Getting product and marketing teams on the same page is critical for a company's success. When they're not aligned, things can get messy: People misunderstand each other, resources get wasted, opportunities slip by, and everyone ends up frustrated.

Having a strong positioning strategy can help by ensuring everyone understand the product's value, target audience, and key benefits—creating a clear and unified vision.

Here's how you can use positioning to get your product and marketing teams working together effectively.

Where Product and Marketing Butt Heads

It's common for product and marketing teams not to be aligned because they often don't understand each other's roles and contributions.

Product managers might think they already know enough about the customers and don't see the need for extra input from product marketing managers (PMMs). On the other hand, PMMs feel that their insights and strategic input are undervalued, leading to frustration.

Miscommunication and different focuses create a gap, which can result in misaligned goals and ineffective strategies.

Here are a few challenges I've encountered with product and marketing teams:

• Blurred boundaries: Unclear roles lead to confusion and conflicts over ownership of tasks, such as customer discovery and product positioning.
• Exclusion from strategy: PMMs often feel sidelined in strategic discussions, leading to misaligned goals and ineffective go-to-market strategies.
• Launch-date volatility: Sudden changes in launch dates disrupt PMM plans, causing rushed and less effective campaigns.
• Messaging differences: PMMs sometimes use jargon and hype, whereas PMs seek clear, technical communication, resulting in inconsistent messaging.
• Audience focus: PMs and PMMs often target different personas, creating mismatched priorities and strategies.
• Feature importance: Disagreements on the significance of features lead to frustration and missed opportunities.

Again, these issues can lead to wasted resources, missed market opportunities, and internal frustration. A strong positioning process can address those challenges effectively.

The Power of a Strong Positioning Process

A solid positioning process, coupled with clear documentation, can solve many of those challenges. April Dunford's positioning framework, outlined in her book Obviously Awesome, has inspired most of my work at SharpStance. April's positioning framework provides specific elements that align teams effectively.

Here are three ways using a positioning framework benefits the organization.

1. Unified vision. A positioning document aligns everyone. It clearly states the product's value, target audience, and key benefits. When everyone—from Product Development to Marketing to Sales—works from the same playbook, there's less confusion.
2. Clear role definitions. With positioning documentation, roles become clear. PMs know what features to prioritize based on customer needs and market fit. PMMs understand what the core message is and how to communicate it effectively. Clarity reduces overlap and conflict.
3. Streamlined communication. Positioning documentation serves as a single source of truth. It informs product development decisions, marketing campaigns, and sales pitches. That ensures consistent messaging across all teams, making communication smoother and more efficient.

Elements of a Strong Positioning Framework

Competitive Alternatives

Understanding what customers would use if your product didn't exist helps PMs and PMMs align on the unique value your product offers. PMs can focus on features that truly differentiate the product, and PMMs can tailor marketing messages to highlight those differences.

Key Differentiators

Identifying what makes your product different and better than alternatives is crucial. PMs prioritize development of those differentiators, and PMMs emphasize them in marketing materials. That shared focus ensures both teams work toward enhancing and communicating the product's unique strengths.

Segmentation

Determining the specific market segment that values your differentiators the most helps align efforts. PMs understand whom they are building for, and PMMs know whom they are marketing to. Focus on a well-defined segment ensures that product development and marketing strategies are in sync.

Value Articulation

Clearly articulating the key benefits your product provides ensures that PMs and PMMs are aligned on what makes the product valuable. PMMs can create compelling messages that resonate with the target audience, while PMs ensure the product delivers on these promises.

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