OGT Docs - Define Marketing

Complete guide for creating marketing definition documents.

Overview

Marketing definitions establish how you communicate your product's value to the market. They define who you're talking to, what you're saying, and how you're positioned against alternatives.

mindmap
  root((Marketing<br/>Definitions))
    Audience
      Personas
      Segments
      Journey stages
      Pain points
    Messaging
      Value proposition
      Taglines
      Key messages
      Proof points
    Positioning
      Market category
      Competitors
      Differentiation
      Alternatives
    Channels
      Owned
      Earned
      Paid

When to Use This Skill

Use ogt-docs-define-marketing when defining:

• Value proposition and messaging
• Target audience and personas
• Market positioning and differentiation
• Go-to-market strategy
• Content themes and pillars
• Channel strategy

Folder Structure

docs/definitions/marketing/
├── value_proposition/
│   ├── definition.md           # Core value proposition
│   ├── elevator_pitch.md       # 30-second pitch
│   ├── one_liner.md            # One sentence
│   ├── proof_points.md         # Evidence and social proof
│   └── .version
│
├── target_audience/
│   ├── definition.md           # Audience overview
│   ├── segments.md             # Market segments
│   ├── personas/               # Detailed personas
│   │   ├── indie_developer.md
│   │   ├── startup_founder.md
│   │   └── enterprise_buyer.md
│   ├── journey_stages.md       # Awareness → Purchase
│   └── .version
│
├── messaging/
│   ├── definition.md           # Messaging framework
│   ├── key_messages.md         # Core messages by audience
│   ├── taglines.md             # Tagline options
│   ├── boilerplate.md          # Standard descriptions
│   ├── objection_handling.md   # Common objections
│   └── .version
│
├── positioning/
│   ├── definition.md           # Positioning strategy
│   ├── competitive_landscape.md # Competitor analysis
│   ├── differentiation.md      # What makes us different
│   ├── category.md             # Market category definition
│   └── .version
│
├── content_strategy/
│   ├── definition.md           # Content philosophy
│   ├── pillars.md              # Content pillars/themes
│   ├── formats.md              # Content formats
│   ├── calendar.md             # Editorial calendar
│   └── .version
│
└── go_to_market/
    ├── definition.md           # GTM overview
    ├── launch_plan.md          # Launch strategy
    ├── channels.md             # Channel strategy
    ├── metrics.md              # Success metrics
    └── .version

Marketing Definition Types

1. Value Proposition

Defines why customers should choose your product.

Example: value_proposition/

value_proposition/
├── definition.md
├── elevator_pitch.md
├── one_liner.md
├── proof_points.md
└── .version

definition.md

# Definition: Value Proposition

## Overview

{Product} helps {target audience} {achieve outcome} by {key capability},
unlike {alternatives} which {limitation}.

## Value Proposition Canvas

### Customer Profile

#### Jobs to Be Done

What customers are trying to accomplish:

1. **Functional**: {task they need to complete}
2. **Social**: {how they want to be perceived}
3. **Emotional**: {how they want to feel}

#### Pains

Frustrations and obstacles:

1. {Pain 1}: Description
2. {Pain 2}: Description
3. {Pain 3}: Description

#### Gains

Desired outcomes and benefits:

1. {Gain 1}: Description
2. {Gain 2}: Description
3. {Gain 3}: Description

### Value Map

#### Products & Services

What we offer:

- {Core product}
- {Key features}
- {Services}

#### Pain Relievers

How we address pains:
| Pain | How We Relieve It |
|------|-------------------|
| {Pain 1} | {Solution} |
| {Pain 2} | {Solution} |

#### Gain Creators

How we create gains:
| Gain | How We Create It |
|------|------------------|
| {Gain 1} | {Feature/Benefit} |
| {Gain 2} | {Feature/Benefit} |

## Fit Assessment

```mermaid
quadrantChart
    title Value Proposition Fit
    x-axis Low Pain Relief --> High Pain Relief
    y-axis Low Gain Creation --> High Gain Creation
    quadrant-1 Strong Fit
    quadrant-2 Gain Focus
    quadrant-3 Weak Fit
    quadrant-4 Pain Focus
    Feature A: [0.8, 0.7]
    Feature B: [0.6, 0.9]
    Feature C: [0.3, 0.4]
```

Hierarchy of Value

1. Primary Value: {The #1 reason customers buy}
2. Secondary Value: {Supporting benefits}
3. Tertiary Value: {Nice-to-haves}

