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name: marketing description: Plan, write, and optimize marketing campaigns, funnels, ad copy, personas, positioning, and go-to-market strategy. Use this skill whenever the user mentions marketing campaigns, ad copy, Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, PPC, paid search, audience personas, customer avatars, messaging frameworks, brand positioning, value propositions, StoryBrand, $100M Offers, Hormozi, scorecard marketing, UTM tracking, A/B testing, conversion rate optimization (CRO), email marketing, cold email, B2B outreach, churn prevention, onboarding optimization, funnels, lead generation, free tool strategy, product launches, go-to-market (GTM) plans, competitive analysis, marketing psychology, attribution models, or customer journey mapping. Also trigger for requests involving marketing strategy, channel selection, budget allocation, or any deliverable intended to attract, convert, or retain customers.

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

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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

Customer Side	Product Side
Jobs to be done	Products & services
Pains	Pain relievers
Gains	Gain creators

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.

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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?

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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

Channel	Best For	Typical CPA Range	Time to Results
Google Search Ads	High-intent demand capture	$20–$150 (B2B)	2–4 weeks
Meta Ads	Awareness, retargeting, DTC	$5–$50	2–6 weeks
LinkedIn Ads	B2B lead gen, enterprise	$50–$200	4–8 weeks
SEO / Content	Long-term organic traffic	$0 (time cost)	3–12 months
Email	Nurture, retention, reactivation	$1–$5	Immediate
YouTube Ads	Awareness, education	$10–$30	4–8 weeks
Reddit Ads	Niche communities, dev tools	$5–$30	2–4 weeks
Podcast sponsorship	Brand awareness, trust	$15–$50 CPM	1–3 months

RACE Funnel Mapping

Stage	Goal	Channels	Metrics
Reach	Awareness	Paid social, SEO, PR	Impressions, reach
Act	Engagement	Content, landing pages	CTR, time on page
Convert	Purchase/sign-up	Email, retargeting, PPC	CVR, CPA, ROAS
Engage	Retention/LTV	Email, community, CS	Churn, NPS, LTV

Full-Funnel Mapping

Stage	User Mindset	Content Types	Channels	KPIs
Awareness	"I have a problem"	Blog, social, video, podcast	SEO, paid social, PR	Impressions, traffic
Consideration	"What are my options?"	Comparison pages, webinars, case studies	Email, retargeting, search	Email signups, MQLs
Conversion	"I'm ready to buy"	Free trial, demo, pricing page	PPC, direct, email	Trials, demo requests, CVR
Retention	"Was this worth it?"	Onboarding, support, community	Email, in-app, CS	Activation rate, NPS, churn
Advocacy	"I love this"	Referral program, reviews, UGC	Community, social, email	Referral rate, reviews, NPS

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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.

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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.

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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)

Priority	Element	Typical Lift
1	Offer/pricing	20–100%+
2	Headline / hero copy	10–50%
3	CTA text and placement	5–30%
4	Social proof placement	5–20%
5	Form length	5–15%
6	Images/video	5–15%
7	Page layout	3–10%

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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)

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Competitive Analysis

Dimension	Us	Competitor A	Competitor B
Pricing
Key features
Positioning
Target audience
Strengths
Weaknesses
Unique angle
Key messaging
Distribution channels

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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.

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Email Marketing

Email Sequence Types

Sequence	Trigger	# Emails	Cadence
Welcome	Sign-up	5–7	Daily for 3 days, then every 2 days
Nurture	Lead magnet download	5–10	Every 2–3 days
Cart abandonment	Abandoned cart	3	1hr, 24hr, 72hr
Onboarding	Trial start	7	Day 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14
Re-engagement	30 days inactive	3	Day 0, 3, 7
Win-back	Churned	3	Day 30, 60, 90

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.

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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

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$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.

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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

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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

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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

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Marketing Psychology Principles

Principle	Application	Example
Social proof	Testimonials, user counts, logos	"Join 10,000+ marketers"
Scarcity	Limited spots/time (must be real)	"Only 3 spots left this month"
Reciprocity	Free value before the ask	Free tool, template, or audit
Authority	Credentials, media mentions	"Featured in Forbes, TechCrunch"
Loss aversion	Frame as what they lose by not acting	"You're losing $X/month without this"
Specificity	Use exact numbers over vague claims	"47% increase" beats "significant improvement"
Anchoring	Show the high price first, then the deal	"$2,000 value — yours for $497"
Commitment	Start with small yeses before the big ask	Free trial → paid plan → annual
Contrast	Place options side by side to guide choice	3-tier pricing with highlighted "popular" plan

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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)

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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)