How to Combine JTBD, Objections and STEPPS Frameworks to Market Startups

There is a data-backed hack that can help you find high-conversion messages for your startup faster and better. You can combine the Jobs to Be Done Framework (JTBD), the list of your customer objections and the STEPPS marketing framework to define the most effective messaging and ad copy for your brand. Let’s see how and dive into each framework first.

Using The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) Framework for Your Brand Message

The JTBD framework is a cool tool that helps you to understand what your customers really want from your product or service. It goes beyond traditional demographic targeting, focusing instead on the underlying reasons why customers 'hire' a product or service. In the context of brand messaging, JTBD can be transformative. It follows this formula:

Here's how to leverage it in advertising:

1. Identify the 'Jobs': Start by specifying the specific 'jobs' your customers are hiring your product to do. They can be functional (e.g., save time, increase efficiency), emotional (e.g., feel secure, gain prestige), or social (e.g., fit in with a group, stand out from the crowd). You can use the strategy section of Aiter.io to define these jobs. Here is how it looks for IndieHackers, for example:

2. Understand the Context: Each job is performed in a specific environment and circumstances. Understand this context to craft messages that resonate powerfully. For example, a job done in a professional setting might require a different message tone than one in a personal or time-out context.
3. Align with Consumer Goals: Your brand message should align with the end goals your consumers are trying to achieve. This alignment ensures that your message speaks directly to what your customers need most.
4. Craft the Message: Use the insights from JTBD to craft ads that are not just about features or benefits, but about fulfilling the customer's job in the best way.

This way you can develop brand messages and ads that are not only convincing but also deeply rooted in the actual needs and desires of your customers. Now let’s see how to use objections to craft ads.

Navigating Customer Concerns: Objection-Focused Ads

Making ads that focus on common customer worries is a smart way to deal with issues that might stop someone from using your product or service, it changes negatives into positives. Here's a simple way to include customer objections in your ads:

1. Identify and Address Objections: Gather the most common objections your customers have, such as price or complexity, through feedback and surveys. Develop ads that directly address these concerns with reassuring messages. For example, if price is an issue, emphasize value and cost-effectiveness. Here is an example of objections-targeted ads generated with Aiter.io for IndieHackers

2. Test and Optimize: Use A/B testing for these objection-focused ads to determine which messages resonate best. Continuously refine your ads based on performance metrics like click-through and conversion rates, ensuring they effectively counter objections and improve engagement.

This streamlined approach to incorporating customer objections into your ad strategy not only enhances ad effectiveness but also builds trust by showing that you understand and address customer concerns. You can use customer reviews, CRM data or Aiter to define the key objections.

The Power of STEPPS: Transforming Ads with the Science of Virality

The STEPPS framework, which stands for Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories, is an influential tool for crafting compelling ads. By incorporating these elements, your ads can become more engaging and shareable, significantly enhancing their impact.

1. Combine Social Currency and Triggers: Make your ads appealing by adding elements that make people feel exclusive or in the know (Social Currency), and link your product to daily habits (Triggers). For example, an ad for a fitness app could highlight its unique community and connect to everyday routines.
2. Emotion, Visibility, and Usefulness: Create ads that spark emotions to boost sharing. Make sure your product is seen being used (Public) and emphasize its practical benefits (Practical Value). This approach not only grabs attention but also encourages sharing due to its helpfulness.
3. Incorporate Storytelling: Use simple stories in your ads to make them memorable and relatable. A story that shows someone benefiting from your product can be both inspiring and informative, making your ad more impactful.

STEPPS is another framework that allows you to add more dimensions to your ads and brand message. Now let’s see how to combine these three frameworks to succeed.

The Brand Message Algorithm. Putting the Advertising Ducks in a Row

Each of the frameworks mentioned allows you to create 5-10 variations of the ad with the same copy structure. For example, you can create ten ads that target different customer needs (JTBD) or objections. Then you can advertise them to the same audience to find the message that works the best. The algorithm looks like this:

1. Generate ads that target different customer needs/objections/STEPPS.
2. Launch these ads on the preferred ad platform. Make sure to target all of the ads to the same audience and spend the budget evenly. The more people you get to the website in total, the higher will be the statistical significance of your experiment. The rule of thumb is that each ad should get at least ~500 clicks.
3. Compare the click-through and conversion rates for each ad. Pick one ad from each framework that has performed the best and delivered the most conversions.
4. Now you know which customer need (JTBD) is the most appealing to your audience, what objection is the most crucial for them and which letter from STEPPS is “yours”. You can use these messages separately in campaigns or combine them to define your brand message and value proposition.

As a result, your startup will have a data-backed brand message that hooks your audience. Congrats!