building-brand

name	building-brand
description	Builds brand positioning, messaging, and content strategy through Dunford Positioning, StoryBrand narrative, and distribution-first content architecture. Use when defining positioning, writing brand messaging, planning content strategy, creating editorial calendars, or when someone asks "how should we talk about [YOUR_COMPANY]?"
version	1
created	"2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z"
author	founder
tags	["brand","positioning","messaging","content-strategy","storybrand","dunford"]
triggers	["how should we talk about [YOUR_COMPANY]?","define our positioning","write brand messaging for...","plan content strategy","create an editorial calendar","what's our brand voice?","positioning for a new market","website copy / hero section","elevator pitch","one-liner"]

Skill: Building Brand

Build your company's brand positioning, messaging, and content engine -- from defining how you are different to ensuring the right people hear about it. This skill sequences four frameworks plus a channel evaluation layer.

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When to Invoke This Skill

• Defining or refining your market positioning (new market, new product, pivot)
• Writing the one-liner, elevator pitch, or website hero copy
• Creating a brand voice guide for a new channel (social media, messaging apps, email)
• Planning a quarterly content calendar or launching a content pillar
• Evaluating which marketing channels to invest in
• Someone asks "how should we position ourselves?" or "what should we say about X?"

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Framework Stack (Sequenced)

Phase 1: APRIL DUNFORD POSITIONING       (~2-3 hours)  -> "How are we different and for whom?"
Phase 2: STORYBRAND BRANDSCRIPT          (~2 hours)    -> "What story do we tell?"
Phase 3: BRAND VOICE GUIDE               (~1-2 hours)  -> "How do we sound across channels?"
Phase 4: CONTENT ARCHITECTURE & CALENDAR (~3-4 hours)  -> "What do we publish, where, when?"
Phase 5: BULLSEYE CHANNEL EVALUATION     (~2 hours)    -> "Which channels deserve our budget?"

Phase 1 (Dunford) is the PRIMARY HOME for your positioning. Other skills -- designing-business-models, launching-go-to-market, raising-capital -- reference positioning output from here.

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Phase 1: April Dunford Positioning (~2-3 hours)

Goal: Define your positioning using the five components from "Obviously Awesome." This is the canonical positioning document -- all messaging downstream derives from it.

Instructions: Review your strategic plan and competitive landscape documentation. Work bottom-up: Competitive Alternatives -> Unique Attributes -> Value -> Best-Fit Customers -> Market Category. Validate each with evidence.

Positioning Canvas Template

# [YOUR_COMPANY] Positioning Canvas (April Dunford)
# Date: YYYY-MM-DD | Scope: [Core / Product / Geography]
# Status: [ ] Draft  [ ] Validated with customers  [ ] Final

## 1. COMPETITIVE ALTERNATIVES
# What would customers do if [YOUR_COMPANY] did not exist? Include "do nothing" and "build in-house."
| # | Alternative | Type | Key Strength | Key Weakness |
|---|------------|------|-------------|-------------|
| 1 |            |      |             |             |
| 2 |            |      |             |             |
| 3 |            |      |             |             |
| 4 | Do nothing / build in-house | Status quo | No vendor dependency | High cost, long timeline |

## 2. UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES
# PROVABLE capabilities alternatives cannot match. Map each to what it differentiates against.
| # | Attribute | Proof Point | Differentiates Against |
|---|-----------|------------|----------------------|
| 1 |           |            |                      |
| 2 |           |            |                      |
| 3 |           |            |                      |

## 3. VALUE (mapped to attributes)
# Customer outcomes, not features. Frame as "so the customer can..."
| # | Value (customer outcome) | Traced to Attribute(s) | Quantified If Possible |
|---|-------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|
| 1 |                         |                      |                      |
| 2 |                         |                      |                      |
| 3 |                         |                      |                      |

## 4. BEST-FIT CUSTOMERS
# Who cares MOST? Not all customers -- the ones who buy fastest, pay most, churn least.
- Profile: _______________________________________________________________
- Characteristics: 1. _____________ 2. _____________ 3. _____________
- Why they care more: ____________________________________________________
- Where to find them: ____________________________________________________

## 5. MARKET CATEGORY
# What category makes [YOUR_COMPANY]'s strengths obvious?
- Category: _________________________ | Type: [ ] Existing [ ] Sub [ ] New
- What it tells customers to expect: ____________________________________
- How [YOUR_COMPANY] wins within it: _______________________________________________

