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Marketing Skill

Reference Files

This skill includes detailed reference guides:

• references/frameworks.md — Marketing frameworks (StoryBrand, $100M Offers, AIDA, PAS, BAB, 4Ps, Jobs-to-Be-Done)
• references/ad-copy.md — Ad copy templates and best practices for Google, Meta, LinkedIn
• references/email.md — Email marketing: sequences, cold outreach, subject lines, deliverability
• references/analytics.md — UTM tracking, attribution models, KPIs by channel, A/B testing

Core Frameworks

Messaging Hierarchy (build this first)

Before writing any copy, establish:

1. Who: Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) — role, company size, pain, goal
2. Problem: The specific pain, cost of the problem, why it matters now
3. Solution: What you offer + the mechanism (how it works)
4. Proof: Stats, testimonials, case studies, credentials
5. CTA: The single next step you want them to take

Positioning Statement

Before any campaign, nail this:

For [target audience] who [situation/need], [product] is a [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [competitor/alternative], we [differentiator].

Value Proposition Canvas

Map each customer pain/gain to a specific product feature. If a feature does not map to a pain or gain, question whether to promote it.

Audience Personas

When building a persona, capture:

• Name + Role: e.g., "Marketing Manager Maria"
• Demographics: Age range, company type/size, seniority
• Goals: What does she want to achieve?
• Pain Points: What keeps her up at night?
• Objections: Why might she NOT buy?
• Watering Holes: Where does she consume content? (LinkedIn, Reddit, podcasts...)
• Buying triggers: What event causes her to start looking for a solution?
• Success metric: How does she measure if your product worked?
• Budget authority: Does she have budget control or does she need to convince a decision-maker?
• Preferred content formats: Long-form articles, short video, podcasts, tools?

Output as a one-page persona card.

Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) Interview Questions

Use when building personas from scratch:

1. When did you first start looking for a solution like this?
2. What was happening in your life/business that triggered the search?
3. What solutions did you try before? Why did they fail?
4. What would make this a perfect solution for you?
5. What almost stopped you from buying?

Campaign Planning

Campaign Brief Template

Campaign Name:
Goal: [Awareness / Lead gen / Conversion / Retention]
Target Audience: [Persona name]
Core Message: [One sentence — the "so what"]
Offer: [What are we giving/selling]
Channels: [Paid / Organic / Email / Social]
Timeline: [Start → End]
Budget: [$]
KPIs: [CPA / CPL / ROAS / CTR / Conversion rate]
Tracking: [UTM convention, pixels, conversion events]

Channel Selection Matrix

RACE Funnel Mapping

Full-Funnel Mapping

Ad Copy

Google Search Ads (RSA)

• 15 headlines (30 chars max each)
• 4 descriptions (90 chars max each)
• Include: keyword, benefit, CTA, differentiator
• Pin Headline 1 = brand/product; Headline 2 = main benefit
• Use dynamic keyword insertion: {KeyWord:Default Text}
• Include at least 2 headlines with numbers/stats
• Include at least 1 headline as a question

Meta / Social Ads

Formats needed per ad:

1. Primary text (125 chars for preview, up to 500)
2. Headline (27 chars)
3. Description (27 chars)
4. CTA button label

Always write 3 variants per ad:

• Pain-focused (agitate the problem)
• Benefit-focused (paint the outcome)
• Social proof / FOMO (what others have achieved)

LinkedIn Ads

• Sponsored Content: Up to 150 chars intro text (desktop truncates at ~150), 70 char headline
• Message Ads: Under 500 chars for body, personal tone, single CTA
• Conversation Ads: Multi-CTA branching, max 500 chars per message
• Target by: job title, company size, industry, skills, groups
• Best performing: thought-leadership + pain-point messaging
• Avoid: hard sell in first touch; lead with insight or data

Ad Copy Formula Options

• PAS: Problem → Agitate → Solution
• AIDA: Attention → Interest → Desire → Action
• BAB: Before → After → Bridge
• 4Cs: Clear → Concise → Compelling → Credible
• PPPP: Picture → Promise → Prove → Push

See references/ad-copy.md for full templates and examples.

UTM Parameter Builder

Always include UTMs on campaign links:

utm_source    = traffic source (google / facebook / newsletter / linkedin)
utm_medium    = channel (cpc / email / organic / social)
utm_campaign  = campaign name (use-hyphens, no spaces)
utm_content   = ad variant (image-1 / headline-a)
utm_term      = keyword (for paid search)

Full URL format: https://example.com/page?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring-launch&utm_content=pain-variant

UTM Naming Conventions

Standardize across all campaigns:

• All lowercase, hyphens instead of spaces
• Campaign names: {year}-{quarter}-{campaign-name} e.g., 2026-q1-spring-launch
• Content labels: {format}-{variant} e.g., video-testimonial-a
• Never put PII (names, emails) in UTM parameters

See references/analytics.md for attribution models and KPI frameworks.

