Reading time: 8 minutes | Video length: 28 minutes
Welcome to the third installment of our four-part Cannonball methodology series. As we emphasized in previous modules, you need to complete Part 1: Focus and Part 2: Investigate before diving into this Narrate module. Each component builds on the previous ones to create a complete, effective AI marketing system.
Executive Summary
The Narrate module teaches you how to build a customer-centric messaging stack
You'll learn how to transform your targeting data directly into compelling copy
We'll show you how to develop segment-specific messaging that addresses precise pain points
This approach ensures your marketing speaks directly to your customers' actual challenges
The right message to the right segment creates campaigns "so good people would pay to receive them"
Where Narrate Fits in the FIND Framework
Building on the foundation we've established:
Focus- Understand your product's market position and your ideal customers ✓Investigate- Research and analyze customer data and market opportunities ✓Narrate - Craft compelling messaging and campaign narratives ← You are here
Deploy - Execute multi-channel campaigns with precision
Three Core Goals of the Narrate Stage
1. Build a Customer-Centric Messaging Stack
The most important goal of the Narrate stage is creating messaging that speaks directly from your customers' perspective. Rather than focusing on your product features, you'll learn to articulate how your solution addresses specific pain points that you've identified in the Investigate stage.
For our Skimmer example (pool service software), we built messaging around three key segments we discovered:
Time Savings Segment: Pool service companies whose reviews mention scheduling and routing challenges
Growth-Related Breakdown Segment: Companies experiencing quality issues as they scale
Service Quality Deterioration Segment: Companies struggling to maintain standards across technicians
The Narrate stage helps you create tailored messaging for each segment that resonates with their specific challenges.
2. Create Copy That Genuinely Connects
Generic marketing copy rarely drives action. The Narrate stage helps you create copy that genuinely connects by:
Using your customers' actual language (from the reviews you analyzed)
Addressing specific pain points at exactly the right moment in their journey
Providing clear solutions to their most pressing challenges
Speaking to the emotional and practical aspects of their problems
The goal is to have your target audience think: "This company understands exactly what I'm going through."
3. Transform Your List into Compelling Messages
In the Investigate stage, we emphasized that "the list IS the message." Now we make that concrete by transforming our targeting insights into specific messaging for each segment.
For Skimmer, we developed distinct messaging approaches for each segment, ensuring that our campaigns would speak directly to their unique challenges:
For companies with routing inefficiencies
For businesses experiencing growing pains
For operators concerned about maintaining service quality standards
The Messaging Development Process
The Narrate stage uses AI to help you develop comprehensive messaging frameworks for each segment. Here's the process we followed:
Warm up the AI model with all the context from your Focus and Investigate stages
Run targeted messaging prompts for each identified segment
Evaluate the outputs against your knowledge of the customer and brand
Select the strongest messaging direction based on resonance with customer pain points
Let's walk through how we did this for Skimmer:
Step 1: The Messaging Prompt
https://claude.site/artifacts/7e0a4142-a8b9-49a6-a789-010a4f5a7f24
After warming up Claude with all our previous research, we used a comprehensive messaging prompt that included:
Brand voice parameters
Category context
Target audience specifics
Value proposition elements
Supporting value points
We then requested specific deliverables:
Brand narrative (the overall story)
Value proposition (the core promise)
Supporting points (the evidence)
Headline options
Subheadline options
Short copy blocks
Step 2: Generate Segment-Specific Messaging
We ran the prompt three times, once for each of our identified segments:
Time Savings Segment:
The CopyEvery growing pool service business reaches a critical turning point when the systems that once worked perfectly begin to break down. At 40+ pools, manual scheduling and paperwork become unsustainable as routes grow more complex and customers expect consistent service.
Growth-Related Breakdown Segment:
The CopyWhen your pool service business outgrows your ability to personally oversee every job, quality and consistency often suffer. The expertise that once lived in your head becomes increasingly difficult to transfer, and what worked perfectly when "it was just you" no longer scales with your growing team and customer base.
