What is the JTBD framework?
The Jobs-to-be-Done framework comes from the Jobs-to-be-Done Theory, which is based on the economic principle that
people buy products and services to get “jobs” done
Want to listen to music? You open Spotify and put in your AirPods.
Picking out clothes? You open your storage closet from IKEA and take out the pants that make your legs look slimmer you got from Uniqlo.
We make decisions based on our objectives in the moment. "Jobs" are the tasks we want to accomplish, goals we want to hit, problems we want to solve, and progress we want to make. So, instead of creating solutions through the lens of the customer (aka no customer personas here) or what the solution itself can do for its intended audience, the JTBD asks us to create the things that will help our audience accomplish their Jobs.
What does that have to do with my content?
Simply put, create content that helps your target audience accomplish their "jobs."
For example, my target audience is you, dear reader.
You're probably:
- Trying to create content
- To grow a personal brand
- And use it to get opportunities
You're probably also quite busy, so you need systems and advice to achieve your "job" faster.
The thing is, I only know this because, for years, people who fit this bill have been asking me for advice in this vein, so I started this newsletter to address those requests.
It takes listening to your "market" and spending time with & among your audience to figure out their Jobs to be Done.
To start applying the JTBD framework to your content, consider that the framework can be defined through the following:
- Job: The job that the customer is trying to accomplish
- Motivation: The underlying motivation or goal behind the job
- Outcome: The desired outcome or result of the job
- Constraints: The limitations or obstacles that the customer faces when trying to accomplish the job
Love it – let's get practical
Start by figuring out the Job and the Constraints of your audience and using that to frame your content.
Come with solutions to build credibility.
"I want to efficiently plan and organize content creation (Job) BUT I'm juggling multiple responsibilities and finding a balance between content creation and other professional commitments (Constraint)."
Where can you help?
Then connect their underlying Motivation to their desired Outcome. Empathize through content to build trust."I want to build a strong personal brand by providing valuable content to my target audience (Motivation) BY creating content that resonates with their audience and increases engagement and following (Outcome)."
Where can you help?
The step-by-step application process to fill up your content calendar
- Directly Address the "Job": Begin by defining the specific "job" your audience wants to achieve. Design your content to be a "how-to" or guide that helps them achieve this job. For instance, if your audience's job is "I want to improve my productivity at work," create content like "10 Proven Methods to Boost Your Work Productivity."
- Tap into the "Motivation": Understand the underlying motivations of your audience. This could be anything from seeking recognition, improving skills, or finding personal satisfaction. Craft content that speaks directly to these motivations. For the above example, delving into motivations might result in content like "How to Stand Out at Work by Boosting Your Productivity."
- Highlight the "Outcome": Always ensure your content clearly shows the positive outcomes of following your advice or methods. This can be done by adding testimonials, sharing success stories, or presenting statistics. Continuing with the productivity theme, you could present content like "5 Professionals Share How They Doubled Their Output in Half the Time."
- Acknowledge and Overcome "Constraints": Recognize the common constraints your audience faces when trying to achieve their job. Develop content that offers solutions to these constraints or barriers. For someone trying to boost productivity, constraints might include distractions, lack of proper tools, or ineffective methods. Your content might look like "Top Tools to Minimize Distractions and Maximize Productivity."
- Create an iterative Feedback Loop: After creating content based on the JTBD framework, solicit feedback to understand how well it's helping your audience perform their jobs. Use this feedback to continuously improve your content strategy, ensuring your content remains relevant and valuable.Action: Dig into the Jobs to be Done by the typical target audience of your competitors – this can provide you a good springboard for what to talk about to attract a similar audience.
Bot to Brain
AI prompt(s) to apply the JTBD framework to content creation
Feel free to modify as needed!
Best Model: GPT-4
Step 1: Define your audience's Jobs to be Done
I'm trying to understand my target audience of **[insert target audience]** trying to **[insert task]** by **[insert action your target audience takes to accomplish said task]** so I can create useful content for them.
I want to use the Jobs to Be Done {JTBD} framework to understand them. The JTBD framework is defined through the following
• Job: The job that the customer is trying to accomplish
• Motivation: The underlying motivation or goal behind the job
• Outcome: The desired outcome or result of the job
• Constraints: The limitations or obstacles that the customer faces when trying to accomplish the job
In bullet point format, create a list of five of the JTBD of my target audience of **[insert target audience]** that I can use to discover the most common questions, concerns, or challenges they may have when approaching their task of **[insert task]**
Step 2: Use the JTBD from Step 1 to ideate resources you could create for your audience's JTBD
I would like you to generate a list of the most common questions, concerns, or challenges that **[target audience]** trying to **[task]** may have about **[actions required to achieve their task]**.
Please consider the following areas:
• {JTBD1}
• {JTBD2}
• {JTBD3}
• {JTBD4}
• {JTBD5}
Please generate these questions in a bullet point format that I can use to guide the creation of educational content, resources, and solutions for [target audience]**
🔗Get it in ChatGPT↗
That's it! Talk soon.