MARKETING
CANVAS
1) CHALLENGE
3) TARGET CUSTOMER
8) STATUS QUO
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2) CONSEQUENCE
4) SOLUTION
5) ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
6) PROMISE
7) UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
9) GOAL
© Susanne Trautmann
MARKETING
CANVAS
1) CHALLENGE
What is the actual challenge your
target customer is facing? Find out
more about the reasons for the
problem and identify the factors
that influence it.
Is the challenge more a problem
or a need?
Why does the problem or need
occur?
What are the causes of the
problem or need?
Which factors influence the
problem or need?
Is there more than one problem
or need?
If so, what are the top 3
problems/needs?
Several problems/needs are the first
indication that your target audience
consists of several personas!
2) CONSEQUENCE
What happens in the worst case, if
your target customer will not get
into action to solve the problem,
but continues to do business as
usual?
What is the worst case scenario
for your customer if they ignore
the problem and do not look for
a solution?
What losses can they expect?
What will it cost them
(financially and emotionally) if
they continue to do business as
usual?
What disadvantages will they
suffer as a result?
What feelings will this cause?
This emotional trigger is a perfect
starting point for the go-to-market
strategy you create out of this
canvas.
3) TARGET CUSTOMER
Create a checklist of conditions that
companies are likely to meet, that will
benefit most from your product or
service.
Geographical location: How large is
the radius where you wish to be
active?
Sector affiliation: Would you rather
work with companies from industry,
trade, commerce, or service sectors?
Company phase: Are your target
customers start-ups or established,
traditional companies with a history
going back many years?
Number of employees: How many
employees does your preferred
customer employ?
Starting points: What is special
about the starting point, that your
target customers share?
Targets: What are your target
customers' goals?
Now implement the first communication
measures to identify contact persons.
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Identify key-contact persons:
Who do you think could be the key
contacts on the customers‘ side? What
socio-demographic characteristics
(gender, age, education, professional
situation) describe these contacts?
Who is currently experiencing the most
significant pain that you want to relieve
with your product, technology or
service?
Are they even aware of their problem?
Is there a typical decision-making
process? What exactly does the
decision-making process look like and
who is involved? Which decision
makers do you have to convince during
the sales process?
What information and data do your
target customers need to be able to
decide in your favour? What types of
content positively influence purchase
decisions?
The identification of suitable contacts is
the starting point for the personas that
will be defined later in the process.
© Susanne Trautmann
MARKETING
CANVAS
4) SOLUTION
Identify the specific step-by-step process that
your customers have to go through and
explain to them what information and activities
are necessary to achieve the desired result.
The solution is your customer's target status.
It corresponds 1:1 to the problem you are
solving.
How many steps are necessary to explain
how your solution works?
What unique benefits are there in each
phase?
Are there partners that you work closely
with? What added value do these partners
contribute to which process steps?
What is the crucial aspect of your product or
service that will allow you to generate a
maximum response? Describe as precisely
as possible how your target customer will
benefit from your solution and use this to
formulate the title of your solution process.
You can use technical terms, but only if you are
sure that your target audience will understand
them effortlessly.
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5) ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
What additional options are available to the consumer
to solve the problem?
What are the success or frustration factors of each
solutions? What alternative solutions are the most
important and influential?
What alternative solution is most widespread overall?
What do your preferred customers dislike when it
comes to the solutions they currently use? What
would they change if they could?
What can you achieve with your solution that your
competitors are unable to do?
6) PROMISE
Develop a compelling and convincing argumentation
that will motivate your target customers to test your
solution. Prepare 3-5 promises that include:
Added value: Describe precisely how your target
customers will benefit from your solution.
Emotion: Make a direct link to the losses that
customers will avoid, because of your solution.
Vision: Activate the imagination of your target
customers and show them new ways you could help
them in future which they have not yet considered.
7) UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
Your unfair advantage is your individual experience and expertise, it's unique and cannot be copied by your competitors.
If the unfair advantage is missing, all marketing and communication measures are more or less ineffective.
Why can you help your target customers in a better way than your competitors?
How do you differ from your main competitor?
What is unique about your personal story? What values do you stand for? What is important to you?
Where does your experience come from and how exactly do you leverage that experience? Can you achieve extra
added value or an exclusive benefit for your target customers?
Why are you an expert in your field? What extraordinary talents does your team have?
What does your network look like? Do you create a special synergy with your partners?
© Susanne Trautmann
MARKETING
CANVAS
8) STATUS QUO
9) GOAL
It's time to construct a comprehensive overview of your situation
to identify possible roadblocks early on. From this, you can derive how to
equip your toolbox so that you can be truly successful. 3 steps are necessary:
Assess your situation accurately and record all means and resources
available to you: What skills have you already acquired? (Knowledge,
experience, certificates and whatever comes to your mind) What resources
or assets are available that will help you to create content?
Identify all possible difficulties that you expect later in the process. What
problems do you have to take into account? What decisions do you still have
to make? What hurdles can you identify? Which technical, legal or economic
trends influence your target customers or your competitors?
Minimize the potential risks by filling the most critical gaps that you have
identified. What is still missing on the way to the goal? Do you need
additional resources? Which tasks have to be completed before a further
step is possible?
Host a Marketing
Canvas workshop
together with
your team
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Take your time and
try to complete all
boxes. Can you
identify knowledge
gaps?
Now define a measurable goal that everyone in the team can work towards with
enthusiasm. Formulate this goal in such a way that it describes the specific state
that you want to achieve together with your team after you’ve completed the
project.
Questions about the result: What would you like to achieve or create by the end of
the project? Formulate the result as clearly, simply and figuratively as possible and
schedule a timeframe for achieving the goal. Why do you want to achieve this result?
A strong why is a motivator that will give you the strength to carry on even when you
have setbacks.
Questions about the procedure: How will you achieve the result? Think about which
specific milestones and sub-goals are necessary to achieve the goal. What are your
priorities? In what order should the steps be completed? Always start with the steps
that promise the most considerable progress. What do you want to achieve by when?
How much time do you need for each milestone? Allow time for the unpredictable
and stay flexible.
Share the final
canvas with your
team and ask them to
review the
inforamation.
Do more iteration loops, if
needed. Try to condense the
content as much as possible.
The canvas should look
simple in the end.
© Susanne Trautmann
Get in touch with me,
if you need my help
when you host your
first marketing
canvas workshop!
MARKETING
CANVAS
www.marketing-canvas.de
susanne@marketing-canvas.de
www.linkedin.com/in/susanne-trautmann/