crm," "email marketing," "sales growth," and "google analytics. "

Marketing directors enjoy the best pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $131,349. For comparison, product marketing associates earn the highest salary in the start-up industry.In general, marketing directors hold similar degree levels compared to product marketing associates. Marketing directors are 4.2% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of product marketing associate

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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