going from messaging nightmare to messaging delight: how to create a powerful messaging platform

Going from Messaging Nightmare to Messaging Delight - How to Create a

Powerful Messaging Platform

Tom Evans

CompellingPM

@compellingpm

Copyright 2013-2015. The Lûcrum Group, Inc. 1

DFW Product Group

• DFW Product Group is the premier product management and marketing association in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex

• 300+ active members

• 2013 - 2015 roadmap includes webinar series, networking mixers, and ProductCamp DFW

• Website: http://dfwproductgroup.org/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2796125

• Twitter: @DFWProductGroup

• Email: [email protected]

• Actively seeking new members, volunteers, and sponsors

Copyright 2013 - 2015. The Lûcrum Group, Inc. 2

Special offer from CompellingPM at the end of the webinar.


Going from Messaging Nightmare to Messaging Delight - How to Create a

Powerful Messaging Platform

Tom Evans

CompellingPM

@compellingpm


Poll Question 1

Does your company have a standard/structured approach to creating a marketing messages?

a) Yes, all new product marketing initiatives start with a standard messaging platform.

b) Sometimes we create a messaging platform, but this is not a standard.

c) No, we never create a messaging platform.


Without a Messaging Platform

• Market facing personnel each have their unique set of messages they use

• Product marketing is constantly putting out fires and rushing to create messages on short notice

• Marketing creates messages with no input from the product team

• Marketing and sales tools fail to motivate target buyers

Confusion in the market place!


What is a Messaging Platform?

A Messaging Platform serves as a reference to all “market-facing” personnel in your organization to ensure consistency & accuracy of messaging for your product (or company).


PM2 Levers of Control™


Executional LeversProduct

•Define Whole Product

•Effective Requirements

Price

•Value-Based Pricing

Place (Channel)

•Sales Tools

•Sales Enablement

•Channel Programs

Promotions

•Product Marketing Tools & Content

•Product Marketing Programs

Go-to-Market Strategy

Target Markets PositioningCompetitive

StrategiesMessaging Platform

Alignment to Business Drivers

Market Analysis

VOC Competitive Analysis Ecosystem Analysis






Price


Place (Channel)

•Sales Tools

•Sales Enablement

•Channel Programs

Promotions







Market Analysis


Poll Question 2

What is the most important starting point for a messaging platform ?

a) Selecting the most critical product features to communicate

b) Feedback from the sales team on what messages work the best

c) Product positioning

d) Alignment with senior executives







Price


Place (Channel)

•Sales Tools

•Sales Enablement

•Channel Programs

Promotions







Market Analysis


Messaging Platform Structure

Positioning

Key Messages / w Evidence

Tagline Talk TrackProduct

DescriptionsFAQs


Guides All Other Tools & Programs

Mes

sagi

ng

Pla

tfo

rm Marketing & Sales Tools

Marketing Campaigns

Public Relations

Product Demos



Positioning



DescriptionsFAQs


Positioning Decisions

1. Target Market(s)

2. Key Problems Solved

3. Most Important Value Proposition

– What we do for our customers

4. Key Points of Differentiation

– Why us

Copyright 2013-2015. The Lûcrum Group, Inc.

Target Markets

• Messages must resonate with target audience

– Corollary: it will not (& shouldn’t) resonate with all

• Key Personas – Buyers, Influencers, Users

– What do they care about

– What language do they use

– Typical profile/characteristics


Key Problems Solved

• What are the buyers motivations (per buyer persona)?

– Need, pain, goal, challenge, ideals

– Personal & business

– Articulated & unarticulated

– What do they need to know to make a decision

– How will they evaluate & use your product?


Value Proposition

• What we do for you!

• Benefits & value your customer will realize from purchase and use of your product

• Relative to customer’s other viable alternatives

• Sources of value:– Reference customers, industry expertise, internal processes,

partnerships, innovation, IP, delivery methods, geography, social, business model, personnel, features, guarantees, brand promise, core competencies, etc.

