The Marchitect, powered by Pavilion, is a podcast series where leadership and (product) marketing intersect. The Marchitect is for and about the world's best product marketing leaders and the Chief Marketing Officers owning the function. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Casted.
Positioning and messaging are critical concepts that can greatly influence the success of a product or service. However, they are often misunderstood.
In this episode of The Marchitect, powered by Pavilion, three experts in the field of positioning and messaging — April Dunford, Emma Stratton, and Peep Laja — join host Rowan Noronha, founder of Product Marketing Community, to share their insights on the misunderstood concepts and how they can be the most powerful strategic tools in your arsenal.
“Positioning defines how our product or offering is the best in the world at delivering something, some value that a well-defined set of customers cares a lot about,” Dunford, author of Obviously Awesome, explains. “It is an input to a lot of things we do in marketing.”
Messaging, on the other hand, is the manifestation of your positioning. It’s how your product’s value proposition is communicated to your audience, whether through copy, imagery, or any other form of content. Stratton, a narrative consultant, adds, “narrative is almost like the story, the prose that is the context, the backdrop for that positioning and core messaging.”
Laja, the founder of CXL Institute, believes messaging is essential in converting customers into paying customers. “Increasing user motivation to take action is all about messaging,” he explains. “The key aspect of that is the value, am I interested in the promise of value to be delivered? Do I want it, right? And then the value communication also needs to be credible, relevant, and differentiated.”
But it’s not just about crafting the perfect message. It’s also important to ensure that everyone within the organization understands and can communicate the product’s positioning and messaging effectively. As Emma Stratton notes, “positioning and story is all about a narrative.
“Alongside of pricing are the two greatest levers a company can leverage for growth hands down,” Noronha says.
Mastering positioning and messaging can be a game-changer for any product marketer. It defines your product's value, differentiation, and target audience, and it is crucial for converting customers into leads and paying customers. So, take the time to develop a strong positioning and messaging strategy, and watch your product soar.
Want to learn a step-by-step process for developing your organization's positioning and messaging? Tune into this episode of The Marchitect, powered by Pavilion, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Casted.