Sarah Lambert

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 audience has an easier time remembering your message.

A truly successful pricing and packaging exercise can't be completed in a vacuum which means competitive positioning must be included in the discussion. The main reason is that you don't want to create EXACTLY the same pricing and packaging approach as your competitors but you also need to be aware of how customers are already being asked to buy. In addition, the competitive positioning will help to determine if the product has already moved to a commodity or is still being priced and packaged in a value-driven approach. This last piece is particularly important because if your product / organization's differentiators are strong enough, you can pull out of commodification and back into value pricing. Lastly, I have to say that when I've seen a pricing and packaging exercise done most successfully, it's been a cross-functional process that includes PMM, Sales and Product. The insights from these other teams is invaluable and cannot be underestimated.

I would suggest practicing by creating your own messaging frameworks for some of your favorite products or companies be they B2C or B2B. This should help you to start to think through the different proof points and differentiators because you’ll already be aware of the competitive landscape and how they’re message. Another approach is to try to reverse engineer the messaging for a company you’re already following. Take their current messaging and put it into your messaging framework to see 1) if you think it works well and 2) if they’re missing any key components. This can always be used in conversations during interviews as well 😉

This is a tough one but I would suggest doing a messaging framework for each product and then the platform as whole. This will help to determine what the true value of the platform might be - is it purely that you have the products together in one place or are you mitigating risk by integrating them in a single platform? Are these products talking to each other? Or is it the integrations that make it special? Why should customers care? What about your platform is making their lives easier? If you've already done the messaging framework for each product and then complete the same process for the platform, you'll see where there are gaps as well as where you are strong which makes the messaging and positioning easier for a customer to see.

This really depends on the channel: For websites and demand gen, you can always use A/B testing to determine what works, but for messaging further down in the funnel, tracking interactivity with different content on your website is helpful and then even further down the funnel are customer presentations and demo scripts. Here it's helpful to have a good relationship with Sales to ask for constant feedback on what is resonating with customers and what isn't. Keeping track of win loss rates can also help track the effectiveness here. Lastly, for new features or products by current customers, track both attendance to launch webinars as well adoption rates to determine if messaging about value, impact and performance are resonating with customers.

There’s an old saying: PR is the coverage you pray for and Marketing (Advertising) is the coverage you pay for. With PR messaging, the limitations to what can be said and what will catch the media’s eye are vastly different than the ways marketing can share a similar story. In my experience, PR is also more of a medium for analysts and the industry vs marketing as a medium for buyers to learn more about the offering. In addition, marketing has the opportunity to tell a wider story through multiple channels and PR has a much smaller number to leverage.

Each channel has its own parameters for success be they length of message, medium or tone. I tailor my cross-channel message based on the channel audience and length but always connect back to the overarching messaging framework. The need for consistency in messaging - and reiterating the message - is particularly important across different channels as it starts to build a stronger relationship with the buyer / influencer. If you're constantly changing your message across channels then you create distrust in the audience and then you and your product become forgettable. With the number of messages buyers see today, it takes over 21 times receiving a message to remember it. Consistency in the message makes it easier to remember.

You have to start with understanding your audience and your product. For the audience – understand their key business issues and pain points and for the product, understand the differentiators / value drivers so you can craft a message that connects your product as a solution for your audience’s pain. It’s also incredibly important to have a high-level understanding of the competition and their messaging so you can differentiate there as well. As you become more familiar with the industry and your org’s product offering as it compares to competitors, this becomes much easier, but should be revisited with every new launch. If you are successful, you’ll notice that your competitors will start to use your verbiage and messaging as their own. This applies to products too. Beyond that foundation, there are two additional rules I stick to for messaging: Use the power of 3 and always provide proof. My messaging gets used a lot by our executives for our bi-annual updates, which means I need to keep my content brief but memorable so I stick to the power of 3 – three messaging pillars, areas of differentiation or impact – you choose, just keep it to 3. And last – always provide proof. This can be examples of how your product is innovative or a customer story or an analyst quote, etc. You need to be able to back up what you’re saying.

We use Trello and I have to be honest, I'm not a fan. I think it can be helpful if you have a lots of projects that go through multiple rounds of review, but other than that, not helpful.