AMA: Intercom Former Sr Director of Marketing, Matt Hodges on Messaging

We’ve developed a few of our own frameworks over the years based on jobs-to-be-done. It’s an approach that runs counterintuitive to classic, persona-based marketing, and does so purposefully. Focusing on customer attributes really means focusing on what you want to sell, rather than what your customers actually need. Those customers come from a variety of backgrounds, industries, and verticals, but their one commonality is their motivation, the Job-to-be-Done. I had to fundamentally change my ap ...Read More

Great question–tough to answer without getting too specific about Intercom and what works for us based on our own situation and approach in general. But, here goes. :)   For us, a product is a container for a set of mutually exclusive features that enable specific workflows to be completed. For example, our Engage product has a set of core features (available on Engage Lite) that make it possible to send targeted messages to leads and customers. Some of these features are audience targeting, aut ...Read More

For guidance on how to build messaging, see my answer to, What are good messaging framework resources that you use?. In terms of how to validate it, I’d recommend a combination of the following tactics:   Talk to your customers: Invest time talking to and learning from your prospective and existing customers. Specifically, listen to how they describe the problems they have, the pain points they experience, and what a better world would look like for them (in their minds). Partner with your sales ...Read More

What's the saying, "imitation is the best form of flattery"? It's impossible to prevent competitors from copying your messaging (and product to some extent even).   Instead of worrying about those that are copying you, I'd instead encourage you to focus on building the best product to best solve your customers' problems and in doing so ensure you're correctly articulating the value your product can deliver in the most effective way possible way.   Companies with best products AND brands are the ...Read More

I can’t think of any one example I have received recently, but here’s my advice on what I think makes a good feature launch email:   It’s thoughtfully targeted and relevant: A poorly targeted email is about as effective as a love letter addressed “To whom it may concern” (credit: Des Traynor). It frustrates me when I get emails about a new Android app, or update to an Android app, when a business should know I use their product exclusively on iOS. Make sure your audience can, and would be compel ...Read More

Tell a compelling story. A story that resonates with your target audience. Something that speaks directly to the pain they are experiencing and/or describes a future state they want to be in.   You should aim for the right balance of cleverness, clarity, and cheekiness. That balance all depends on your brand and target customer. It's easy to stand out, but less easy to stand out in a way that's a positive reinforcement of your brand.    Grabbing attention is step one, ultimately you must be able ...Read More