How do you build messaging for an audience that has historically used a competitor's product? Is this any different in solution marketing?

It depends. But first, let’s align on the purpose behind all of this work: We want to drive conversion, simple as that. And by conversion, I mean: We want users (or buyers) to take some action, such as reading a blog post, signing up for a webinar, talking to an AE, demoing the product, and ultimately using the product (PLG) or signing a contract (SLG). We get people to take these actions by piquing their interest about a better way for them to do their jobs.

This is actually a really interesting question, in part because different scenarios would yield different approaches. For example, consider the following:

Scenario 1

• Scenario: You’re at an enterprise company, and you and your competitor share the same customers, but for different products. You’ve decided to expand into your competitor’s market with a similar offering. 

• Example: Think about how Salesforce expanded beyond Sales (CRM) software into Service and Marketing automation, going head-to-head with ServiceNow and Marketo.

• Messaging approach: Emphasize i) tools consolidation (cost savings) and/or ii) efficiency gains from using a single platform vs. siloed tools.
  

Scenario 2

• Scenario: You enter a new market against an incumbent with a product that nobody likes using (eg, they have monopoly power and have stopped innovating).

• Example: There are lots of enterprise examples, as well as fintech vs. banking, Airbnb vs. the hotel industry; Mint Mobile vs. big three US telcos, etc.

• Messaging approach: Highlight why people dislike the incumbent’s solution while emphasizing how you’re different and better (or just do the latter without the former, if that’s more appropriate).
  

Scenario 3

• Scenario: You have a novel solution, innovation, or technology, but customers are generally happy with the status quo. This is one of the hardest scenarios, because customers don’t think there’s a problem with how they’re currently operating.

• Example: When Apple first launched the iPhone, RIM’s Blackberry had a near monopoly on the business world and government organizations (and quite a few consumers as well), and those users loved their “Crackberries.” Convincing these users, and the organizations that had invested so much into the Blackberry IT infrastructure, to try something so drastically different (and in many ways, inferior) took years of sustained effort and product innovation.

• Messaging approach: Can vary wildly, but the goal is to demonstrate that the status quo is broken, and that the new way will unlock incredible benefits that were previously unimaginable.