Marketing Context

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

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

Guided Interview

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

Update Existing Context

• Read the current context document
• Summarize what is captured
• Ask which sections need updating
• 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

| 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 reviews (yours + competitors) | High | Candid praise and complaints | 1-2 hours |

| Customer surveys | Medium-High | Quantitative validation of qualitative findings | 2-3 hours |

| Community forums | Medium | Questions, debates, misconceptions | 1-2 hours |

| Competitor content analysis | Medium | Positioning gaps, messaging angles | 2-3 hours |

| Social listening | Medium | Trending topics, sentiment, language | 1 hour |

| Analytics data | Medium | Behavioral patterns, not motivations | 1 hour |

Interview Question Framework

Opening (establish context):

• "Walk me through how you handled [problem area] before using our product."
• "What was the moment you decided to look for a solution?"

Problem exploration:

• "What was the hardest part about [problem area]?"
• "What did you try before finding us?"
• "What did those alternatives get wrong?"

Decision process:

• "What made you choose us over the alternatives?"
• "What almost stopped you from signing up?"
• "Who else was involved in the decision?"

Language capture:

• "How would you explain what we do to a colleague?"
• "If you were recommending us, what would you say?"

Outcome validation:

• "What has changed since you started using us?"
• "Can you put a number on the impact?"

Competitive Analysis Framework

Three-Layer Analysis

Layer 1: Positioning

• How do they describe themselves? (Tagline, hero copy, meta description)
• What category do they claim? (The "shelf" they put themselves on)
• Who do they target? (ICP signals from their copy, pricing, case studies)

Layer 2: Messaging

• What benefits do they lead with?
• What proof points do they emphasize?
• What objections do they proactively address?
• What is conspicuously absent from their messaging?

Layer 3: Execution

• Content: What topics do they cover? What formats? What frequency?
• Channels: Where are they active? (SEO, social, paid, events)
• Social proof: Who are their reference customers?
• Pricing: How are they positioned on price?

Competitive Positioning Map

                    Premium
                      |
         Enterprise   |   Innovator
         (Salesforce)  |   (Your positioning?)
                      |
    Simple ———————————+——————————— Complex
                      |
         Budget       |   Technical
         (Competitor B)|  (Competitor C)
                      |
                   Affordable

Switching Dynamics (JTBD Four Forces)

Understanding why customers switch (or do not) is critical for messaging:

The Four Forces

PUSH ————————————> <———————————— HABIT
(Frustration with        (Comfort with
 current solution)        current approach)

PULL ————————————> <———————————— ANXIETY
(Attraction to           (Fear about
 your product)            switching)

Push (maximize in messaging):

• What frustrations drive them away from the current solution?
• What is the breaking point that triggers the search?

Pull (amplify in messaging):

• What attracts them to your product specifically?
• What is the "aha moment" they imagine?

Habit (address in messaging):

• What keeps them stuck with the current approach?
• What switching costs (real and perceived) exist?

Anxiety (reduce in messaging):

• What worries them about switching?
• What could go wrong during the transition?
• How do you make switching feel safe?

Context Maintenance

Freshness Rules

| Section | Review Frequency | Staleness Signal |

|---------|-----------------|------------------|

| Product overview | When features change | New features not reflected |

| Target audience | Quarterly | Win/loss data shows new segments |

| Competitive landscape | Monthly | New competitors emerging, positioning shifts |

| Customer language | Quarterly | New patterns in sales calls and reviews |

| Proof points | Monthly | New case studies, metrics, logos available |

| Brand voice | Semi-annually | Brand evolution or rebranding |

| Goals | Quarterly | Business priorities shift |

Update Triggers

Flag a context review when:

• A major product launch changes positioning
• Win rate shifts significantly (new objections emerging)
• A new competitor enters the market
• Customer language patterns change (new terminology)
• The ICP shifts (moving upmarket, new verticals)
• Proof points become outdated (old metrics, former customer logos)

Best Practices

• Be specific, not polished — "I wish I knew this before we migrated" is more useful than "Customers value our migration support." Capture exact words.

• Validate with real customers — Every positioning claim should be traceable to customer feedback. If customers do not say it, it might not be true.

• Update incrementally — Do not wait for a full overhaul. Update individual sections as new information becomes available.

