marketing-context

What this skill does

# 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](#keywords)
- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [Core Workflows](#core-workflows)
- [Context Sections](#context-sections)
- [Customer Research Methodology](#customer-research-methodology)
- [Competitive Analysis Framework](#competitive-analysis-framework)
- [Switching Dynamics (JTBD Four Forces)](#switching-dynamics-jtbd-four-forces)
- [Context Maintenance](#context-maintenance)
- [Best Practices](#best-practices)
- [Integration Points](#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**

```markdown
## 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**

```markdown
## 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:

```markdown
## 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**

```markdown
## 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**

```markdown
## 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**

```markdown
## 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**

```markdown
## 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**

```markdown
## 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**

```markdown
## 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**

```markdown
## 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**

```markdown
## 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**

```markdown
## 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

| Source | Quality | What You Get | Time Required |
|--------|---------|-------------|---------------|
| Customer interviews (6-10) | Highest | Deep understanding of language, pain, decision process | 6-10 hours |
| Sales call recordings | High | Pre-purchase questions, objections, language | 2-4 hours |
| Support ticket analysis | High | Post-purchase confusion, unmet expectations | 1-2 hours |
| Product