Service Quality Deterioration Segment:
The CopyWhen chemical readings vary between visits, when customers report missed service steps, when your once-perfect standards start slipping through the cracks - these are signs your pool service business needs systems, not just more effort. As your reputation grows, so does the challenge of maintaining the quality that built it.
Step 3: Evaluate and Select
After reviewing all three options, we determined that the Growth-Related Breakdown messaging had the strongest resonance with Skimmer's target audience. Why?
It addressed the most painful transition point (scaling beyond the owner's personal capacity)
It acknowledged both the practical and emotional challenges of scaling
It touched on the core fear: losing the quality that built the business
It positioned systems as the solution, not just working harder
This segment's value proposition was particularly strong:
"Scale your pool service business without sacrificing quality. Skimmer transforms your personal service standards into scalable systems that maintain consistency across any number of routes, technicians, and customers."
Key Insights from the Messaging Development
Identifying the Critical Transition Point
The most powerful messaging came from identifying exactly when customers feel the most acute pain. For pool service companies, this wasn't just about having "a lot of pools" - it was specifically about the transition from owner-operated to team management:
"What worked perfectly when 'it was just you' no longer scales with your growing team and customer base."
This speaks directly to a sentiment we found repeatedly in customer reviews, creating immediate recognition and resonance.
The Paper-to-Digital Transformation
A recurring theme in our research was the transition from paper-based systems to digital management. This represents more than just a technology shift - it's a fundamental business transformation:
"Transform administrative chaos into efficient workflows that free you to focus on growth."
This messaging acknowledges both the practical benefit (efficiency) and the emotional benefit (freedom to focus on what matters).
Preserving Standards During Growth
Perhaps the most powerful theme we discovered was the tension between growth and quality maintenance:
"Protect the standards that built your reputation while expanding to serve more customers."
This messaging directly addresses the fear that success might undermine the very quality that created it - a concern that resonates deeply with service business owners.
From Messaging to Multi-Channel Campaigns
As we prepare for the Deploy stage, we discussed how this messaging would translate across different channels:
Email Marketing: The specificity of our messaging makes email particularly powerful. As Jordan noted, we can create highly targeted messages like:
"I read Jessica's review last week that said service was great at Perry Pools until you started scaling. I think there's a way for your customers to still experience your value even as you grow..."
By referencing specific customer feedback and local success stories, these emails can achieve remarkable connection and conversion rates.
Social Media Channels: While email allows for specificity, social media campaigns build broader awareness and recognition. The messaging we developed can be adapted for platforms like YouTube and Facebook to create category awareness and drive interest.
As Doug noted, a multi-channel approach is most effective, with each channel playing a distinct role:
Broad channels create awareness and context
Targeted emails deliver the precise, conversion-focused message
Together, they create a cohesive customer journey
Next Steps: Preview of Deploy Module
In our final session, we'll move into the Deploy module, where you'll learn:
How to translate your messaging into specific campaign elements
Techniques for optimizing each channel based on your segments
Methods for measuring campaign effectiveness
Tools for continuous refinement of your approach
Your Narrate Challenge
Before our next session, try applying the Narrate framework to your own product or service:
Use the messaging prompt to develop segment-specific messaging for your top segment
Create at least three headline options that speak directly to your segment's pain point
Draft a value proposition that addresses both practical and emotional benefits
Share what you develop in the comments (optional)
Questions for Discussion
Which segment of your audience experiences the most acute pain that your solution solves?
What transition points or thresholds exist in your customers' journey where your solution becomes essential?
How might you customize your messaging for different channels while maintaining a consistent core story?
Remember: Great marketing isn't about talking about your product—it's about showing customers you understand their problems better than anyone else. As we've seen in this module, the right message to the right segment at the right time creates campaigns that truly connect.
Join us on March 12th for our final installment: Part 4: Deploy, where we'll transform these messages into complete campaigns.
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