– Speaking to your customers


Differentiation

• Why us!

• What makes your product stand out

• Meaningful value to the customer

• Sources of differentiation:– Reference customers, industry expertise, internal processes, partnerships,

innovation, IP, delivery methods, geography, social, business model, personnel, features, guarantees, brand promise, core competencies, etc.

– Speaking to your customers


Positioning Statement

• For [target end user]

• Who wants/needs [compelling reason to buy]

• The [product name] is a [product category]

• That provides [key benefit].

• Unlike [main competitor (s)],

• The [product name] [key differentiation]


Adapted from: Geoffrey Moore - Crossing the Chasm


Positioning



DescriptionsFAQs


Key Messages

• Per target buyer persona

• 2 to 4 messages per persona

• In customer’s language

– Avoid meaningless words

– Not advertising language

• Support positioning


Messages Are Benefit Statements

• Too many market messages are about features or technology

• Changing to benefits– Why is a feature important (so what?)

– What does it mean to the customer

– Use “So That”

• Example– 4 inch Retina display

– “So that” you can view photo quality images and still use it effectively with one hand


Supporting Evidence

• You stated a message, but why should someone believe the message?

– Reason to believe

• 2 to 4 points of evidence per message

• Sources

– Customer testimonials, unbiased testing, distinguishing features, third party validation, facts & statistics, etc.


Message Alignment

Strategic Increase plant profitability

Get new customers / Gain market share

Increase customer loyalty

Managerial Reduce maintenance costs

Responsive to customer orders

Focus staff on higher value activities

Reduce staffing costs

Operational Reduce Process Upsets

Reduce Time to handle process upsets

Faster transitions between grades

More time for process improvement


Reduce Process

Variability

Reduced Plant Upsets

Less Off-Spec Product

Less Stress, Great Job

Satisfaction

Less Wear & Tear on Plant

Reduced Maintenance

Costs

Increased Production

Lowered Costs of

Operations

Increased Revenue

Sell More Product

Functional Benefits

Plant Operators

Maintenance Supervisor

Operations Manager

Sales

Plant Manager

Greater Customer

Satisfaction

Reduce Transition

Time Between Products

Shorter Product Runs

Gain Market Share

Faster Delivery on Important

Orders

Win New Orders

Increased Profitability

Predictive Models

Real-time Optimization

Features

Benefits Map

Copyright 2015. The Lûcrum Group, Inc. 27

Reduce Process

Variability




Satisfaction


Reduced Maintenance

Costs


Lowered Costs of

Operations

Increased Revenue

Sell More Product

Functional Benefits

Plant Operators


Operations Manager

Sales

Plant Manager

Greater Customer

Satisfaction

Reduce Transition



Gain Market Share


Orders

Win New Orders


Predictive Models


Features

Benefits Map


Benefits Map



Satisfaction

Reduced Maintenance

Costs


Lowered Costs of

Operations

Increased Revenue

Sell More Product

Plant Operators


Operations Manager

Sales

Plant Manager

Greater Customer

Satisfaction

Gain Market Share


Orders

Win New Orders



Reduce Process

Variability




Satisfaction


Reduced Maintenance

Costs


Lowered Costs of

Operations

Increased Revenue

Sell More Product

Functional Benefits

Plant Operators


Operations Manager

Sales

Plant Manager

Greater Customer

Satisfaction

Reduce Transition



Gain Market Share


Orders

Win New Orders


Predictive Models


Features

Exercise

Product Name: SmartCredit

Target Market

Small to Medium Size Credit Card Issuers

VP of Cards

Must grow total outstanding balances from a reduced number of prospects

Looking for promotion to top executive in cards or other line of business

Wants to avoid all potential confrontation with Feds over marketing tactics

Middle age, male, MBA, full career in credit card services

Key Problems Solved

Risk management platform

Must grow portfolio size while maintaining portfolio risk.

Must profitably compete against the top 10 card issuers for new cardholders.

