1.1 Overcoming Friction: Positioning Content Marketing to Succeed with Consensus

Debug Marketing

In the first show of this season a marketing manager is experiencing internal friction in her B2B content marketing program. Her mentor shows her a formula for two simple sentences that will reduce the friction – put an end to the contention, pushback and procrastination – and get the program back on track with consensus and commitment from the extended team.

The characters in this parable, Rob and Emily, collaborate to write a crystal clear objective using a format familiar to marketers: the positioning statement. By asking a few questions and filling in the blanks of a formula, they create a positioning statement for the content marketing program.

Then, by building consensus around this succinctly stated objective, Emily will get the support she needs.

Like Emily, your objective is for your company to be a trusted resource for its target audience by delivering content that helps that audience to achieve a specific business value.

The positioning statement answers who is the audience, what value they seek, how the content on specific subjects is useful to that audience, and how it’s different from other sources.

Here’s the formula:

“For [your audience] in [a target market], who seek to [achieve a business goal with value], we are a trusted source of information on [specific subjects]. Unlike [another highly trusted source], we [differentiate our content or delivery].”

Example for financial analytics:

“For CFOs in manufacturing, who seek to improve financial performance, we are a trusted source of information on applying analytics to operational decision making. Unlike software-centric blogs, we deliver insights from CFA certified financial analysts.”

This isn’t something that you would say to a prospect, it’s purely an internal statement to guide your plans. Keep it simple.

Positioning statement for this show:

“For marketers in B2B technology companies who seek to increase marketing’s contribution to revenue, we are a trusted source of information on solving specific problems in marketing. Unlike blogs and courses, our podcasts deliver ideas to your ears while you bike, commute, or otherwise go about your day.”

Rob advises Emily to get consensus and commitment around the statement they write together.

With everyone on Emily’s extended team in alignment, the company can be a trusted source of content for its audience, understand what buyers and influencers need, and be the place they find it first.

A companion blog post “Consensus and Commitment on Marketing Objectives” describes techniques for building consensus and commitment, including an advanced consensus technique.

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