Competitive Messaging & Content

This course is part of Microsoft Go-To-Market Strategy Professional Certificate

Instructor: Microsoft

Access provided by University of Toronto

9 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

7 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

9 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

7 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Compile competitive matrices and analyze visibility and messaging trends to identify strategic market opportunities.
Populate positioning canvases to evaluate competitive differentiation across functional, emotional, and economic axes.
Translate positioning into structured messaging frameworks aligned with target segments and SEO priorities.
Generate and refine AI-assisted content drafts that adhere to brand voice guidelines and strategic messaging goals.

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Prompt Engineering

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

17 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

Build your Business Essentials expertise

This course is part of the Microsoft Go-To-Market Strategy Professional Certificate

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate from Microsoft

There are 9 modules in this course

This course transforms market insights into persuasive messaging. You’ll build competitive landscape matrices using Excel and Copilot, then analyze provided competitor visibility and messaging data to identify market opportunities. You’ll learn to populate positioning canvases that differentiate on functional, emotional, and economic value axes and validate your messaging strategy using stakeholder review criteria.

The course then translates positioning into a structured messaging framework and SEO-aligned content strategy, teaching you to generate brand-consistent copy with AI tools while maintaining quality and voice guidelines. You will master the balance between data-driven strategy and creative execution, ensuring every campaign is anchored in business OKRs. By synthesizing competitive intelligence with generative AI workflows, you will develop the ability to scale high-quality content without losing brand integrity. Ultimately, you'll leave with a comprehensive toolkit to navigate complex markets and deliver messaging that resonates with dynamic audience segments.

Competitive analysis starts with structured data. This module teaches you to build a comprehensive landscape matrix to help you compare competitors on features, pricing, and messaging tone. You'll learn to identify patterns in trend data to identify market gaps and determine strategic implications for your competitive positioning and content strategy, using Excel formulas and AI assistance to accelerate research synthesis.

What's included

2 videos2 readings2 assignments

2 videosTotal 10 minutes

Why Competitive Intelligence Drives Go-To-Market Success3 minutes
Competitive Landscape Matrix: Structure and Components7 minutes

2 readingsTotal 9 minutes

Using Copilot to Accelerate Competitive Research4 minutes
Build a Competitor Matrix Step by Step5 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 30 minutes

Hands-on Activity: Build a Competitive Landscape Matrix25 minutes
Knowledge Check: Competitive Matrix Development5 minutes

Raw competitive data becomes valuable when translated into strategic implications. This module teaches you to analyze competitor visibility and messaging patterns, identify market gaps and opportunities, and communicate findings in a format that influences positioning and budget decisions.

What's included

2 videos2 readings2 assignments

2 videosTotal 12 minutes

Interpreting Competitive Visibility Data6 minutes
Analyze Competitor Data and Write a Brief6 minutes

2 readingsTotal 7 minutes

The Business Case for Competitive Visibility Analysis3 minutes
From Data to Strategic Implications4 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 20 minutes

Graded Quiz: Analyze Competitive Positioning15 minutes
Knowledge Check: Competitive Visibility Analysis5 minutes

Positioning canvases bring discipline to positioning work. This module teaches you to systematically draft and refine each canvas element, from category definition to proof points. Then validate your positioning through a structured stakeholder review process that secures cross-functional alignment.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

Strong positioning requires competitive differentiation. This module teaches you to evaluate positioning statements against three functional, emotional, and economic value axes. These value axes ensure your messaging creates meaningful separation from competitors rather than blending into market noise.

What's included

2 videos2 readings2 assignments

2 videosTotal 10 minutes

Why Differentiation Determines Market Success3 minutes
The Three Value Axes: Functional, Emotional, and Economic7 minutes

2 readingsTotal 9 minutes

Evaluating Positioning Statements for Differentiation4 minutes
Conduct a Competitive Positioning Evaluation5 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 15 minutes

Graded Quiz: Position to Win10 minutes
Knowledge Check: Competitive Differentiation5 minutes

A messaging framework bridges positioning and content execution. This module teaches you to build comprehensive frameworks that organize your messaging architecture from value pillars to audience-specific variations, creating a single source of truth that ensures consistency across all GTM content.

What's included

2 videos2 readings2 assignments

Great content needs discoverability. This module teaches you to conduct basic SEO keyword research, understand search intent, evaluate relevance and volume, and select keywords that align your content strategy with how your audience actually searches.

What's included

1 video4 readings1 assignment

AI tools accelerate content creation, but quality requires human oversight. This module teaches you to generate content drafts using AI based on your messaging framework and keywords, then apply brand voice guidelines to refine outputs for consistency, tone, and strategic alignment.

What's included

2 videos2 readings3 assignments

2 videosTotal 11 minutes

AI-Assisted Content Generation: Best Practices5 minutes
Generate and Refine a Blog Post Outline6 minutes

2 readingsTotal 8 minutes

Brand Voice Guidelines: The Quality Filter4 minutes
Editing AI-Generated Content4 minutes

3 assignmentsTotal 33 minutes

Graded Quiz: Create Magnetic Content10 minutes
Hands-on Activity: Generate and Refine a Content Outline18 minutes
Knowledge Check: AI-Assisted Content Creation5 minutes

Extend your content creation skills with advanced AI techniques. This module deepens your ability to use generative AI for marketing workflows. You will learn how to structure effective prompts, generate content ideas and channel-specific drafts; evaluate AI outputs for accuracy and brand alignment; and refine content to meet strategic messaging and quality standards.

What's included

2 readings2 assignments

Synthesize everything you've learned into a professional deliverable. You'll create a product messaging and content strategy brief that integrates competitive analysis, positioning, and content recommendations. It is the kind of document that informs cross-functional GTM execution.