AMA: ServiceNow Director, Platform and AI Product Marketing, Sharadhi (Gadagkar) Patel on Storytelling

For a high-level strategic initiative like Storytelling or Narrative development, I've found that creating a consistent touchpoint with a small cross functional team is foundational to the success of the project. I've typically included stakeholders from Product, GTM and the exec team, and set the expectation up front that while we will take feedback from others throughout this process, this core team are the final drivers and approvers of the story we tell. Initially, I collect inputs on competitive differentiators across these groups, and then use that to stack rank as a group based on incorporating areas like customer feedback, win/loss reports, market intel, and product data. I've found that there are certain differentiators that everyone agrees on that are core to your company's story (those are the easy ones!), and often times there are important differentiators that get surfaced based on team expertise, that rise to the top of the list as well (think customer feedback from an EBC, how we've won against an upcoming competitor, product adoption of a core area that competitors lack, etc...). These differentiators, along with other messaging, get added to a narrative framework that this team reviews. Throughout the process, we keep the lines of communication open with regular check-ins to make sure we’re all aligned as things change. That way, the entire company is aligned and telling one cohesive story no matter who's talking.

Even with a highly technical product and audience, I've found that it's important to remember that attention spans are limited and that budget holders don't always need or want a ton of detail, at least upon the first intro to the product. I'd approach this in a couple ways. First, I'd focus on the higher level messaging. This is to help build awareness of this product across any channel. Here you want to focus on the customer outcome that helps build a bridge for your audience on the technical product (or algorithm in this case) and the tangible value to the customer. The fact that this has been tweaked for 10+ years should already provide you a strong differentiator, but you can provide additional validation by incorporating customer stories or proof points (ie: trusted by 90% of the Fortune 500). From there, you also want to build an additional layer of messaging that goes deeper into the nuts and bolts of your product that could be used for whitepapers, analyst reports, demos, etc...to make sure this resonates with even the most technical of your audiences.

The way I would approach this changes based on the size of the company where I'm working. When I've been at larger companies like Salesforce or ServiceNow, this is done in partnership with our Brand team, and oftentimes even led by the Brand team and Product Marketing provides the product messaging and expertise layer. However, when I've been at smaller companies where there may not be an established Brand Marketing team, Product Marketing takes the lead on personifying the brand through our messaging and storytelling as well. In these cases, I start by thinking of the true purpose of our brand. In other words, ‘If our brand were a person, what would they care about? How would they act, talk, and show up for customers?’ From there, I build the brand’s voice and tone around those traits. Then, I focus on the customer journey—where does the brand show up as the hero, solving real problems? I like to position the brand as a guide, helping customers reach their goals. It’s all about creating a relatable, human connection that customers want to root for and that your buyers can relate to.

Here are a few frameworks I've either used or seen to help tell a compelling company and product story: 1. The HERO's Journey: this framework positions the customer as the hero and your product as the guide or tool that helps them overcome obstacles. It works well because it keeps the focus on the customer’s challenges and how your product can lead them to success. 2. FAB (Features, Advantages, Benefits): this framework ensures that your storytelling focuses on what your product does (Features), why that’s better than alternatives (Advantages), and how it benefits the customer. I've seen this work especially well for large product launches (it translates nicely to 1-2 slides) and to help ensure the whole company is telling the same story about the product. 3. Jobs To Be Done (JTBD): this framework focuses on the "job(s)" your customer is trying to accomplish. It helps you tell a story that aligns with customer motivations and why they’re using your product, centering the story on the powerful outcomes your product allows your customer to have, rather than the features. Regardless of the framework, it's important to tee up each of these narratives with a sense of urgency - fomo marketing is hugely compelling!

In an increasingly competitive and crowded market, there's naturally going to be high overlap of product offerings between companies. Here are a couple ways to standout: 1. Prove Outcomes, Validated by Real Customer Stories Too often, brands focus solely on features, which can blur the lines between competitors. Focus on the outcomes and value your product drives, using real customer stories. Use data, case studies, and testimonials to showcase the measurable impacts your product delivers. Prove your value by showing real-world results that competitors can’t easily replicate and let your customers' success lead the way in shaping your product differentiation. 2. Brand Marketing and Thought Leadership Your brand authority and expertise in the space can serve as a powerful differentiator when your offerings are technically similar to competitors. Customers trust brands they view as innovators and industry leaders. Position your brand and key leaders as thought leaders by consistently producing valuable, forward-thinking content—whether through blogs, whitepapers, or events—focusing on the future of your industry or vertical. Partner with respected experts or influencers to expand your credibility.