• Include anti-personas — Knowing who is NOT a good fit prevents wasted marketing spend on the wrong audience.

• Capture switching dynamics — Understanding push/pull/habit/anxiety produces better messaging than listing features.

• Keep it usable — A 50-page context document nobody reads is worse than a 5-page one everyone references. Be concise.

• Document customer language verbatim — Do not paraphrase. The exact words customers use should appear in your copy.

• Link to proof — Every claim should reference its source (customer interview, survey, case study, metric).

• Share across teams — Marketing context should be accessible to sales, product, and customer success. Shared language improves alignment.

10. Review quarterly minimum — Set a calendar reminder. Stale context produces stale messaging.

Integration Points

• Copywriting — Reads brand voice and customer language from this context for page copy.
• Content Strategy — Reads target keywords, personas, and competitive landscape for topic planning.
• Ad Creative — Reads ICP, value proposition, and proof points for ad messaging.
• Cold Email — Reads ICP, pain points, and customer language for outreach personalization.
• Marketing Ops — Routes marketing questions using context as the foundation.
• Social Content — Reads brand voice and audience details for platform-specific content.
• Brand Guidelines — Aligns brand voice and personality between context and visual standards.
• Paid Ads — Reads audience targeting details and value proposition for campaign setup.

Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Likely Cause | Resolution |

|---------|-------------|------------|

| Marketing copy sounds generic across all channels | Context document missing customer language section with verbatim quotes | Conduct 6-10 customer interviews; capture exact phrases used to describe problem and solution |

| Sales and marketing using different messaging | Context document exists but not shared cross-functionally, or multiple conflicting versions | Consolidate into single source of truth; share with sales, product, and CS; version-control updates |

| ICP keeps expanding until it includes everyone | No anti-persona defined; pressure to broaden targeting | Document who is NOT a good fit and why; validate ICP against top 20% customers by LTV |

| Competitive positioning feels reactive | Landscape section only updated after losing deals, not proactively | Set monthly competitive review cadence; monitor competitor websites, pricing, and job postings |

| Context document becomes stale within 2 months | No update triggers or review schedule defined | Assign section owners; set quarterly review calendar; flag automatic updates on product launches or ICP shifts |

| New team members cannot find or understand the context | Document too long (50+ pages) or buried in wiki structure | Keep context under 10 pages; use templates with clear headers; include in onboarding checklist |

Success Criteria

• Context completeness score above 80% on context_completeness_checker.py (all 12 sections present with minimum depth)
• Every positioning claim traceable to specific customer feedback or data source
• Customer language section contains 10+ verbatim quotes (not paraphrased summaries)
• Context document reviewed and updated at least quarterly, with change log
• 100% of marketing skills reference context before starting work
• ICP definition validated against actual customer data: A-fit customers have lowest churn and fastest close
• Anti-personas defined with clear exclusion criteria to prevent wasted marketing spend

Scope & Limitations

In Scope: Product positioning documentation, ICP definition and validation, buyer persona creation, competitive analysis framework, customer language capture, brand voice establishment, proof point compilation, objection handling, switching dynamics (JTBD Four Forces), content and SEO context, context maintenance and freshness management.

Out of Scope: Brand visual identity (see brand-guidelines skill), marketing execution and campaign management (see marketing-ops skill), product strategy and roadmap (see product-team skills), market sizing and TAM analysis (see c-level-advisor skills).

Limitations: Marketing context is only as accurate as the inputs — garbage in, garbage out. Context derived solely from internal assumptions (without customer interviews) will have blind spots. Competitive analysis is point-in-time; markets shift and require continuous monitoring.

Scripts

| Script | Purpose | Usage |

|--------|---------|-------|

| scripts/icp_fit_scorer.py | Score prospects against ICP criteria with A/B/C/D grading | python scripts/icp_fit_scorer.py prospects.json --icp icp_config.json --demo |

| scripts/competitive_landscape_mapper.py | Map competitive positioning, features, pricing, and identify gaps | python scripts/competitive_landscape_mapper.py competitors.json --demo |

| scripts/context_completeness_checker.py | Audit marketing context document for missing or thin sections | python scripts/context_completeness_checker.py context.md --json |