Proof Points

#### elevator_pitch.md

```markdown
# Elevator Pitch

## 30-Second Pitch

### Version 1: Problem-Solution
"You know how {target audience} struggle with {pain point}?
{Product} solves that by {key capability}.
Unlike {alternative}, we {key differentiator}.
That's why {social proof}."

### Version 2: Before-After
"Before {Product}, {target audience} had to {painful current state}.
Now, with {Product}, they can {desirable future state}.
In fact, {proof point}."

### Version 3: Analogy
"{Product} is like {familiar thing} for {target audience}.
Just as {familiar thing} helps {someone} do {something},
we help {target} achieve {outcome}."

## 10-Second Pitch

"{Product}: {Action verb} {outcome} for {audience}."

Examples:
- "Stripe: Accept payments for internet businesses."
- "Slack: Replace email for team communication."
- "{Product}: {Your version}."

## Pitch by Audience

### For Technical Users
"{Product} is a {technical category} that {technical benefit}.
It integrates with {technologies} and {technical proof point}."

### For Business Users
"{Product} helps your team {business outcome}
by {business capability}. Customers see {business metric improvement}."

### For Executives
"{Product} drives {strategic outcome}
while reducing {cost/risk}.
{Major customer} achieved {impressive result}."

2. Target Audience

Defines who you're marketing to.

Example: target_audience/personas/indie_developer.md

# Persona: Indie Developer

## Overview

Independent software developers building projects on their own or in very
small teams. Highly technical, resource-constrained, value-conscious.

## Demographics

| Attribute    | Value                              |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| Role         | Sole developer / Technical founder |
| Company size | 1-5 people                         |
| Industry     | SaaS, games, developer tools       |
| Experience   | 3-10 years                         |
| Age range    | 25-40                              |
| Location     | Global, English-speaking           |

## Psychographics

### Goals

- Build a sustainable indie business
- Ship products quickly
- Maintain creative control
- Minimize operational overhead

### Challenges

- Limited time and budget
- Wearing multiple hats
- Choosing the right tools
- Avoiding vendor lock-in

### Values

- Transparency and honesty
- Quality over quantity
- Community and open source
- Independence and flexibility

## Behavior

### Discovery

- Hacker News, Reddit, Twitter
- Developer blogs and podcasts
- GitHub trending
- Word of mouth

### Evaluation

- Free tier or trial required
- Documentation quality matters
- Community activity and support
- Pricing transparency

### Decision Criteria

1. Does it solve my problem?
2. Can I afford it?
3. Is it reliable?
4. Can I switch away if needed?

## Messaging

### Key Message

"Build faster without the overhead. {Product} gives you {capability}
so you can focus on your product, not your infrastructure."

### Proof Points

- "X indie developers trust {Product}"
- "Set up in Y minutes"
- "Free tier for side projects"

### Objection Handling

| Objection        | Response                                             |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| "Too expensive"  | "Free tier covers most indie needs. Pro is ${X}/mo." |
| "Will it scale?" | "{Customer} scaled from 0 to 1M users on {Product}." |
| "Vendor lock-in" | "Export your data anytime. We support {standard}."   |

## Content Preferences

### Formats

- Technical blog posts
- Video tutorials (short, focused)
- Documentation
- Code examples

### Topics

- "How I built X with {Product}"
- Performance optimization
- Cost optimization
- Indie success stories

### Tone

- Casual, peer-to-peer
- Technical but accessible
- Honest about limitations
- No marketing fluff

## Journey Map

```mermaid
journey
    title Indie Developer Journey
    section Awareness
      Sees mention on HN: 3: Dev
      Reads blog post: 4: Dev
    section Consideration
      Tries free tier: 5: Dev
      Reads docs: 4: Dev
      Asks on Discord: 4: Dev, Support
    section Decision
      Compares pricing: 3: Dev
      Checks alternatives: 3: Dev
      Signs up for Pro: 5: Dev
    section Retention
      Uses daily: 5: Dev
      Recommends to friend: 5: Dev
```

---

### 3. Positioning

Defines your place in the market.

#### Example: positioning/

positioning/ ├── definition.md ├── competitive_landscape.md ├── differentiation.md ├── category.md └── .version

#### definition.md

```markdown
# Definition: Positioning

## Positioning Statement

For {target audience}
who {need/want},
{Product} is a {category}
that {key benefit}.
Unlike {alternative},
{Product} {key differentiator}.

### Filled In
For **indie developers and small teams**
who **need to ship products fast without infrastructure overhead**,
**{Product}** is a **developer platform**
that **handles the boring stuff so you can focus on building**.
Unlike **traditional cloud providers**,
**{Product}** **just works with zero configuration**.

## Positioning Pillars

### Pillar 1: Simplicity
- Zero configuration
- Sensible defaults
- Works out of the box
- No DevOps required

### Pillar 2: Speed
- Instant deploys
- Edge-first architecture
- Fastest time-to-value
- Minutes, not hours

### Pillar 3: Reliability
- 99.9% uptime SLA
- Automatic scaling
- Built-in redundancy
- Enterprise-grade infrastructure

## Market Category

### Primary Category
{Category name} (e.g., "Developer Platform", "Backend-as-a-Service")

### Adjacent Categories
- {Adjacent 1}
- {Adjacent 2}

### Category We're Creating
{If creating new category}: "{New category name}"
Definition: {What this category means}

## Competitive Position

```mermaid
quadrantChart
    title Market Positioning
    x-axis Simple --> Complex
    y-axis Cheap --> Expensive
    quadrant-1 Enterprise
    quadrant-2 Premium Simple
    quadrant-3 Budget
    quadrant-4 Complex Budget
    Competitor A: [0.8, 0.8]
    Competitor B: [0.3, 0.3]
    Us: [0.2, 0.5]

When to Use What Positioning

---

## Signal Files for Marketing Definitions

| Signal | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| `.draft` | In progress |
| `.approved` | Approved by marketing |
| `.approved_by_marketing` | Marketing lead approved |
| `.approved_by_founder` | Founder approved (major positioning) |
| `.tested` | Validated with customers |
| `.version` | Schema version |
| `.last_reviewed` | Last review date |

---

## Quality Checklist

Before requesting review:

- [ ] Target audience clearly defined
- [ ] Value proposition is specific and differentiated
- [ ] Messaging speaks to audience pain points
- [ ] Proof points are verifiable
- [ ] Positioning is distinct from competitors
- [ ] All claims are supportable
- [ ] Tone is appropriate for audience
- [ ] Journey stages covered