AMA: Shopify Senior Product Marketing Lead, Stephanie Kelman on Messaging

There are several ways to get quantitative data on your messaging using online testing tools and A/B tests. However, you need time and volume to get an accurate read and marketers rarely have either. I recommend you get scrappy and find ways to get an initial pulse on some messaging - it doesn’t have to be a science. Online user testing platforms that make this so fast and easy. Wynter is my favorite. It’s cost effective and fast, especially for smaller companies. Low lift A/B tests - You can do ...Read More

Crafting compelling messaging for features that your competitors already have can be difficult since it's hard to find a competitive advantage in this instance. When I'm in this situation, I bring the messaging back to the product's overall competitive advantage and hone in on the unique benefit that it provides. It's important to always communicate a benefit or outcome with your messaging, even if it's the same feature that your competitors already have. I also find it helps to get specific abo ...Read More

Yes! There is a template attached to the AMA that I use with my team at Shopify. You can also create your own with these guidelines in mind. Separate your audiences Write a really strong main value proposition for each audience. This is the main message you want to get across. Make sure it is outcome and benefit focused. Support your main value proposition with 3-4 pillars. Each supporting pillar should have a few messaging points to explain how the product helps users achieve this outcome. Add ...Read More

The most effective approach to rolling out messaging that internal GTM teams will use is to bring them along on the journey with you. It's important to build trust and show them that you have validated the messaging through market and customer research. Make sure your messaging framework is already locked down and your close cross-functional partners are aligned (i.e. product). Your specific product messaging needs to be in line with the overall company or product positioning. Meet with your GTM ...Read More

I love this question because I love using customer quotes and data proof points to craft impactful messaging. You are already in a great position to create a strong sales enablement asset. If it’s only 2 pages - you need to keep things short and succinct. This isn’t the place to write a full case study (but I would do that later if you have time and link to it from this asset).  What is the big message that you are trying to get across? This should tie back to your main value prop for your produ ...Read More

Trying to position your product as competitive when in reality it’s on par with the market can be so tough. This is especially true if you’re crafting messaging for a new product that hasn’t reached its full potential yet or if your product inherently has table stake features without a true competitive edge. In these situations, if you are really trying to be competitive, you need to lean on other attributes that can carve a differentiated angle in the market. Think about what it is that attract ...Read More

It's important. When it comes to marketing, impact is the thing we’re all trying to achieve at the end of the day. If you don’t measure impact, you don’t know if your messaging is resonating with your target audience. If your audience isn’t engaging with your messaging and marketing assets, your overall KPIs and goals will suffer. With that said, I know it’s tough to measure impact as a product marketer. Test your messaging on the sales floor or on a call with a customer. This is an efficient an ...Read More

The best approach for messaging a technical audience is to lead with clear and concise language. Avoid any language that is vague or ambiguous. Technical audiences can spot marketing lingo from a mile away and you will lose trust with this audience very quickly if you try speaking to them the same way you would a non-technical audience. Here are some tips for messaging a technical audience: Say the thing. Don't bury the lead or use too many adjectives. Just say the thing. Lead with features and ...Read More

My team manages the sign off process by putting key reviewers and stakeholders names at the top of the brief to check off after they have reviewed the content. Make sure your key stakeholders are already aligned with your high level messaging framework and then other projects should flow nicely through the approval process. Include positioning and messaging in every brief - whether it’s for a campaign, GTM, or case study. Everyone should be aligned with the positioning and messaging before the c ...Read More

My favorite product marketing mentor always gave me the best advice to ensure my messaging was differentiated. What is the one thing you can say that your competitor cannot say about this product or feature. If another company's name can easily be swapped out with your own, then your messaging is not differentiated enough. Get specific with data proof points to create solid evidence to support your messaging and build differentiation. If you aren't sure what makes your product differentiated fro ...Read More

The best messaging needs to be closed-loop, meaning that it is used throughout all of the areas of business and receives regular feedback. Product marketing needs to be the owners and drivers of this messaging. It starts with a solid messaging framework. Make sure your cross-functional teams have buy in to this messaging and are aligned. This will make it easier to carry it throughout the company. Another sure bet way to get your messaging used throughout various teams is to craft the sales asse ...Read More

My team re-looks at messaging every 3-6 months. It's important to keep messaging fresh, relevant, and accurate with small tweaks. With that said, don't feel like you need to reinvent your messaging every time. Here are some signals to know it's time to review and tweak your messaging: New feature release Competitor insights Market shifts New customer learnings Campaign kick off Big marketing moment Data insights from previous campaigns   If you're struggling with product market fit or poor campa ...Read More

The best way to resolve conflicting opinions from key stakeholders on messaging is to test and validate your messaging with your target audience. If you have data, even qualitative data, you are much more likely to get key stakeholders aligned on messaging that is actually driving impact. With that said, I realize testing is easier said than done and not always available to all product marketers. Get scrappy here. I always say that a PMM's super power is the voice of the customer. You should kno ...Read More

I get it - it is so hard to avoid using cliche terms. These words are front and center in our marketing vocabulary but we all know that they are watered down and abused by the market. Is the cliche actually true? If your product really is the industry leader or the best in the world and you have the data to back it up, then go big with that. For most of us, that just isn’t the case and customers know that. Get closer to the customer - When I’m stuck on cliche terms, I go back to my customers. It ...Read More

It is the perfect time to iterate and optimize your messaging after you receive strong performance metrics and client feedback. This information will either validate your competitive advantage or highlight a new value prop that your clients clearly resonate with. Once you feel like your value props and messaging hierarchy (i.e. which points are the most important) align to the performance metrics and client feedback, you can use the data to beef it up. Your messaging framework should have a sect ...Read More

I agree there is value in getting ahead of the market and positioning your new, amazing product early in its lifecycle. This can also be risky if use cases and backend infrastructure are not solid yet. One of the most costly mistakes with messaging is the smoke and mirrors effect. You want to build trust early on with your audience. Don't dupe them and don't make any promises that aren't possible with the product. You need social proof and use cases to message your product confidently. Another r ...Read More