04. Positioning and Messaging

From Value Proposition to Marketing Message

As part of the go-to-market strategy you'll want to work closely with Marketing. You’ll want to start with your product’s value proposition to help you create the product positioning statements. Once you have the product positioning you can create the messaging.

Value Proposition

As a reminder the value proposition for the product is created well before launch because it drives how the product that is designed and built.

Product Positioning

Product positioning should be:

1. More specific than your product’s value prop
2. Focused on a specific target user, audience, or segment
3. Include differentiation that is meaningful for this specific audience

Combine these three parts into one sentence:

For {Target Audience}, {Product Name} delivers ***{Product Benefit} *** better than other products because ***{Evidence of Superiority} ***

Example

“For World Wide Web users who enjoy books, Amazon.com is a retail bookseller that provides instant access to over 1.1 million books. Unlike traditional book retailers, Amazon.com provides a combination of extraordinary convenience, low prices, and comprehensive selection.”

This example is from a time when Amazon was just focused on selling books. As the company has grown, Amazon's value proposition and product positioning has evolved.

Marketing Message

Once you have determined your product positioning you can write your marketing message. The marketing message should communicate your product positioning in a concise statement that is easy for users to remember. Some tips to keep in mind:

1. Be clear and concise
2. Make it memorable
3. Consider including a call to action

Examples

“AirPods deliver effortless, all-day audio on the go. And AirPods Pro bring Active Noise Cancellation to an in-ear headphone — with a customizable fit. Find the right AirPods for you.” - Apple AirPods

“Venmo is a digital wallet that lets you make and share payments with friends. You can easily split the bill, cab fare, or much more. Download the iOS or Android app or sign up on Venmo.com today.” - Venmo

“Make Your Day. Real People. Real Videos. Text yourself a link to download TikTok” - TikTok

True or false: You should only have one product positioning statement for a single value proposition

True

False

SOLUTION:

False

QUIZ QUESTION::

Match each description to the corresponding activity

ANSWER CHOICES:

Messaging

Messaging

Messaging

Value proposition

Product positioning

Product positioning and Messaging

Value proposition

Product positioning

Value proposition

Description	Activity
Targeted towards a specific segment
The big picture
Benefits of your product, potentially across multiple segments
What you will say to a specific segment
Derived from the value proposition
Derived from product positioning

SOLUTION:

Description	Activity
What you will say to a specific segment	Messaging
Derived from product positioning	Messaging
What you will say to a specific segment	Messaging
Derived from product positioning	Messaging
What you will say to a specific segment	Messaging
Derived from product positioning	Messaging
The big picture	Value proposition
Benefits of your product, potentially across multiple segments	Value proposition
Derived from the value proposition	Product positioning
Targeted towards a specific segment	Product positioning and Messaging
The big picture	Value proposition
Benefits of your product, potentially across multiple segments	Value proposition
Derived from the value proposition	Product positioning
The big picture	Value proposition
Benefits of your product, potentially across multiple segments	Value proposition