In a crowded marketplace, the difference between noise and impact often comes down to one simple framework: stp. Short for segmentation, targeting, and positioning, stp is not just a marketing diagram you learned in school — it’s a practical, strategic playbook for connecting with real people. In this article I’ll walk you through a modern, actionable approach to stp, illustrated with real-world examples, a personal anecdote from applying stp in a product launch, and clear next steps to help you measure success.
Why stp still matters — and what’s changed
At its core, stp answers three questions: Who are we trying to reach (segmentation)? Which of those groups will we focus on (targeting)? How will we be perceived by that group (positioning)? The framework has survived decades because it aligns strategy with human behavior.
What has changed is data depth and channel fragmentation. Twenty years ago, segmentation relied heavily on demographics. Today, behavioral signals, micro-moments, and contextual relevance allow brands to create much more precise segments. Meanwhile, positioning must account for endless touchpoints: voice assistants, short-form video, in-app experiences, and more. That’s why the modern stp approach blends timeless insight with agile execution.
Segmentation: Go beyond basic buckets
Good segmentation separates customers based on meaningful differences in needs and behaviors. Here are modern dimensions to consider:
- Behavioral: purchasing patterns, session length, churn signals, in-app behaviors.
- Psychographic: values, motivations, lifestyle—these drive long-term affinity.
- Contextual: device, time of day, platform, or moment-of-use.
- Value-based: lifetime value potential, likelihood to advocate, propensity to convert.
Example: For a mobile card game, segments might include social players (value social features and tournaments), single-session players (play during short commutes), and high-spend superfans (buy cosmetic items). The behaviors and KPIs you optimize will differ for each group.
Practical tip
Start with data you already have. Pull behavioral cohorts from analytics, survey a representative sample, and prioritize segments using a simple score combining size, accessibility, and potential value. You don’t need perfect segmentation data to start — you need directional clarity to run experiments.
Targeting: Choose ruthlessly and test boldly
Targeting forces trade-offs. You can’t be everything to everyone. Choose the segments that align with your business model and that you can reach cost-effectively. For each target, define a hypothesis: who they are, what they want, and how you will deliver it.
Example hypothesis: “Social players value leaderboards and friendly competition more than cosmetic purchases. If we add weekly friend tournaments with small rewards, we will increase retention for this segment by 15%.”
I once worked on a product launch where the team wanted to target everyone simultaneously. We instead focused on a single high-potential segment and built a tailored onboarding path. Conversion in that cohort rose 28% within two weeks — a result that justified further investment and allowed progressive rollouts to other segments.
Channel alignment
Targeting also determines channels. Younger, social-first segments may be best reached through short-form video and influencer collaborations, while high-value segments might respond better to email and personalized in-app offers. Map channels to segments and test the creative that resonates specifically with those targets.
Positioning: Claim a space that matters
Positioning is your promise. It’s not a slogan; it’s a specific perception you want the target segment to hold after interacting with your product or message. The formula I use when drafting a positioning statement is concise: “For [target segment], our product is the only [category] that [key benefit] because [reason to believe].”
Example for a card game targeting social players: “For friends who love casual competition, our app is the only mobile card game that makes weekly tournaments effortless and social because we integrate friends lists, quick invite flows, and live bragging features.”
Testing positioning claims
Don’t guess — test positioning with short experiments. Run two landing pages with different value propositions, A/B test messaging in ads, or prototype a new in-app feature and measure retention changes. The fastest way to validate positioning is to measure behavioral lift for the target segment.
Measurement: Signals that matter
Measurement must be aligned to the stp decisions you make. Typical metrics by stage:
- Segmentation: segment size, baseline conversion, churn rate.
- Targeting/Activation: conversion rate, onboarding completion, short-term retention (D7).
- Positioning/Retention: long-term retention (D30+), engagement depth, net promoter score for the segment.
- Value: average revenue per user (ARPU), lifetime value (LTV), and cost to acquire (CAC) by segment.
