Silvia Kiely Frucci, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Castor is an experienced PMM who enrolled in Product Marketing Core: Live and Online to refine her existing credentials.
In this case study, she discusses:
- Why she enrolled,
- Why she picked us,
- PMMC's main benefits,
- Key outcomes, and
- Why you should enroll
Silvia’s motivation
Silvia was the sole product marketer in her previous role at Wilmington Healthcare and built the position from the ground up.
In preparation for her role at Castor, she decided to enroll in a product marketing certification course to aid her development and help her bring more to the table in her new position.
“My new employer doesn't understand product marketing; I've taken the certification to understand what I'm missing and doing well. I wanted to have a clear idea of what my strengths and weaknesses were, become a little more rounded as a product marketer, and refine my skills.”
Why Product Marketing Core?
Silvia researched the options available on the market and opted for Product Marketing Core. The course’s thorough syllabus and the company’s links with established product marketers played a key role in her buying decision.
“There’s a lot of certifications available, and I looked at the options for a long time; I wanted to wait for something with a curriculum that could offer some improvement - and then this came along.
“I’m happy where I am in product marketing, I enjoy my role, but I wanted a qualification that was recognized within the industry.
“PMA has a lot of influential people who are on board with the platform, so even if I talk about the company when I interview or to peers, they immediately know who I mean, and that serves as reassurance for me and adds more value to the certification.
“I was looking for something in business analytics and a course with an area in pricing; it’s a big piece of my job and I love doing it. I also considered an MBA, but in truth, the price is crazy!”
So, what specifically made Silvia decide to become PMM Certified with us instead of other providers?
“First of all, I know the community and how much depth PMA applies to different topics.
“I also had a chance to look at the product marketing framework the company put together and I loved it; there are so many different parts to it and it made me realize PMA looks at everything; it’s not just a one-size-fits-all approach.
“If there’s something useful for the product marketing community, such as the workshops, PMA will do it, and this gave me confidence the certification would carry the same qualities.”
What are Product Marketing Core’s main benefits?
With 11 chapters and 68 modules, Product Marketing Core offers a comprehensive round-up of product marketing essentials. After completing the course, Silvia offered her views on which features she found most beneficial.
“I took the live and online certification across one-day, and I enjoyed the training style from Harvey Lee.
“He delivered the information and managed to introduce small tasks for us to complete. He didn't just teach; he brought the group into the conversation and got all of us involved. I liked how interactive it was and that if I had a question, I could ask.
“The module that I found most useful was the section on positioning; I liked the fact that it was divided into different elements and covered each part of the area.
“I also like how I can revisit what I did during the course so that when I’m communicating messages with other people, nothing gets distorted along the way."
With two versions of the course available, Live and Online (part-time and full-time), plus On-Demand, Silvia shared why she enjoyed getting certified in real-time, alongside fellow product marketers.
“When you have a live course, you can have separate rooms where people can discuss without disrupting the instructor and other students. I thought this was useful, as it helped me understand what the other PMMs were thinking about the course content.
“The networking side is also a huge part of the course. The people who are enrolled in PMMC all share the same goals as you, and you can get even more insights this way.
“I also enjoyed the Q&A element of the course. The material is great, and being able to ask questions offers the chance to seek validation that your understanding is correct.”
Key outcomes
While the Product Marketing Certification is the main draw for PMMs enrolling in Product Marketing Core, there are plenty of other takeaways students can benefit from.
In this case, access to our templates and frameworks has proven to be particularly useful for Silvia, acting as key resources in her day-to-day practice.
“Everyone talks about GTM strategy as being important. Though the PMA offers some great material, there weren’t many resources that provide a framework and process on how to do it well, other than in the certification. In my position, I work a lot on product launches and wanted to learn more about the best practices.
“When I finished the course, I downloaded all of the templates and frameworks - these have been invaluable.
“I immediately used the GTM checklist, as I was preparing for a launch, and I used the template for the personas - this is something I use all the time.
“I’ve used the questions in the templates to get feedback from my customers about my product, and that was helpful. I like to follow things by the book, and the checklist allows me to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
“I didn’t know what to expect from the course and thought ‘I must know most of these things.’
“However, while I know the topics that are included within the curriculum, I wasn’t familiar with how to approach each area.
“If I hadn’t enrolled in this course, it would’ve taken me longer to find the essential information; I’d have to talk to various people, read more books, more resources to reach the same outcome and get where I want to get.”
Why should you enroll in Product Marketing Core?
More professionals are pursuing a career in product marketing making it more important than ever for new and existing PMMs to differentiate themselves, and many are viewing a product marketing certification as the perfect way to do just that.
Silvia gave her insight into why Product Marketing Core should be considered the go-to resource for PMMs interested in Getting Certified.
“In my mind, it’s called Product Marketing Core for a reason; it covers all of the essential areas included in a product marketing role.
“In the long-term, I’m aiming to be a team leader, and I’ll be recommending members of my team take the certification because it includes all of the essential information needed to do your job properly
“I think that regardless of your level of expertise, it’s a good way to make sure you’re doing everything in your role and that you’re aware of everything you need to know.
“The course is full of ways you can make things better and if you’re brand-new to product marketing, I’d say enroll - it’s one of the most complete courses you’ll find.”
Enroll in Product Marketing Core: Live and Online, gain expert tuition from an experienced PMM and work toward a coveted PMM certification with access to 11 chapters and 68 modules of material, plus a whole lot more. Awesome expertise. Continued support. Unrivaled insights. Get certified.
