How to balance reality and future in your positioning and messaging
Welcome to today’s issue of Conversion Alchemy Journal. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here.
I've recently conducted a positioning workshop with a client and we faced an interesting challenge:
If your product is not yet where you want it to be, how do you balance what it is, with what it could be in your positioning and messaging?
After all, you can't wait till everything's ready to put your message out. The competition will crush you if you wait and you'll never get it right if you keep the strategy work for the last minute.
Product positioning should be a dance between showcasing your product's current capabilities and painting a compelling vision of its future potential.
So today I wanted to share a few thoughts from the work with my client.
Don't overpromise, but don't undersell either
It's tempting to focus solely on your product's current features and benefits. But this approach can limit your positioning and fail to capture the imagination of your target audience.
On the flip side, overemphasizing future capabilities runs the risk of overpromising and underdelivering.
Strike a balance by clearly communicating your product's current value while hinting at the exciting possibilities on the horizon.
Lead with your product's core strengths and the value it delivers today. Highlight the key features and benefits that set it apart from competitors. Then, weave in upcoming improvements that will make it better. It's a lot about setting expectations here.
Embrace your product's journey
Your product is not a static entity; it's a living, evolving creation.
Embrace it in your positioning.
Acknowledge that your product may not have every feature on day one, but highlight the continuous improvements and updates in the pipeline. Your being open to sharing these "vulnerabilities" sets the tone for people to trust you. And helps you highlight the "theme" behind which you're working on.
For example, if education and guidance is a big theme behind how your platform works, then making it clear you're putting consistent effort into adding support and guidance functionalities into your product, is powerful messaging.
Paint a picture of the future, but keep it grounded
When discussing future capabilities, it's essential to paint a compelling picture without venturing into the realm of science fiction.
Focus on realistic, achievable enhancements that align with your product roadmap and customer needs. Use concrete examples and scenarios to illustrate how these future features will solve real-world problems and create tangible benefits for your users.
Make your customers part of the journey
Your product's future is not solely determined by your internal vision; it's shaped by the evolving needs and feedback of your customers.
Make your customers feel invested in your product's journey by actively seeking their input and incorporating their suggestions into your roadmap. Position your product as a collaborative effort, where customers have a voice in shaping its future.
This is why I also include working through our ICP in our positioning workshops. We need to know that what our product does and what we're working towards will be what they need.
That said, heed April Dunford's words:
Customers can (and will!) position your product if you don’t. That doesn’t mean they’re good at it
Continuously reassess and realign
Product positioning is not a one-and-done exercise.
As your product evolves and market dynamics shift, your positioning must adapt accordingly. Regularly reassess your positioning (at least once a year, 6 months ideally), to ensure it accurately reflects your product's current state while still aligning with your future vision.
And don't be afraid to make bold moves when necessary, that's how you stand out.
Balancing current capabilities with future potential in product positioning and messaging is a challenging but essential.
It's up to you to find the right equilibrium and create a compelling narrative that resonates with your target audience, builds anticipation, and establishes you as the one to fill in their gap.
📚 3 things to get better at copywriting
Video: The anti-commercial to fight the competition
Today I've got something spicy for you 🌶️. If you've missed it, in the past few days, Apple released a new commercial that kind of flopped. In it they showed a gigantic mechanical press crushing an entire room, to leave only a thin iPad in it. The controversy was born when people observed how one of the messages could be that tech destroys creativity.
So Samsung took the opportunity to counterattack.
Here's their take on it:
Article: Basics always work
In a world of AI copy-cat content if you want a chance at standing out, you need to know the basics. I really liked how simple yet compelling this article make the foundations of good writing sound. Recommended refresh.
Swipe file: Selfless advertising can win
Sometimes, showcasing what surrounds your product and how it's a complement to your customers' lives, works better than putting it on a pedestal. Here's Coca Cola's new "Worth every drop" ad campaign:
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Work with me on your copy
Let's get more customers →
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✅ Don't miss it
Episode 17 of The Message-Market Fit podcast is out!
I had an great chat with Josh Garofalo, product marketer and copywriter for SaaS companies at Sway Copy. I've been looking up to himboo for years, so this was especially cool for me. Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Josh's journey into copywriting and his early breakthroughs
- How Josh chose a niche and rose to success in SaaS copywriting
- Lessons Josh learned from experience and his advice for new copywriters
- Josh's take on the importance of niching down in copywriting
- Key business lessons Josh gained from years of experience
- How Josh harnesses the power of customer research in copywriting
- Josh's proven strategies for engaging with customers effectively
- How Josh crafts a distinct "category story" in a crowded market
- Navigating the challenges and strategies of message testing in B2B
- Josh's perspective on approaching AI in copywriting
And way way more.
Check it out here, wherever you listen to podcasts or on Youtube. And if you find it valuable, would you consider subscribing and leaving a rating? 🙏
Need quick messaging or copy help?
A change in perspective is often all you need to make a big leap in your messaging. Love chatting with founders and marketers about their challenges and thought process.
Need quick feedback on something you're working on? Growth Mentor is the best place for it.
🤔 Thought of the week
"Victory favors the team making the fewest mistakes"
Bob Knight, The Power of Negative Thinking
Winning is a process of elimination. Focus on your strengths only once you know there’s nothing more to get rid of. Become one with your ideals.
Have a great weekend!
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Chris Silvestri
Founder, Conversion Alchemy
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🙌🏻 Let’s be friends (unless you’re a stalker)