## POSITIONING STATEMENT
# "For [best-fit customers] who [key need], [YOUR_COMPANY] is the [market category]
#  that [key value]. Unlike [alternatives], [YOUR_COMPANY] [unique attributes]."
_________________________________________________________________________

Positioning Reference

Component	Current State	Tension to Resolve
Alternatives	[List 3-4 competitive alternatives customers would use]	[Note any emerging competitive threats]
Attributes	[List unique, provable capabilities]	Which are provable today vs. roadmap?
Value	[List customer outcomes your attributes enable]	Quantify with customer data
Best-Fit	[Describe ideal customer profile for PRIMARY_MARKET]	Narrow: what size? stage? trigger?
Category	[YOUR_CATEGORY_DESCRIPTION]	[ANALOGY_OPTION_A] vs. [ANALOGY_OPTION_B] -- Dunford resolves this

Output: Save as your positioning canvas document.

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Phase 2: StoryBrand BrandScript (~2 hours)

Goal: Transform positioning into narrative. Produce one-liner, elevator pitch, and website hero copy.

Instructions: Read Phase 1 output. Complete all 7 elements. Derive messaging. Test: Can someone outside your company understand the one-liner in 5 seconds?

BrandScript Template

# [YOUR_COMPANY] BrandScript (StoryBrand)
# Date: YYYY-MM-DD | Derived from: Positioning Canvas dated ___

## 1. CHARACTER (the customer -- NOT [YOUR_COMPANY])
- Character: _________________________ | External want: _________________________
- Inner motivation: ________________________________________________________

## 2. PROBLEM
- External (tangible): _______________________________________________________
- Emotional (inner): ______________________________________________________
- Philosophical (why it's wrong): ____________________________________________
- Villain (root cause, NOT a competitor): _____________________________________

## 3. GUIDE ([YOUR_COMPANY])
- Empathy: "We know what it's like to... _____________________________________"
- Authority: 1. _________________ 2. _________________ 3. _________________

## 4. PLAN (3 steps)
| Step | Action | What Happens |
|------|--------|-------------|
| 1    |        |             |
| 2    |        |             |
| 3    |        |             |

## 5. CALL TO ACTION
- Direct CTA: _________________________ | Transitional CTA: _________________________

## 6. SUCCESS
- Before: _________________ -> After: _________________ -> Transformation: _________________

## 7. FAILURE (stakes if they do NOT act)
_________________________________________________________________________

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## DERIVED MESSAGING

### One-Liner ([Problem] + [Solution] + [Result])
_________________________________________________________________________

### Elevator Pitch (30 seconds)
_________________________________________________________________________

### Website Hero
- Headline (<=8 words): ___________________________________________________
- Subheadline: ____________________________________________________________
- CTA button: _________________ | Supporting line: _________________________

BrandScript Starting Points

Element	Starting Point
Character	[YOUR_BUYER_PERSONA: role, company type, scale]
External problem	[THE_TANGIBLE_PAIN: integration complexity, cost, timeline]
Emotional problem	[THE_EMOTIONAL_PAIN: what frustrates them daily]
Philosophical	[THE_INJUSTICE: why the status quo is wrong]
Villain	[THE_ROOT_CAUSE: systemic issue, not a competitor]
Guide empathy	[YOUR_FOUNDER_CREDIBILITY: relevant experience that proves you understand]
Plan	Connect -> Configure -> Launch (or your equivalent 3-step process)

Output: Save as your brandscript document.

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Phase 3: Brand Voice Guide (~1-2 hours)

Goal: Define how your company sounds across every channel. Ensure consistency from social media to messaging apps to investor emails.

Brand Voice Guide Template

# [YOUR_COMPANY] Brand Voice Guide
# Date: YYYY-MM-DD | Archetype: [YOUR_PRIMARY_ARCHETYPE] (primary) + [YOUR_SECONDARY_ARCHETYPE] (secondary)

## Voice Dimensions (1-10 on each spectrum)
| Formal <-> Casual | Serious <-> Playful | Technical <-> Accessible | Reserved <-> Enthusiastic |
|-------------------|---------------------|-------------------------|--------------------------|
| [___]             | [___]               | [___]                   | [___]                    |

