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Sales Enablement vs. Product Marketing 2023

This blog post explores the relationship between sales enablement and product marketing, while also looking at how each is used in digital marketing and growth funnelss. Learn more about the software and content strategies used for both!

HC

Chrissy DiBrigida

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The difference between sales enablement and product marketing might be obvious, they are two separate disciplines with different tools and strategies. This makes it easy to overlook the ways in which sales enablement and product marketing work together. In this blog post, we will explore the relationship between sales enablement and product marketing, while also looking at how each is used in digital marketing and growth funnels.

Learn about organizational structure for product marketing teams, as well as the software and content strategies used for sales enablement. We even have best practices for measuring the success of your sales enablement content. Let's dive in!

Understanding sales enablement and product marketing

Sales enablement and product marketing are two distinct disciplines with separate goals and strategies. Sales enablement is focused on helping sales teams be more effective by providing them with the resources and tools they need to close deals. Product marketing is the process of developing a product strategy, positioning, and messaging to effectively launch products and services for customers.

Despite their differences, these two disciplines have an important relationship that has a strong focus on delivering an exceptional customer experience. Product marketers and sales enablement teams must work together by blending their knowledge and expertise to ensure customers' needs are met. Sales enablement helps sales reps understand customers' needs and product marketing provides strategies to address those needs proactively.

Product marketing tools and strategies

Product marketing is a vital element in the success of any company. Product marketers are tasked with designing and executing plans which help to create recognition of products, acquire more customers and ultimately drive up sales.

Metrics like website traffic and conversion rates from email campaigns or ad copy tests on social media sites can help product marketers determine what works best. Surveys and focus groups give feedback about what the customers want. To make sure these tools and strategies are implemented in addition to measuring content effectiveness, product marketers can optimize efforts for maximum ROI. With this approach, businesses can generate campaigns which meet customer needs and help businesses grow their sales figures significantly!

  • Productboard: Productboard is a product management platform that helps teams gather and prioritize customer feedback, create roadmaps, and launch products successfully.

  • Airtable: Airtable is a flexible database that can be used for a variety of tasks, including product management, project management, and CRM.

  • Driveway: Driveway is an interactive demo tool that shows off product features and capabilities so you can qualify leads from your website or blog.

  • Intercom: Intercom is a customer communication platform that helps businesses connect with customers through live chat, email, and in-app messages.

Sales enablement software and content strategies

Content strategies also play a key role in sales enablement. Marketers can create content such as whitepapers, videos, and webinars to educate customers and increase brand awareness. This content can also be used to increase customer engagement and loyalty.

Often tools that are used for product marketing can also be used for sales enablment. Interactive demo tools can be used in both customer-facing and employees facing use cases. For SaaS product marketers, interactive demos can be embedded on the marketing site or blog for an immersive product experience. In sales enablement, interactive demos can be used to train employees on feature capabilities or during the pre-sales process.

To measure the success of sales enablement content, it is important to track relevant metrics such as:

  • Downloads: How many people are downloading your content?

  • Views: How many people are viewing your content?

  • Engagement: How are people interacting with your content? (e.g., clicking on links, watching videos, sharing on social media)

  • Lead generation: How many leads are being generated from your content?

  • Sales pipeline: How much pipeline is being generated from your content?

  • Revenue: How much revenue is being generated from your content?

How sales enablement and product marketing work together in digital marketing and growth funnels

Sales enablement and product marketing can work together to create a seamless customer experience and drive growth through digital marketing and growth funnels. Here are a few examples:

  • Social media marketing: Product marketers can use social media to create awareness of the company's products or services and engage with potential customers. Sales teams can then use social media to connect with leads and prospects, and to share relevant content.

  • Content marketing: Product marketers can create content that educates and informs potential customers about the company's products or services. This content can then be used by sales teams to nurture leads and close deals.

For example, a product marketer might create a blog post about the benefits of using their product to improve customer service. The sales team could then share this blog post with leads and prospects to help them learn more about the product and how it can benefit their business.

  • Email marketing: Product marketers can create email campaigns to nurture leads and promote new products or services. Sales teams can then use email marketing to send personalized messages to leads and prospects.


  • Search engine optimization (SEO): Product marketers can optimize content for relevant keywords so that potential customers can easily find it online. Sales teams can then use this content to engage with leads and prospects who are already interested in what the company has to offer.

For example, a product marketer can optimize a product page for keywords. When a potential customer searches for this keyword on Google, they are likely to see the e-commerce company's product page in the search results. The sales team can then follow up with this potential customer to learn more about their needs.

By working together, sales enablement and product marketing can create a digital marketing and growth funnel that is effective at attracting, converting, and retaining customers.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have explored the relationship between sales enablement and product marketing, while also looking at how each is used in digital marketing and growth funnels. If you are looking for a tool that can connect and streamline both teams, try Driveway for all your marketing and enablement needs!