Hey, I’m Rore 👋🏾
I’m the Product Marketing Manager (PMM) in the Paid squad which means I’m responsible for all things Monzo Plus and Monzo Premium. I joined back in January 2022 and my first few months at Monzo have been a whirlwind. I’d love to share my experience and encourage you to join us!
My journey to Monzo
My first Product Marketing role was back in 2018 at the US software development company, Trimble Inc. At the time, Trimble was going through a huge digital transformation. I helped to rebrand and launch products that had transitioned to cloud technology with new subscription pricing. I got stuck into launching product all across Europe in many different languages.
Meanwhile, I had an amazing boss who had years of experience in various product management, marketing and strategy roles. She taught me how to use the key tools to produce messaging, conduct competitor analysis, understand pricing models and execute a go-to-market strategy.
Fast forward 3 and half years, I joined Monzo as a Product Marketing Manager.
Those are cool cards 👀
Why did you choose the Product Marketing Manager role at Monzo?
Funnily enough 2018 was the same year I became a Monzo customer, when they had less than 1 million customers. Like most people back then, I’d heard about Monzo through word of mouth. Over time I became a huge advocate of Monzo telling all my family and friends to get a Monzo bank account as I loved the app and features.
I believe it is crucial for PMMs to be passionate advocates for the products they manage. So when I was interviewed by Sarah Conrad, VP of Marketing it was clear we shared the same vision for what Monzo’s products can offer people and she showed her passion for working at Monzo. I was beyond excited to continue my career in Product Marketing, join the company and meet the team.
The Monzo Marketing team 🤟🏾
What do Product Marketing Managers at Monzo do?
At Monzo we ensure that we are building the best possible products, for the right audiences, and then taking them to market and into our customers’ hands.
In the early stages of a product's lifecycle we work with our product team and user researchers to learn about prospective customers and the competitive landscape, and determine what we need to build for which customers. Then we collaborate with research, data teams, designers, and copywriters to define and test clear value propositions, build out core messaging pillars, and creative frameworks. Once we’re aligned, we build the go-to-market strategy in partnership with marketing channel owners including CRM, content, website, performance marketing, PR and others.
When our product is live in the market we work with data scientists to track the success of a product and channel owners to establish ongoing marketing tests to improve performance and increase product adoption.
What is a day in the life of Product Marketing Managers at Monzo like?
Monzo is such a dynamic workplace, so no two days are alike but, I have learnt to establish a work schedule to ensure I speak to the right people and still get work done whether I’m working from home or in the office.
9-9:30am
My usual start time - I’m in the office a couple days a week depending on where I feel I can be most effective. Monzo is really flexible about this!
Grab breakfast - we get free breakfast in the office, so I normally go for yoghurt with banana and honey 🍌
9:30-10am
Catching up - on Slack messages and work emails at my desk.
Ready to get started - make a to-do-list to help me define my purpose for the day and stay focussed.
10-10:30am
Standup time - I sync up with the Paid product squad everyday. The squad is made up of a Product Manager, a User Researcher, a Product Designer, Engineers, Data Scientists, Special Projects Managers, a CRM Manager and a Customer Operations Product Partner.
In our standup we recap on the product and business goals and I contribute by sharing marketing updates and what’s on my to do list. It’s also a good opportunity to ask the team for product updates and ask any questions about how our products work.
Welcome to the product team 🛠
10:30-11am
Product review - once a week I meet up with Monzo’s senior leadership team. This is a chance track our business goals and keep up to date with any marketing campaigns or product projects I am involved in to gather feedback and approval.
11-12pm
After my morning meetings, I go back to my desk and start actioning items on my to-do list.
Meanwhile, I can catch a quick conversation with fellow Product Marketing Managers to share knowledge and give support where needed.
12-1pm
LUNCHTIME! On Mondays and Wednesdays, Monzo provides a variety of lunch options from local food vendors.
Yummy Vietnamese food 🇻🇳
I like lunchtimes at Monzo as we often sit on the 6th floor with a view of London. This is a chance to meet colleagues from outside of Monzo’s marketing and product departments and everyone has been very friendly and welcoming - the culture is great.
1-2pm
Usually in this time I’ll have my weekly 1:1 with my manager, Neil, Director of Product Marketing to ask for help on projects I’m working on, discuss my career goals, and explore new ideas.
2-5pm
Focus time - I like to block out a few of hours every day (if I can!) for dedicated Focus Time. It’s really important that PMMs find time to think strategically and plan ahead. I have also been using this time to complete my PMA qualification in product marketing that Monzo has paid for - we get an annual training budget to grow our skills.
Usually this involves finishing presentations, writing out plan of actions, chasing colleagues for information and tackling items on the to-do list
5-5:30pm
Data diving - Most days I review the success of my products in our dashboards with a data scientist. Data is so important at Monzo, and for PMMs we assess the user growth, feature adoption and churn metrics to help us inform our next marketing strategies.
Reflection - I go back to my to-do-list and tick off my completed tasks and projects - so satisfying!
5:30pm
Home time!
What do you love most about your job at Monzo?
I love my job because it blends strategy, product and customer knowledge, and creativity to help define what products we build, deliver impactful marketing campaigns for Monzo Plus and Monzo Premium and have a real impact on the businesses results.
From day one, I got stuck into interesting projects and the work hasn't been easy but my role is collaborative and I learn so much from other people at Monzo. I am motivated by the encouragement I get from my Product squad and the awesome Marketing team that I settled into the role quickly. Everyone at Monzo is really welcoming and we’ve used team socials to further build our relationships.
My favourite part of the role is reading positive reviews of Monzo products. It reminds me that the work I do is beneficial to peoples’ lives and improving their relationship with money. My job is to ensure customers understand the value Monzo products can bring to their lives and when I get that right, it’s a great feeling.
I really recommend applying for a job at Monzo 👉 Apply for a job at Monzo here!