## Five Brand Adjectives: 1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___ 4. ___ 5. ___

## Channel-Specific Tone
| Channel | Tone | Length | Do | Don't | Example |
|---------|------|--------|-----|-------|---------|
| LinkedIn | | | | | |
| Twitter/X | | | | | |
| [dominant channel in PRIMARY_MARKET] | | | | | |
| Email (investor/client) | | | | | |
| API Docs / Dev Content | | | | | |

## Global Rules
ALWAYS: Lead with customer problem, not features | Use concrete numbers | Active voice |
Lead with product outcomes, not underlying technology externally
NEVER: Lead with implementation details | Jargon in non-dev channels |
Unsubstantiated claims | Passive CTAs | Machine-translated local-language content

## Language Rules
- [PRIMARY_MARKET]: [LOCAL_LANGUAGE] content is non-negotiable (not translated). Market-specific terminology.
- Global: English default. Other markets: same native standard, hire local copywriters.

Output: Save as your brand voice guide document.

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Phase 4: Content Architecture & Editorial Calendar (~3-4 hours)

Goal: Build a scalable content engine around pillars and topic clusters, with quarterly calendar and per-piece distribution plan.

The 80/20 Rule: 20% creating, 80% distributing. Every piece needs a distribution plan BEFORE creation. If you cannot name 3+ channels, do not create it.

Step 4.1: Content Pillars & Topic Clusters

# Content Architecture Map | Date: YYYY-MM-DD

## Pillars (4-5, each linked to a positioning attribute from Phase 1)
| # | Pillar | Positioning Link | Target Audience | Content Goal |
|---|--------|-----------------|----------------|-------------|
| 1-5 | | | | |

## Topic Clusters (per pillar: 10-20 topics each)
| # | Topic | Format | Target Keyword (SEO) | Funnel Stage |
|---|-------|--------|---------------------|-------------|
| | | | | Awareness / Consideration / Decision |

Step 4.2: SEO Subsection

## Keyword Priority List
| # | Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Pillar | Priority |
|---|---------|--------|-----------|--------|----------|

## Technical SEO Checklist
- [ ] Site structure mirrors pillar/cluster architecture
- [ ] Hub pages per pillar with internal links to clusters
- [ ] Meta descriptions use positioning language from Phase 1
- [ ] Local-language content has correct hreflang tags for [PRIMARY_MARKET]

Step 4.3: Editorial Calendar

## Editorial Calendar: Q_ 20__
| Week | Content Piece | Pillar | Format | Author | Distribution | CTA | Status |
|------|--------------|--------|--------|--------|-------------|-----|--------|

## Cadence: Blog ___/mo | LinkedIn ___/wk | [PRIMARY_CHANNEL] ___/wk | Twitter ___/wk | Newsletter ___/mo | Dev content ___/mo

Step 4.4: Distribution Matrix (per content piece)

| Channel | Format | Audience | CTA | Schedule |
|---------|--------|----------|-----|----------|
| LinkedIn | Post / Article / Carousel | | | Day 0 |
| Twitter/X | Tweet / Thread | | | Day 0 |
| [PRIMARY_CHANNEL] | Message / PDF ([LOCAL_LANGUAGE]) | | | Day 1 |
| Email | Newsletter / Standalone | | | Day 2 |
| Dev community | Blog / Tutorial | | | Day 3 |
| Paid | Boosted post / Ad | | | Day 3-7 |

## Checklist: [ ] Published [ ] LinkedIn insight [ ] Twitter thread [ ] [PRIMARY_CHANNEL] [LOCAL_LANGUAGE]
[ ] Dev community [ ] Community groups [ ] Email segment [ ] Paid boost if >2x avg
[ ] Repurpose format within 7 days

Output: Save as your content architecture and editorial calendar documents.

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Phase 5: Bullseye Channel Evaluation (~2 hours)

Goal: Evaluate all 19 traction channels (Weinberg's "Traction"), test top 3, double down on winner.

