AMA: Etsy Senior Director, Product Marketing, Maureen Sitterson on Messaging Strategy

This is something that we do a lot at Etsy! We focus all of our launches on how they're solving customer pain points or challenges and it's critical that we consistently evaluate our messaging strategy through that lens. We do this by following a specific process: Gather insights: Our team leads our Voice of the Customer reporting to have a strong pulse on the top issues our customers are facing. We regularly review and analyze surveys and research, partner with our customer service teams to rev ...Read More

Consistency in messaging is critical to ensuring that we clearly articulate our message and inspire buyers and sellers to take action. We do this through a process that we've honed over time: First, we develop a brief outlining all of the key details about a product feature launch or narrative. Second, we share the brief with key partners and discuss how to bring the narrative or GTM to life across channels. Each channel team determines their strategy or approach to the launch. We collaborate an ...Read More

At Etsy, competitive analysis plays a key role in making sure our messaging truly differentiates us in a crowded e-commerce landscape. Etsy stands for something truly different and special, and our messaging strategy has to cut through in order to ensure we can effectively convey that. Sellers and buyers have countless options—whether it’s large marketplaces like Amazon, niche platforms, or even social commerce channels—so it’s essential that our messaging highlights what makes Etsy uniquely val ...Read More

Customer feedback is central to how we shape messaging at Etsy. We use feedback channels not only to decide what we build and communicate, but also how we communicate it. Every major launch includes built-in feedback loops—through surveys, product experiences, and marketing touchpoints—so we can measure how buyers and sellers perceive our message in real time. Those insights allow us to do three things: 1) refine our narratives to resonate more deeply 2)validate whether our value propositions ar ...Read More