Why Product Marketing Is Failing B2B Tech Companies — And How to Turn It Into a Strategic Force

In today’s dynamic technology landscape, B2B software and tech companies are crafting innovative products—machine learning platforms, agentic AI, low-code/no-code solutions, and cutting-edge risk mitigation tools. The pace of innovation is exhilarating. However, the journey to market often lacks the same excitement.

These tech products emerge from real-world pain points. They are born from founders who experienced the problem firsthand and were driven to find a solution. This passion leads to solutions with depth, nuance, and genuine relevance because they are crafted by individuals who have lived the challenge.

Yet, all too frequently, these groundbreaking products fail to leap to prime time. Why? It’s not merely a matter of insufficient promotion. The crux lies in inadequate product positioning or a failure to translate that positioning into actionable go-to-market strategies effectively.

Caught in this quandary is product marketing, constantly playing catch-up with a narrative that was never fully defined. This isn’t just a tactical misstep; it’s a foundational failure. 💣

Here’s what’s happening:

1️⃣ Product marketing is too reactive.

In most early-stage organizations, Product Marketing Management (PMM) is hired after things are already in motion. Founders build. Sales sell. The leadership realizes a gap—“We need messaging!”—and PMM gets pulled in to polish up what already exists.

By then, positioning decisions have already been made: in the roadmap, pricing, and how sales frame the product. PMM is stuck retrofitting a story rather than shaping it. That’s not product marketing—it’s product cleanup.

Proper product marketing should be proactive. Strategic. Upstream. It should be the function asking: “Who are we really for, and how do we win?” Not “What tagline fits on this banner?”

2️⃣ Nobody knows what PMM is supposed to do.

Ask five people about product marketing, and you’ll get five different answers.

“Isn’t that just content?” “No, it’s messaging and launches.” “Wait, don’t they own competitive intel?” “Aren’t they the sales enablement team?”

Without clarity, PMM becomes the dumping ground for anything vaguely go-to-market. That lack of definition makes it impossible to prioritize or scale.

Good PMM sits at the intersection of product, marketing, and sales—but it’s not just a middleman. It’s the team responsible for market context, buyer insight, and strategic storytelling. And if you don’t give them the room (and respect) to do that work, you’ll never get the full value.

3️⃣ PMM is disconnected from the buyer.

Most emerging tech companies are product-first. That’s not inherently bad, but it leads to messaging obsessed with features, speed, and architecture… — totally out of sync with how genuine buyers think.

Good PMM is the voice of the customer—not in a hand-wavey “customer-centric” way, but in a real, practical, sharp-edged way. The team that knows how your buyer frames their problem. The language they use. The objections they have. The alternatives they’re comparing you to. If your PMM team isn’t spending time in actual conversations with prospects, they’re guessing. And no amount of clever copy will fix a message that’s built on a bad assumption.

4️⃣ PMM is brought in too late.

This is the pattern I see over and over again:

●      A startup gets early traction.

●      Sales starts hustling.

●      Product keeps shipping.

●      GTM gets messy.

●      Leadership brings in PMM to “fix the story.”

By that point, product positioning is baked into every layer of the business—from how the product is built to how it’s sold. PMM is left to retrofit a narrative instead of driving it from the beginning.

Product marketing should be one of the first strategic hires, not the twentieth. This is especially true in emerging tech, where buyers need a compelling story to understand what you do, let alone why it matters.

So what’s the fix?

It’s not about hiring more PMMs. It’s about elevating the role of product marketing from function to force. That means:

👉  Positioning before pitch decks. Nail the story, then scale it.

👉  Insight over instinct. Let real buyer context—not just internal opinions—drive your messaging.

👉  Collaboration over execution. PMM should influence the roadmap, not just the launch plan.

👉  Strategic ownership. PMM isn’t there to support sales. It’s there to make sales easier.

Done right, product marketing becomes the architecture of your go-to-market motion—not just the voice but the blueprint. It aligns teams, accelerates adoption, and, most importantly, ensures that your breakthrough product isn’t ignored.

Building something great isn’t enough in a crowded market. You have to make sure people understand why it matters. If you don’t, someone else—possibly with an inferior product—will do a better job telling your story.

This is where Liberis Consulting comes in.

We help emerging tech companies turn product marketing into a strategic force. From sharpening positioning to architecting your go-to-market motion, we work with founders, product leaders, and revenue teams to ensure that your messaging, motion, and market strategy reflect the potential of what you’ve built. We don’t just make things sound good—we make sure they sell.

👉 Ready to turn your breakthrough product into a market leader? Don’t settle for being just another great idea lost in the noise. At Liberis Consulting, we specialize in transforming product marketing from a reactive function into a strategic force. Whether you’re refining your positioning, architecting your go-to-market strategy, or aligning your team for accelerated adoption, we’re here to ensure your product gets the attention it deserves. Let’s work together to make your story stand out in the crowded tech landscape. Contact us today and let’s build something remarkable.