A short presentation on the essential components of an effective messaging framework, positioning, targeting, segmentation, personas and building value proposition documents that assist marketing teams execute campaigns that have both effective and consistent messaging.

1. Product
Messaging
Crafting a Differentiated
Value Proposition
Gerardo A. Dada
@gerardodada
Useful tools for product marketers

2. Why is Segmentation andTargeting Important?
• Focus
– You can’t go after all market segments and customers
• All customers are not equal
– Better understanding of your target customers
– Every product offers different value for different customers
– Different lenses, different needs
• Relevance
– Different ways to market to them
– Context is important
– Tools to align your products with the right customers
Without these tools your Marketing will be vanilla: a shotgun approach

3. Basic Definitions
An industry or universe of buyers
A subset of the market that shares certain characteristics
A small market segment with unique needs
The market segment(s) where a company focuses its efforts
A complete picture of the person making the buying decision
A personification of the buyer profile in a fictional character
Market
Segment
Niche
Target
Buyer profile
Persona

4. Types of Segmentation
4
DEMOGRAPHICS
Role: Mom, CEO, Student, etc.
Age: Tween ,young families, retirees, etc.
Gender
Income
Geographic, Etc.
ATTITUDINAL
(Psychographic - clusters based on data)
Lifestyle, Personality, Attitude
• Hobbyist, Advanced Amateur, professional
• Soccer mom. Diva, Working professional, Social
• Compulsive, Extrovert, Ambitious, etc.
NEEDS-BASED
What job does the product do for customers?
-Transport 9 kids to school
-Express my individuality/social class/style
-Enjoy driving
-Save money, save the environment
FUTURIST PRAGMATIST LAGGARDTRANSFORMATION
BEHAVIORIAL
How they buy, how often, usage rate, etc.

5. Hypothetical Example: Bank
Generic message: “We have a great savings/checking account with an ATM card for
you. Get a free toaster when you sign up.”
Segment Need Emotional Need
High School Kids Start saving, build credit
score
Feel special because you
now have a card
College-Bound Students Convenience of ATM,
receive money from
parents, financial
planning
Need to be smart about
my limited budget
Families who are
relocating
Convenience, branch
proximity, more services
Simplicity, time savings

6. Personas
How do we market to the college student?
Meet Kate
 Lives on a limited budget, supported by her parents
 Spends most of her free time with friends
 Owns a Smartphone, a laptop and a tablet
 Uses Instagram (not so much Facebook or twitter)
 Familiar with BofA, Wells Fargo and Citi
 Concerned about fees and overages
-Personas represent a target segment buyer profile
-Keep it simple, relevant and concise
-Avoid information that is not actionable

7. Examples
of real-world
explicit personas

8. Positioning 101
Brands occupy a single position in the
mind of the customer
• Positioning is the marketing effort to influence this
position
• There is only one position for each idea or brand
(you need to give up to own a position)
• Position is relative to competition or alternatives
• Aim for a unique position – differentiation
• Bur differentiation is not enough: good positioning
is differentiated and valuable for your target
customers
= safe

9. Positioning must align with Strategy
PICK ONE, ANDONLY ONEVALUE DISCIPLINE
Product
Leadership
Differentiation is building your business on a strategy to target a specific type of buyer and offering a
specific value that competitors can’t match
Apple, Mercedes
Nespresso
R&D investment, early adopters,
margins over share, etc.
Customer
Intimacy
Ritz Carlton, Lexus,
Harrah’s
Data, relationship mktg.,
Customer experience, loyalty, etc.
Operational
Excellence
Dell, McDonald’s,
Amazon
Process, metrics, ROI, efficiency,
Cust Acquisition

10. Messaging inefficiency
Inefficient marketing develop messaging for each deliverable
Website Press Release Collateral Packaging Advertising

11. Messaging Frameworks
Require more time and intellectual effort up-front. Much more effective and efficient in the
long run
Website Press Release Collateral Packaging Advertising
Messaging Document
Market Research Strategy Target Customer Positioning

12. Traditional Positioning Statement Framework
Positioning Statement
FOR [target customer] WHO [have specific need]BRAND X IS [position] that [benefit or capability] BECAUSE OF [proof points[
Customer Need 1 Customer Need 2 Customer Need 3
Customer Need
Benefit
Proof Points
Target Customer
Target description
25 Word Description
Value proposition statement in 25 words
50 Word Description
Value proposition statement in 50 words
Useful as a starting point, but slightly academic and incomplete

13. ComprehensiveValue Proposition and Messaging Doc
Template available here http://www.slideshare.net/gerardodada/product-value-proposition-and-messaging-template-plus-sales-card
A complete template captures customer knowledge and provides
useful information for marketing execution
• Who is the ideal customer
• What problems is he or she trying to solve (JTBD/use cases)
• Where and how they research to solve this problem or need
• Triggers, buying criteria, alternatives
• Key messages, differentiators, proof points, secondary features

14. @gerardodada
www.TheAdaptiveMarketer.com
THANK
YOU