Low capital investment (can’t afford multi-million dollar investment)

Value Proposition

• Compete cost effectively and take market share from top 10 competitors

• Profitably grow outstanding balances without increasing delinquencies and write-offs

Differentiation

• No capital investment and quick implementation (less than 3 months).

Key Messages

• Achieves the same risk management power that the large competitors have.

• Delivered as a service with no custom development and capital investment.

• Allows you to quickly adapt new risk management strategies as market conditions change

Evidence

• Bank X increased portfolio size by 25% while reducing delinquencies by 10%

• No software to install, monthly subscription fees

• Bank Y was able to create and test new risk management strategies in less than a week (v. 3 months with

traditional systems)

• Bank Z was operational within 4 months of contract (v 18 months with major competitor)Copyright 2013-2015. The Lûcrum Group, Inc.

Poll Question 3

Who in your organization is responsible for defining the market messages?

a) Marketing Communications

b) Executive Management

c) Product Management

d) Product Marketing

e) Everyone

f) No One



Positioning

Key Messages


DescriptionsFAQs


Tagline

• Succinctly communicates the essence of your brand promise in a memorable way

• Creates a first impression

• No Tagline versus a bad Tagline

• Memorable taglines

– Just Do It

– Because so much is riding on your tires

– 1000 songs in your pocket


Talk Track

• Guides the initial conversation

• Leads to a longer conversation (sales call/presentation)


Developing Talk Track

1. Sales Opener (Elevator Speech) - 30 seconds to get attention– What your company/product does– Key problem addressed for that target market– Key benefits received

2. Talking Points - another 2 minutes to lead to longer discussion– Brief statement on how you do that– Communicate key benefits (aligned with key messages)– Provide evidence (case study, testimonial)– Create a vision of success for them– Ask for longer conversation


Product Description

• Boiler plate product description

• Various lengths

– 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 words

• Use in press releases, news articles, SEO, tradeshows, etc.


FAQS

• Answers most common questions from prospects/customers/press

• Can address questions on competition

• Keeps “market facing” personnel on message


Summary

• Messaging platform ensures consistency of message.

• Must be owned by Product Marketing (or Product Management)

• Key element to feed all other marketing facing tools and programs

• Validate with your target markets


Go-to-Market Webinar Serieshttp://compellingpm.com/go-to-market-webinar-series-with-dfw-product-group/

Webinar Title Date

The Strategic Role of Product Management & Product Marketing in Driving Product Revenue & Success

Apr 23

Developing a Deep Understanding of Your Target Markets – The Starting Point for Great Product Marketing

June 11

Define a Powerful Go-to-Market Strategy That Sets Your Product Apart June 25

Great Requirements Form the Foundation for Successful Products July 16

Profitable Products Sell Value: Why Value-Based Pricing Wins August 13

From Messaging Nightmare to Messaging Delight: How to Create a Powerful Messaging Platform

Sept 17

Create Effective Sales & Marketing Tools That Actually Get Used By Sales & Prospects Oct 15

Nothing Happens Until Someone Sells Something: Enabling Your Sales Channel to Success Nov

Driving the Marketing and Sales Funnel to Close Deals: What Product Marketers Must Know and Do

Dec


Next Webinar

Create Effective Sales & Marketing Tools That Actually Get Used By Sales

& Prospects

Oct 15, 2015


http://compellingpm.com/go-to-market-webinar-series-with-dfw-product-group/

Upcoming Austin PM2 Training

• Optimal Product Management & Product Marketing

– Sep 21 – 23

– Dec 7- 9

• AIPMM Certifications – Certified Product Manager (CPM)

– Feb 16 – 17

More dates/locations - www.280group.com


Free 1 Hour PM/PMM Consult

• First ten to submit information on form

• http://compellingpm.com/freeonehour/

• Please include background on topic or issue

• Must include company info (no Gmail)


http://compellingpm.com/freeonehour/

Thank You!

Tom Evans

CompellingPM

[email protected]

@compellingpm

www.compellingpm.com


mailto:[email protected]