Do you use any specific frameworks for your messaging/positioning? If so, which and how does the process look like?

I have used several different messaging frameworks, but one that we are leveraging quite a lot these days is the Jobs to be done framework, accompanied by durable, evergreen messages that are centered around our key customer personas and their pain points. In this framework you start by:  First, Understanding your ‘who’ (aka your key buyer personas) - who they are, what are their goals, their challenges, what keeps them up at night and what pain points they are most struggling with. We get super ...Read More

I've written about this in detail on my blog, so I'll summarize my thoughts below! Messaging and positioning work is never complete, so always treat your positioning doc as a living document that will evolve with your business. The framework I like to use involves starting with jobs to be done: Step 1: Start with the ‘jobs to be done’ What: Define the ‘jobs’ your product can be ‘hired’ to perform Why: As Peter Drucker once said, customers don’t buy products or features, they buy benefits. Jobs-t ...Read More

The frameworks that I use for positioning and messaging have changed over time, as I've advanced in my marketing career in enterprise tech. Earlier in my career (when I was in product marketing), we would approach positioning and messaging for a major product launch. There were a few frameworks that worked well for me here: Elevator Pitch - tell me what your product does in (25 words, 50 words, 100 words) 9-box messaging framework - call out three benefits that your customers experience from you ...Read More

Great question! I am a HUGE fan of templates and frameworks. I create templates and then modify them for each company so it better suits the needs of the business. I've written a couple of articles on this topic (see below): Part 1: https://medium.com/projectproduct/the-power-of-a-message-house-for-product-marketers-8b9bfe01e5a4 Part 2: https://medium.com/projectproduct/the-power-of-a-message-house-for-product-marketers-part-2-bca8f3ea9ad7 I have found holding a cross-functional workshop to be v ...Read More

The goal of a positioning document is to align your company on how to talk about your product. In its simplest form, a positioning framework should include three things: A positioning statement 2-4 benefits The reason reasons to believe your product can deliver the benefits Let’s break these down a bit. A positioning statement is a paragraph that describes what your product is (category), who it is for (target persona), what it does (how it works), and why it’s better than the alternatives (comp ...Read More

Yes! Before you can think about messaging though, two things have to be true. You need to know:   Who you’re talking to - your target audience How they think about you - your positioning  I’ve tried a lot of different positioning frameworks over the years, and the one below feels to me like it strikes the right balance between thoroughness and simplicity. Problem First: I always start with the pain points. What are the real-world issues your customers are facing? I typically bein here because yo ...Read More

I use and teach a positioning framework that was developed by my partner while he was at Microsoft. We have evolved and enhanced it over time, and I have taught the framework to more than 1,000 marketers and product marketers worldwide. The positioning framework addresses several problems commonly found in B2B software and technology marketing. Here are some of them: • Failure to differentiate; • Long sales cycles due to market confusion; i.e., copycat positioning; • Multiple benefit claims that ...Read More

I use Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) as the backbone of messaging, but I don’t treat any framework as dogma. The goal isn’t to complete a template – it’s to create alignment across product, sales and marketing around why we win. Here’s how I approach it. 1. Anchor on the commercial problem I start with the job the buyer is trying to get done, but I pressure test it through a commercial lens: What event triggers them to look? What budget does this sit under? Who feels the pain versus who signs the deal? ...Read More