Meta Head of Product Marketing, Girija Sathyamurthy on Stakeholder Management
Aug 16, 2023
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The podcast covers topics such as product marketing in the metaverse, aligning with counterparts in other divisions, three approaches to stakeholder management, and the importance of relationship building and stakeholder management in the tech industry.
Understanding the metaverse as a two-sided ecosystem and effectively communicating its value to both consumers and developers is crucial in product marketing.
Building authentic relationships with stakeholders is essential for conflict resolution, stakeholder management, and career growth in product marketing.
Deep dives
Understanding the Metaverse and Its Role in Product Marketing
The podcast episode features an interview with Pareja, the head of product marketing at Meta Reality Labs, discussing the concept of the metaverse and its significance in product marketing. Pareja explains that the metaverse aims to bring people closer together through virtual and augmented reality technologies, allowing for shared experiences and conversations. As a product marketer, Pareja highlights the importance of understanding how the metaverse operates as a two-sided ecosystem, catering to both consumers and developers. The role of product marketing in this space involves communicating the value of the metaverse to both target audiences, inspiring the community and educating them on how to get started. Research and understanding customer needs are crucial in developing the right messaging and value proposition for the metaverse. Pareja also emphasizes the need for alignment and collaboration with counterparts from different divisions and product lines within the organization.
Building Strategy and Aligning With Executives in a Large Organization
The second part of the podcast episode focuses on building strategy and aligning with executives in a large organization. Pareja shares her systematic approach, starting with identifying a single credit owner responsible for driving the strategy and forming a core group of key stakeholders. Collaboratively, the group addresses questions about the target audience, milestones, and short-term versus long-term strategies. Pareja advises getting buy-in from leaders by having discussions as a group rather than seeking individual buy-ins, as this fosters collaboration, healthy discussions, and a better understanding of different perspectives. Trust and credibility with executives can be built through clear and concise communication, concise presentation of ideas, and leveraging async communication methods, such as email updates and workplace group postings. The goal is to raise visibility, establish product marketers as leaders, and provide valuable insights to guide decision-making processes.
The Power of Relationship Building in Product Marketing
Lastly, Pareja shares the importance of relationship building in product marketing. Drawing from a mentor's advice, she emphasizes being authentic and assuming good intent when engaging with stakeholders. Building authentic relationships helps in conflict resolution, stakeholder management, and sponsorships. The tech industry is a small world, and fostering meaningful connections can have a significant impact on one's career and professional growth. Pareja encourages product marketers to focus on building relationships as a key aspect of their work.
1:25 Opening Question: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your path into product marketing?
4:05 How you think about what is the metaverse in general and how you really look at it through a product marketing lens?
7:35 How is your product marketing team oriented?
12:18 Do you use any data for about prioritizing the roadmap with your product management colleagues?
14:55 How do you think about aligning with your counterparts, who are overseeing other divisions or other product lines and aligning strategy with them as well?
19:53 How do you get leaders all at once in a room and have and have discussions around?
21:26 How do you build your relationship with the broader executive leadership team?
25:03 Can you share one piece of insight that has served you well throughout your product marketing career?