A/B Testing

When designing a test, always specify:

1. Hypothesis: "Changing X will improve Y because Z"
2. Variable: One change only (headline / CTA / image / offer)
3. Control vs Variant: Label clearly
4. Sample size: Aim for statistical significance (min. 100 conversions per variant)
5. Duration: Run for full business cycles (min. 2 weeks)
6. Primary metric: One KPI to declare a winner
7. Confidence level: 95% minimum before calling a winner

What to Test (by impact)

Go-To-Market (GTM) Plan

For a product launch, structure as:

1. Launch goal (revenue target / signups / awareness)
2. ICP (who we're targeting first)
3. Positioning (what category, vs. whom, why us)
4. Pricing (anchoring strategy, tiers)
5. Channels (ranked by expected ROI)
6. Launch timeline (pre-launch / launch week / post-launch)
7. Content plan (what content pieces, where, when)
8. Partnerships / PR (co-marketing, media, influencers)
9. Success metrics (week 1 / month 1 / quarter 1 KPIs)

Competitive Analysis

CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization)

Landing page audit checklist:

• Headline matches ad promise (message match)
• Value prop clear within 5 seconds
• Single, prominent CTA (above the fold)
• Social proof present (logos, testimonials, numbers)
• No navigation bar (for campaign-specific pages)
• Form fields minimized (ask only what's needed)
• Mobile-optimized
• Page load < 3s
• Trust signals (SSL, money-back, reviews)
• Objection handling near CTA (FAQ, guarantee)
• Exit intent offer for high-value pages
• Progress indicators on multi-step forms

CRO Prioritization (ICE Framework)

Score each test idea 1–10 on:

• Impact: How much will this move the needle?
• Confidence: How sure are you this will work?
• Ease: How easy is it to implement?

Average score = priority ranking. Run highest-scoring tests first.

Email Marketing

Email Sequence Types

Cold Email Rules

• 5–7 sentences max
• Personalize the first line (reference their company, role, or recent event)
• One ask per email (never two CTAs)
• Follow-up: Day 3, Day 7, Day 14 (breakup email)
• Warm up new domains for 2–4 weeks before outreach
• Keep daily volume under 50 per inbox

See references/email.md for full sequences, subject line formulas, and deliverability.

StoryBrand Framework (Donald Miller)

Use when writing homepage, about page, or hero copy:

• Character: The customer (not the brand) is the hero
• Problem: External (surface) → Internal (how it makes them feel) → Philosophical (why it's unjust)
• Guide: Your brand — shows empathy + authority
• Plan: 3 simple steps to work with you
• CTA: Direct ("Buy Now") + Transitional ("Download free guide")
• Success: Paint the transformation
• Failure: What's at stake if they don't act

$100M Offers Framework (Alex Hormozi)

Use when crafting offers, pricing pages, or value propositions:

• Dream Outcome: What does the customer ultimately want?
• Perceived Likelihood: Why will this actually work for them?
• Time Delay: How fast will they see results?
• Effort & Sacrifice: How easy is it?
• Value Equation: (Dream Outcome x Perceived Likelihood) / (Time Delay x Effort)
• Stack bonuses, guarantees, and urgency to increase perceived value without lowering price

Offer Stack Construction

1. Core offer (the main thing)
2. Bonus 1: Tool/template that removes friction
3. Bonus 2: Training/community that increases likelihood
4. Bonus 3: Speed bonus (get results faster)
5. Guarantee: Risk reversal (money-back, results-based, or hybrid)
6. Urgency/scarcity: Deadline or limited quantity (must be real)

See references/frameworks.md for all frameworks in detail.

Scorecard Marketing (lead generation via quizzes)

• Create a 10-20 question assessment in your niche (e.g., "Rate your marketing maturity")
• 5 scoring categories → personalized results page
• Gate results with email opt-in
• Follow up with segmented email sequence based on score

Churn Prevention

1. Exit survey: Capture reason (price / missing feature / not using / competitor)
2. Pause option: Offer 1-3 month pause before cancel
3. Save offer: Discount or plan downgrade based on exit reason
4. Failed payment: 3-email dunning sequence
5. Win-back campaign: 30/60/90 days post-churn

Onboarding Optimization (Time-to-Value)

• Map the activation event (action correlated with retention)
• Remove all friction before that event
• Trigger activation emails at 1hr, Day 3, Day 7 if event not hit
• Measure: Day 1 / Day 7 / Day 30 retention rates

Marketing Psychology Principles

Free Tool / Lead Magnet Strategy

High-converting ideas: ROI calculator, site grader/audit, template generator, quiz/assessment. Distribution: dedicated landing page + Product Hunt + SEO for "[niche] calculator" keywords.

Lead Magnet Hierarchy (by conversion rate)

1. Tools: Calculators, graders, generators (highest conversion)
2. Templates: Swipe files, spreadsheets, frameworks
3. Quizzes: Assessments, scorecards
4. Reports: Industry data, benchmarks
5. Guides: Ebooks, whitepapers (lowest conversion but highest perceived value)

Output Standards

Always deliver:

• Clearly labeled variants (Variant A, B, C)
• Character counts for ad copy
• Platform-specific formatting
• Recommended next test or follow-up action
• UTM-tagged links where applicable
• Persona alignment (which persona this targets)