Building Your Startup Brand with Effective Messaging & Positioning

1. NATALIE NATHANSON, AUGUST 2013

2. Building your startup brand

3. What goes into a Startup Brand?

4. A bit about me…

6. Agenda: Messaging to Build your Startup Brand
• Overview of Messaging
• Key Elements
•
•
•
•
Tone & Voice
Unique Value Proposition
Taglines
Positioning
• Bringing it Together - Messaging frameworks

7. Why is messaging important?
1. Articulates your unique value proposition – what you
do and why you’re better than your competition
2. Makes sure you are communicating your value in your
customer’s language
3. Ensures all stakeholders clearly understand what you
do - investors, potential customers, partners
4. Provides you with a guide for consistent
communication – particularly important for a startup!

8. To develop your startup brand…
Your messaging should answer:
1. What do you do?
2. For whom do you do it?
3. Why is it unique?
4. Why us?

9. What do they do?
For whom do they do it?
Why is it unique?
Why them?

10. To do this you must…
• Know your target customer
• Know your ecosystem/competitors
• Know how you compare

11. Terms to Know
 Messaging
 Tone & Voice
 Unique Value Proposition
 Taglines
 Positioning/Market Segmentation
 Competitive Advantage

12. Tone & Voice: Verbal Branding

13. Tone & Voice Impacts a Startup Brand
What different brands did these 3 companies develop?

14. Tone & Voice Impacts a Startup Brand
REI: “At REI, we love to get outside and play, and we know first-hand the importance of quality
outdoor gear. We stand behind all our products with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and we design
our own line of award-winning REI brand gear and clothing. Whether you’re new to outdoor
adventure or a seasoned pro, we gladly share our enthusiasm for our products and the trails, slopes
and waterways where we play…”
BassPro: “In 1971, young Johnny Morris, frustrated by the lack of tackle in local stores, rented a UHaul trailer and took off across the country filling it with the newest premium fishing tackle he could
find. When he returned home to Springfield, Missouri, Johnny started in the fishing business… Today,
outdoor enthusiasts around the world look forward to opening the mail and getting their favorite Bass
Pro Shops catalog, while many enjoy visiting and shopping basspro.com…”
Moosejaw: “If you’re trying to figure out what 877-Moosejaw is on your Blackberry right now you
can’t do it because the numbers and letters don’t match like a normal phone. So, instead of restoring
to a landline please call 877-666-7352... If you’re interested in a little Moosejaw history, please read
on. If not, please shut your eyes…
2001 - We opened our sixth shop in Deerfield, Illinois. At this point, we were too big and we started
recommending that customers shop elsewhere. I considered a nose job to make my nose bigger. ”

15. What is a Unique Value Proposition?

16. Elements a Unique Value Proposition
Elements ofof a Unique Value Proposition
UVP ELEMENTS
DESCRIPTIONS
Product Category
What business category your product fits
into
Target Audiences
Pain Points Addressed
Approach
(How it works)
The target roles, industries, demographics,
behavioral profiles served
The pain points or industry problem that your
The pain points or
product addresses industry problem that your product
addresses
How your product addresses pain point
Benefits
The business benefit of the product
Proof Points
(Evidence)
Data points or customer testimonials that back
up your benefits

17. Example of a Unique Value Proposition
Marketo uniquely provides an easy-to-use, powerful and complete
marketing software platform that propels fast-growing small companies
and global enterprises alike. Marketo® marketing automation and sales
effectiveness software streamlines marketing processes, delivers more
campaigns, generates more win-ready leads, and improves sales
performance. With proven technology, comprehensive services and expert
guidance, Marketo helps thousands of companies around the world turn
marketing from a cost center into a revenue driver.
Known for providing breakthrough innovation and fueling growth, in both
2011 and 2012 Marketo received the CRM Market Leaders Awards Winner
for Marketing Solutions by CRM Magazine. Salesforce.com customers also
honored the company with the AppExchange Customer Choice Awards for
2012 in the marketing category.

18. Marketo UVP
Marketo uniquely provides an easy-to-use, powerful and complete
marketing software platform that propels fast-growing small
companies and global enterprises alike. Marketo® marketing
automation and sales effectiveness software streamlines marketing
processes, delivers more campaigns, generates more win-ready
leads, and improves sales performance. With proven technology,
comprehensive services and expert guidance, Marketo helps
thousands of companies around the world turn marketing from a
cost center into a revenue driver.
Known for providing breakthrough innovation and fueling growth,
in both 2011 and 2012 Marketo received the CRM Market Leaders
Awards Winner for Marketing Solutions by CRM Magazine.
Salesforce.com customers also honored the company with the
AppExchange Customer Choice Awards for 2012 in the marketing
category.
Product
Category
Target
Audiences
Pain Points
Addressed
Approach/
how it works
Benefits
Proof Points

19. Marketo uniquely provides an easy-to-use, powerful and complete marketing software platform that propels fastgrowing small companies and global enterprises alike. Marketo® marketing automation and sales effectiveness
software streamlines marketing processes, delivers more campaigns, generates more win-ready leads, and improves
sales performance. With proven technology, comprehensive services and expert guidance, Marketo helps thousands
of companies around the world turn marketing from a cost center into a revenue driver.
Known for providing breakthrough innovation and fueling growth, in both 2011 and 2012 Marketo received the CRM
Market Leaders Awards Winner for Marketing Solutions by CRM Magazine. Salesforce.com customers also honored
the company with the AppExchange Customer Choice Awards for 2012 in the marketing category.

20. Creating a Unique Value Proposition
Elements of a Unique Value Proposition
UVP ELEMENTS
DESCRIPTIONS
Product Category
Target Audiences
Pain Points Addressed
Approach
(How it works)
Benefits
Proof Points
(Evidence)
The pain points or industry problem that your product
addresses

21. Taglines & Descriptors
Tagline
A well-crafted tagline that resonates with
your audience anchors your startup brand.
A tagline helps you differentiate yourselves
from your competitors.
Descriptor
A phrase summarizing your product helps you
communicate who you are and what you do
efficiently

22. Example Tagline & Descriptor

23. Making Your Tagline Stick
Don’t leave
home without it
Just do it
Think different
Melts in your mouth,
not in your hand

24. Rules for Tagline Development
1. There are no rules
2. Watch out for buzzwords
3. Embrace serendipity
4. Elicit emotion
5. Evolution is O.K.

26. Role Positioning at Apple
Role-positioning at Apple
Features of
Role-positioning
Positioning
Example Role: Student
Example Product: Mac
(framing the value to the audience)
A Mac helps you create amazing projects for school and
beyond.
Desired Takeaway
The Mac is as easy to use as it is powerful.
(what you want them to remember)
Proof Point: Support for your positioning with three message pillars and the evidence of features, facts,
testimonials, etc.
Proof Point #1
Example:
Rated #1 by 8 out of 10
students in a recent poll
Proof Point #2
Example:
Proof Point #3
Example:
A Mac automatically finds WiFi hotspots and connects to
your school network
Macs include built-in software
that lets you do incredible
things with your photos, videos,
presentations

27. Find your Competitive Sweet Spot
Importance of feature/benefit to your market
Strong ability & assurance to deliver
Weaker position by major competitors

28. Bring it all together
to strengthen your startup brand