Marketing Context

The foundational context document that every marketing skill reads before starting. Captures positioning, ICP, competitive landscape, brand voice, and customer language in one place.

Table of Contents

• Keywords
• Quick Start
• Core Workflows
• Context Sections
• Customer Research Methodology
• Competitive Analysis Framework
• Switching Dynamics (JTBD Four Forces)
• Context Maintenance
• Best Practices
• Integration Points

Keywords

marketing context, brand voice, target audience, ICP, ideal customer profile, positioning, customer insights, competitive analysis, market research, customer language, brand personality, buyer persona, product marketing, go-to-market, messaging framework, competitive landscape, objection handling, proof points, switching dynamics, value proposition

Quick Start

Auto-Draft from Codebase

1. Study the repository: README, landing pages, marketing copy, about pages, docs
2. Draft a V1 context document based on what exists
3. Present the draft and ask: "What needs correcting? What is missing?"
4. Iterate through corrections until the document is accurate

Guided Interview

1. Walk through each section conversationally, one at a time
2. Ask focused questions (not all at once)
3. Capture exact customer language, not polished summaries
4. Validate each section before moving to the next

Update Existing Context

1. Read the current context document
2. Summarize what is captured
3. Ask which sections need updating
4. Make targeted updates while preserving accurate sections

Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Build Context from Scratch

Step 1: Gather Product Foundation

## Product Overview
- One-line description: [What it is in one sentence]
- What it does: [2-3 sentences explaining the product]
- Product category: [The "shelf" — how customers search for you]
- Product type: [SaaS / Marketplace / E-commerce / Service / Platform]
- Business model: [Subscription / Freemium / Usage-based / One-time]
- Pricing: [Starting price / tier structure]
- Stage: [Pre-launch / Early / Growth / Scale / Mature]

Step 2: Define Target Audience

## Target Audience
- Target company type: [Industry, size, stage, geography]
- Target decision-makers: [Roles, departments, seniority levels]
- Primary use case: [The main problem you solve]
- Jobs to be done (3-5):
  1. [Job]: [What they hire your product to do]
  2. [Job]: [What they hire your product to do]
  3. [Job]: [What they hire your product to do]
- Specific scenarios: [2-3 situations where they need you most]

Step 3: Build Buyer Personas

For each stakeholder involved in the buying decision:

## Persona: [Role Name]
- Title: [Job title]
- Role in purchase: [User / Champion / Decision Maker / Financial Buyer / Technical Influencer]
- What they care about: [Their top 3 priorities]
- Their challenge: [Specific problem related to your product]
- Value you promise them: [What you deliver to this persona]
- Language they use: [Exact phrases they use to describe their problem]
- Where they research: [Channels, communities, publications they trust]

Step 4: Document Problems and Pain Points

## Problems & Pain Points
- Core challenge: [What customers face before finding you]
- Why current solutions fail: [Specific shortcomings of alternatives]
- Cost of the problem:
  - Time cost: [Hours/week wasted]
  - Financial cost: [Money lost or spent inefficiently]
  - Opportunity cost: [What they cannot do while dealing with this]
- Emotional tension: [Stress, fear, frustration, doubt they experience]

Step 5: Map Competitive Landscape

## Competitive Landscape

### Direct Competitors (same solution, same problem)
| Competitor | Positioning | Weakness for Our ICP |
|-----------|------------|---------------------|
| [Name] | [How they position] | [Where they fall short] |

### Secondary Competitors (different solution, same problem)
| Competitor | Their Approach | Why Ours is Better |
|-----------|---------------|-------------------|
| [Name] | [Their method] | [Our advantage] |

### Indirect Competitors (do nothing, spreadsheets, manual process)
| Alternative | Why Customers Use It | Why They Should Switch |
|------------|---------------------|---------------------|
| [Name] | [Inertia reason] | [Switching benefit] |

Step 6: Define Differentiation

## Differentiation
- Key differentiators (3-5):
  1. [Capability]: [What we do that alternatives cannot]
  2. [Capability]: [What we do that alternatives cannot]
  3. [Capability]: [What we do that alternatives cannot]
- How we solve it differently: [Our unique approach or mechanism]
- Why that matters: [Benefit of our approach vs. alternatives]
- Why customers choose us: [Top 3 reasons from actual customer feedback]

Step 7: Capture Objections and Anti-Personas

## Objections
| Objection | Frequency | Response |
|-----------|-----------|----------|
| "[Objection 1]" | Common | [How to address it] |
| "[Objection 2]" | Occasional | [How to address it] |
| "[Objection 3]" | Rare but important | [How to address it] |

## Anti-Personas (Who is NOT a Good Fit)
- [Type]: [Why they should not buy]
- [Type]: [Why they should not buy]

Step 8: Document Customer Language

## Customer Language (Verbatim)
- How they describe the problem:
  - "[Exact quote from customer]"
  - "[Exact quote from customer]"
- How they describe our solution:
  - "[Exact quote from customer]"
  - "[Exact quote from customer]"
- Words TO use: [List of customer-approved terms]
- Words to AVOID: [Terms that confuse or alienate]
- Glossary: [Product-specific terms with definitions]

Step 9: Establish Brand Voice

## Brand Voice
- Tone: [Professional / Casual / Playful / Authoritative]
- Communication style: [Direct / Conversational / Technical / Storytelling]
- Personality (3-5 adjectives): [e.g., Confident, Clear, Warm]
- Voice DOs: [What we always do in writing]
- Voice DON'Ts: [What we never do in writing]
- Example paragraph: [A paragraph that perfectly captures our voice]

Step 10: Compile Proof Points

## Proof Points
- Key metrics: [Numbers we cite regularly]
- Notable customers: [Logos we have permission to use]
- Testimonial snippets:
  - "[Quote]" — [Name], [Title] at [Company]
  - "[Quote]" — [Name], [Title] at [Company]
- Awards and recognition: [Current, with year]
- Certifications: [Active compliance certifications]

Step 11: Content and SEO Context

## Content & SEO Context
- Target keywords by cluster:
  - Cluster 1: [keyword 1], [keyword 2], [keyword 3]
  - Cluster 2: [keyword 1], [keyword 2], [keyword 3]
- Writing examples (best-performing pieces):
  - [URL 1]: [Why it works well]
  - [URL 2]: [Why it works well]
- Content tone: [Educational / Authoritative / Conversational]
- Preferred content length: [Short-form / Long-form / Mix]

Step 12: Define Goals

## Goals
- Primary business goal: [What success looks like]
- Key conversion action: [What you want people to do]
- Current metrics: [Baseline numbers if available]
- Target metrics: [What you are working toward]

Customer Research Methodology

Research Sources Ranked by Quality