Use incremental lift tests (holdout groups) to attribute changes to your interventions. For instance, if you introduce a new tournament feature for social players, keep a control group and measure retention and spend delta over a predetermined window.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Over-segmentation: creating tiny segments that are impossible to scale. Start broad and iterate.
- Targeting by convenience: targeting where it’s easiest rather than where the opportunity is. Prioritize reach and value together.
- Vague positioning: generic claims that don’t differentiate. If your message could describe any competitor, it needs sharpening.
- No measurement plan: launching without pre-defined metrics. Define KPIs and control groups before shipping.
Tools and resources to accelerate stp
A modern stp program uses a blend of analytics, experimentation, and creative tooling:
- Analytics platforms (for behavioral cohorts and funnels)
- Experimentation frameworks (feature flags, A/B testing tools)
- CRM and personalization stacks (for targeted messaging)
- User research and surveys (to validate motivations and positioning)
Combine quantitative signals with qualitative interviews. Numbers tell you what happened; conversations tell you why. I recommend running rapid five-person interviews with a given segment for every major hypothesis you want to test — the qualitative color is invaluable for crafting believable positioning.
Case study: launching a new social tournament feature
Background: A mid-sized mobile game team wanted to boost retention among social players. Using the stp approach, we:
- Segmented users by in-app behavior and friend connectivity.
- Targeted the “friend-centric” cohort who invited others and played in group sessions.
- Positioned the feature as “effortless weekly tournaments with friends” and launched a soft test.
Results: With a targeted onboarding flow and a simple rewards ladder, D7 retention for the cohort increased 18% and ARPU increased by 10% among participants. The key success drivers were a clarity in positioning, channel alignment (in-app invites + push), and careful control group measurement.
Applying stp to different contexts
stp is adaptable. Here are three brief examples across industries:
- SaaS: Segment by company size and churn drivers. Target free-trial users with intent signals. Position as “the integration that saves you X hours/week.”
- E-commerce: Segment by purchase frequency and category affinity. Target high-LTV customers with early access. Position as “curated for your lifestyle.”
- Gaming: Segment by session behavior. Target social and high-spend cohorts differently. Position features to match emotional drivers (competition, social bonding, mastery).
If you’re working in gaming and need a concrete example of audience behavior or competitive features, consider studying popular social platforms and apps such as keywords for how community features and tournament mechanics are presented to players. Observing live implementations can spark positioning and feature ideas that fit your audience.
My personal framework for running stp cycles
I follow a repeatable cadence that balances speed and rigor:
- Define 2–3 candidate segments using existing data.
- Prioritize one segment for a 4–6 week sprint based on opportunity score.
- Draft a positioning hypothesis and a minimal viable experience tailored to that group.
- Run controlled experiments with a clear measurement plan and a control cohort.
- Iterate based on lift and feedback, then roll out to adjacent segments.
This cadence keeps teams focused and prevents the temptation to “chase everything at once.” It also produces repeated learning that compounds over time.
Final checklist to put stp into action
- Have you defined meaningful segments based on behavior and value?
- Is your targeting decision justified by size, accessibility, and potential value?
- Can your positioning statement be stated in one sentence and tested quickly?
- Have you set up controls and KPIs before launching?
- Do you have a plan to scale successful experiments to other segments?
When these boxes are checked, stp stops being theoretical and becomes a repeatable engine for growth. Small, targeted bets compound into measurable advantage.
Conclusion: stp as a mindset, not a one-time exercise
stp is powerful because it forces clarity: who you serve, why you serve them, and how you want to be known. The most effective teams treat stp as an ongoing discipline — iterating segments, sharpening positioning, and validating with experiments. If you’re ready to move beyond one-size-fits-all messaging, start small: pick one segment, craft one testable promise, and measure the impact. Over time, those focused iterations will transform product direction, marketing effectiveness, and customer relationships.
For inspiration from products that lean into social play and community features, review live experiences like keywords to see how tournaments, friend flows, and social mechanics create retention loops. Use those observations to inform your own positioning and experiments.
stp isn’t a solved problem — it’s a process that rewards curiosity, measurement, and empathy. Start your first cycle today and let the data and conversations guide the rest.