Bullseye Template

# Bullseye Channel Evaluation | Date: YYYY-MM-DD

## Outer Ring: Score All 19 Channels (Relevance + Cost + Speed, each 1-5)
| # | Channel | R | C | S | Total | Notes |
|---|---------|---|---|---|-------|-------|
| 1 | Viral Marketing | | | | | |
| 2 | PR / Media | | | | | |
| 3 | Unconventional PR | | | | | |
| 4 | SEM (Search Ads) | | | | | |
| 5 | Social & Display Ads | | | | | |
| 6 | Offline Ads | | | | | |
| 7 | SEO | | | | | |
| 8 | Content Marketing | | | | | |
| 9 | Email Marketing | | | | | |
| 10 | Engineering as Marketing | | | | | |
| 11 | Targeting Blogs | | | | | |
| 12 | Business Development | | | | | |
| 13 | Sales | | | | | |
| 14 | Affiliate Programs | | | | | |
| 15 | Existing Platforms | | | | | |
| 16 | Trade Shows | | | | | |
| 17 | Offline Events | | | | | |
| 18 | Speaking Engagements | | | | | |
| 19 | Community Building | | | | | |

## Middle Ring: Top 6 (Possible)
| # | Channel | Why It Could Work | Test Cost | Duration |
|---|---------|------------------|-----------|----------|

## Inner Ring: Top 3 (Testing)
| # | Channel | Test Design | Success Metric | Threshold | Budget | Timeline |
|---|---------|------------|---------------|-----------|--------|----------|

## Bullseye: Winner = ___ | Evidence: ___ | Scale plan: ___ | Budget: ___%

Channel Hypotheses

Channel	Hypothesis	Priority
Sales (founder-led)	Founder's professional network -- highest conversion for first clients	Test first
Content Marketing	Technical content builds developer trust	Test first
[PRIMARY_CHANNEL]	[Dominant channel in PRIMARY_MARKET] -- high open rates, direct reach	Test first
Conferences	Industry events where your target buyer personas gather	Test second
Engineering as Marketing	Open-source SDK, sandbox, integration calculator	Test second
Community Building	Developer community around your product category	Defer to Month 12+

Output: Save as your bullseye evaluation document.

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Community Building (Deferred to Month 12+)

Deferred until PLG transition. When activated: platform selection (Discord/Slack), developer advocate hire, progression map (lurker -> participant -> contributor -> champion). For now, focus on 1:1 relationships and content distribution through existing channels.

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Deliverables Checklist

#	Deliverable	Phase
1	Positioning Canvas (Dunford 5-component)	1
2	BrandScript (7-element + one-liner + pitch + hero)	2
3	Brand Voice Guide (dimensions, tone, do's/don'ts)	3
4	Content Architecture Map (pillars, clusters, SEO)	4
5	Editorial Calendar (quarterly + distribution)	4
6	Distribution Matrix template	4
7	Bullseye Channel Evaluation	5

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Cross-References

Skill	Relationship
designing-business-models	References Phase 1 Positioning Canvas for pricing/segment decisions
launching-go-to-market	DOWNSTREAM -- consumes messaging, voice guide, channel evaluation
raising-capital	DOWNSTREAM -- consumes brand voice and positioning for pitch narrative
gathering-competitive-intelligence	UPSTREAM -- competitive data feeds Phase 1 (Competitive Alternatives)

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Company-Specific Context

Brand Assets

Customize this section with your brand details:

Asset	Value	Notes
Primary color	[YOUR_PRIMARY_COLOR]	Main brand color
Secondary color	[YOUR_SECONDARY_COLOR]	Accent / complementary color
Backgrounds	[YOUR_BG_COLORS]	Dark, medium, light background variants
Font	[YOUR_FONT] (with weights)	Primary typeface
Logos	Color + B/W, screen/print variants	All standard formats
Visual identity	Examples + source files	Reference for designers

Positioning Tension to Resolve

Identify your core positioning tension. For example: [SIMPLE_ANALOGY] (strong analogy, but may limit perception) vs. [ACCURATE_DESCRIPTION] (more precise, but less immediately graspable). Phase 1 Dunford resolves this by starting from Competitive Alternatives and letting the data determine the framing.

Local Market Content Requirements

• [PRIMARY_CHANNEL] = primary distribution channel in [PRIMARY_MARKET] (high penetration, high open rates)
• ALL [LOCAL_LANGUAGE] content: native writing, NEVER translations from English
• Require native [LOCAL_LANGUAGE] writing samples from content hires
• Market-specific slang, cultural references, industry terminology

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Decision Log

Decision	Resolution	Rationale
Dunford Positioning primary home	THIS SKILL	Positioning is messaging; other skills reference here
Bullseye Framework	INCLUDED	Complements GTM channel selection
Community building	DEFERRED (Month 12+)	Premature at small team stage
SEO	Subsection of Phase 4	Distribution channel, not standalone strategy
StoryBrand	Selected over alternatives	Most actionable for B2B; concrete deliverables
Language policy	Native-first, no translations	Primary market demands native-language content