Relying on narrative differentiation is obviously essential when products are essentially the same across you and your competitor set, but it's also a tough thing to do? Any advice?

This is a great question. Overall, product differentiation is key and one of the roles I really enjoy within PMM is having such a pulse and influence on what differentiates your product in the market - but it's not enough to just be different, it needs to matter to your customer and it needs to come to life in your marketing. This makes me think about my time at Old Navy where denim was our largest product category year over year. (Stick with me, this will translate to tech too, I promise). Ther ...Read More

Ideally, your narrative should actually be doing the heavy lifting when it comes to differentiation. Features can easily be copied. As this question states, it often leads to products being essentially the same across a competitive set. The components of your narrative—the story and the reason why your product exists—can be the difference maker in conversations with prospects. What does your product stand for? What is the driving force behind your product strategy and the value you want to creat ...Read More

Don't use corporate jargon and you're already 90% ahead of everyone else (if I had a nickel every time I read a company referring to their product as "industry-leading" or "robust"...). How do your happiest, most successful customers describe your product? Use those words. Don't use different words for the sake of being different. Be CLEAR about what your product does, the pain points they solve, and show screenshots. Talk to customers, read product reviews on G2, TrustRadius, etc. You'll notice ...Read More

I totally agree that narrative differentiation is a difficult thing to do, especially in B2B SaaS markets that are crowded and when the tools do essentially a lot of the same things and accomplish the same goals for customers.  In these situations, I usually come back to a very simple question: why do people buy from us? There has to be at least one reason your customers buy from you over your competitors, or you wouldn't have a viable business.  Figure out what those specific reasons are and bu ...Read More

Narrative differentiation is essential no matter what. No product speaks for itself and often comparing features can lead you down a "who wore it better" rabbit hole. Also, research actually shows people remember things better if they're part of a story. So your pitch will be a lot more memorable if your product features support the narrative of how you're going to change a customer's life for the better. When I'm crafting competitive differentiation, I think about: What's the experience I'm sel ...Read More

 I think there are loads of ways you can differentiate outside of product features.   Features: You offer something valuable that others don't within your product (e.g., automation) Customer experience: You have invested in UX and UI or for non-tech products the in-store or customer policy experiences deeply so that you provide a more frictionless user and customer experience.  Audience: There are alternative options on the market, but none that were built specifically for your audience (e.g. "d ...Read More

Here is a controversial statement: value communication beats narrative design. I know narrative and storytelling is a big topic in the product marketing world. But, I would encourage any reader here to invest in their ability to communicate value. here is why. From a sellers' perspective its nice to tell a good story. It has a feel good factor. And its nice to hear your own voice. However, one is focused on an output. A better story. But, the purchasing process is a rationale decision. A buyer n ...Read More