What messaging frameworks are best-in-class?

Positioning is about showcasing how you solve your customer's needs in a unique and beneficial way.  I firmly believe that you can not create strong messaging if you have not completed an audit of your competitor's messaging. I typically use the following framework to audit competitors:  Competitor framework: Company name  Tagline  Positioning statement  Core benefit  Problem solved  Messaging pillars  Once completed I’ll map on a 4 x 4 the key territories the competitor sits in and where our co ...Read More

I actually tend to take bits and pieces from different ones that I've used in the past to create my go-to. Whatever framework you use should help you get to a focused opinion on the tagline, elevator pitch, and 3 benefit pillars. This means it should capture who is this for (primary personas) and what you're competing against (competitors) as "givens" to set the stage. Then the most valuable thing to have in the messaging are the 3 key benefit pillars of your product/solution/feature that are un ...Read More

There are a lot of messaging frameworks out there to choose from, but I take a bottom up approach: I start with the differentiators and proof points and then build my elevator pitch, value prop statements and long descriptions from those foundational components. I also use the rule of 3 for my differentiators and proof points. If you find yourself with a laundry list of differentiators or proof points, start looking for similiarities among those components to create larger "buckets" so that your ...Read More

Sure. While I cannot share internal documents necessarily, I can share a few elements that I think make up good messaging frameworks. Market and competitive context Product strategy/objective (i.e. why we are introducing this particular product/capability and how it fits in broader portfolio of products Clear articulation of target customer segment and their pain points we are trying to address Value prop (ideally backed up by research validation!) and finally Messaging (1-sentence articulation, ...Read More

Absolutely, when it comes to top-tier messaging frameworks, the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework stands out as a real game-changer. This framework delves deep into comprehending your users' underlying motivations, aspirations, and pain points. While it might not be the most straightforward approach, as it often demands persona interviews to solidify your insights, the effort is well worth it. JTBD enables you to grasp what truly resonates with your audience, capturing not only their preferences ...Read More

Your messaging should always aim to influence and shape the market's perception of your product. Good messaging accelerates trust between your company / product and your buyer, which in turn leads to demand, adoption, revenue, etc. Your audience is multi-faceted and so your messaging should be as well. Strong messaging addresses the following points in a clear and compelling way: Persona: Who is the target audience? Job to be done: What is their "job to be done"? Pain points: What's their challe ...Read More