The Marketing Millennials Podcast

Episode Summary: Go-to-Market Plays #8 - How to Improve Your Website Messaging Today

Release Date: May 21, 2025
Host: Daniel Murray
Guest: Tamara Graminski, Founder of PMM Camp

Episode Overview

In the eighth installment of the "Go-to-Market Plays" series, host Daniel Murray teams up with Tamara Graminski, an award-winning product marketer and former VP of Product Marketing at Kajabi. Together, they delve into the intricacies of crafting effective website messaging—a critical component for any successful marketing strategy. The episode aims to equip marketers with actionable frameworks to enhance their website’s communication with audiences, ensuring clarity and emotional resonance.

The Challenge of Effective Messaging

Tamara Graminski opens the discussion by highlighting a pervasive issue in current marketing practices: the struggle to find messaging that truly resonates with the audience. She observes, “Good messaging is table stakes now in marketing” (01:38), emphasizing that while effective messaging is essential, many brands still falter by delivering either overly emotional yet unsubstantial messages or technical yet disengaging content.

Common Pitfalls:

1. Too Fluffy and Emotional: Messages that lack substance, often seen in high-profile ads like those during the Super Bowl.
2. Too Technical and Dry: Particularly prevalent in software and technical product messaging, where features are listed without connecting to customer needs.

Tamara argues that the optimal messaging strikes a balance—connecting emotionally while clearly conveying the product’s practical benefits and functionalities.

Introducing the VBF Framework

To address the messaging challenge, Tamara introduces the VBF Framework, an acronym for Value, Benefit, Feature, developed by Emma Stratton, a messaging expert and author of Make it Punchy.

Breakdown of VBF:

1. Value (V): The emotional driver—how the customer wants to feel.
2. Benefit (B): The practical outcome—the tangible result customers achieve using the product.
3. Feature (F): The capability or functionality—the specific aspects of the product that enable the benefit.

Tamara explains, “The VBF model hooks your buyer's interest by leading with a desirable outcome rather than leading with a bunch of features” (02:49). This outside-in approach prioritizes the customer’s emotional and practical needs over the product’s technical specifications.

Applying VBF to Real-World Brands

To illustrate the effectiveness of the VBF framework, Tamara revisits the messaging of three well-known brands—Duolingo, Notion, and Loom—and rewrites their messaging using the VBF model.

1. Duolingo

• Original Messaging: “The free, fun, and effective way to learn a new language.”
• VBF Reimagined:
  • Value: Feel confident speaking a new language.
  • Benefit: By practicing just five minutes a day.
  • Feature: Using bite-sized lessons built by language experts.

Tamara’s Insight: This revision shifts the focus from the product’s features to the user’s emotional gain and practical outcome, enhancing emotional engagement and clarity.

2. Notion

• Original Messaging: “Write, plan, collaborate with a little help from AI.”
• VBF Reimagined:
  • Value: Feel organized and in control.
  • Benefit: By managing your tasks, docs, and projects in one place.
  • Feature: Using customizable building blocks built for your workflow.

Tamara’s Insight: By clearly articulating the emotional and practical benefits, Notion’s messaging becomes more relatable and compelling to potential users.

3. Loom

• Original Messaging: “Easily record and share AI-powered video messages with your teammates and customers to supercharge productivity.”
• VBF Reimagined:
  • Value: Build trust faster.
  • Benefit: By showing your face and voice instead of sending long emails.
  • Feature: With instant screen and camera recording in Loom.

Tamara’s Insight: This transformation removes buzzwords and centers on the emotional benefit of building trust, making the messaging more impactful.

Practical Steps to Implement VBF

Daniel Murray inquires about the practical application of the VBF framework, especially for marketers facing a blank page. Tamara provides a step-by-step approach:

1. Start with the Feature: Identify what the product does and its core capabilities.
2. Define the Benefit: Determine the functional outcome—what the customer can achieve using the product.
3. Identify the Value: Pinpoint the emotional reward—the feeling the customer desires from the product.

Tamara emphasizes the importance of customer research in this process: “Talk to your customers, look at past customer call recordings, customer feedback, and start to really slot in all of those responses into these three categories” (07:50). This ensures that the messaging is grounded in actual customer needs and sentiments.

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

The episode concludes with a recap of the VBF framework’s effectiveness in creating clear, compelling, and customer-centric messaging. Daniel underscores the significance of layering emotional payoff with practical benefits: “But when you layer in the emotional payoff, that's when messaging clicks. So it's not about being clever, it's about being clear, customer first and anchored in outcomes” (09:56).

Tamara adds, “It's all in fun” (10:42), reflecting the collaborative and iterative nature of improving brand messaging.

Notable Quotes

• Tamara Graminski: “Good messaging is table stakes now in marketing.” (01:38)
• Daniel Murray: “It's not about the what, it's about why it matters.” (04:11)
• Tamara Graminski: “Feel confident making the right call.” (07:50)
• Daniel Murray: “It's about being clear, customer first and anchored in outcomes.” (09:56)

Final Thoughts

This episode of "The Marketing Millennials" provides valuable insights into refining website messaging through the VBF framework. By focusing on value, benefit, and feature, marketers can create messaging that not only informs but also emotionally resonates with their audience, ultimately driving engagement and conversions.

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