marketing-icp

ICP

Task-oriented workflow for creating or enriching ICP + buyer personas. The source of truth is always a service file, never a free-floating URL-only ICP.

When to Use

• User says "add ICP", "create ICP", "generate buyer personas", or "who should this service target?"
• Content ideas, drafts, landing pages, or prospecting are blocked by missing ICP
• Existing service has no linked target_icps

Inputs

Ask only for missing essentials:

• Existing service slug, or service URL, description, or both
• Optional target market constraints from the user
• Desired persona count if not default 1-3

If no service file exists, run marketing-service first. Do not generate ICP directly from a URL or brief while skipping the service file.

Prerequisites

Brand scope. In a multi-brand workspace (2+ brand homes in workspace/firm/brands/), every path this skill reads or writes is brand-scoped: definitional entities (services, ICP, personas, proof, channels) live in firm/brands/{brand}/…, working pipelines carry a {brand}/ segment under their entity root, and the working brand comes from the user's choice or B2BFORCE_BRAND — never guessed. Rules: Brand Scope Gate in AGENTS.md; paths: docs/WORKSPACE.md.

1. workspace/firm/profile.md
2. workspace/firm/services/{service-slug}.md
3. Current agent/LLM session
4. Optional market research via tool-exa if the user wants enrichment

Never ask the user to paste API keys in chat. If a tool key is needed, tell the user to fill .env locally.

Workflow

1. Ensure service context

If the user gave a URL/description instead of a service slug, create or enrich the service with marketing-service, then continue from the resulting service file.

2. Gather context

Load:

• workspace/firm/profile.md
• workspace/firm/services/{service-slug}.md
• existing ICP files in workspace/marketing/icp/
• existing persona files in workspace/marketing/icp/personas/

Do not duplicate an existing ICP segment. If a close match exists, ask whether to enrich it or create a distinct segment.

3. Optional market research

Use tool-exa only when configured and useful. Research is optional enrichment, not a gate.

Suggested research questions:

1. Operational pain in the target industry for this service
2. Buying committee and decision roles
3. Trigger events and market changes
4. Common vendor selection criteria
5. Objections and current alternatives

Mark research-backed notes separately in the generated files. Do not cite market claims as verified if no research was run.

4. Generate ICP + personas

Use references/system-prompt.md and references/output-schema.md.

Prompt context:

Analyze this firm and service. Generate ONE ICP and 1-3 buyer personas.

=== FIRM PROFILE ===
{workspace/firm/profile.md}

=== SERVICE ===
{workspace/firm/services/{service-slug}.md}

=== EXISTING ICPs / PERSONAS (DO NOT DUPLICATE) ===
{list}

=== USER TARGETING CONSTRAINTS ===
{if any}

=== MARKET RESEARCH ===
{if any}

Return structured output matching references/output-schema.md.
Write reasoning first for internal use, then strip reasoning before saving files.
Language: {content_language from firm profile}

Buying mode:

• reactive when the buyer has an urgent problem or risk
• proactive when the buyer seeks growth, optimization, or strategic upside
• mixed when both are credible

5. Write workspace outputs

Output	Path
ICP	workspace/marketing/icp/{slug}.md
Personas	workspace/marketing/icp/personas/{slug}.md
Service link	Append ICP slug to service frontmatter target_icps

ICP frontmatter:

---
name:
industry:
company_size:
buying_mode:
service: {service-slug}
---

Persona frontmatter:

---
name:
icp: {icp-slug}
seniority_level:
department:
decision_role:
---

6. Validate

Run:

scripts/validate-content-readiness.sh {service-slug} {icp-slug}

Treat failures as hard stops before content ideas, drafts, landing pages, or prospecting.

Quality Rules

• ICP is a company segment; persona is a role/person inside that segment.
• Pain points must include consequences and current workarounds.
• Trigger events must be observable.
• Personas should cover distinct roles: economic buyer, technical buyer, champion, user, influencer, or gatekeeper.
• buying_mode must drive messaging angle, JTBD, objections, and proof needs.
• Do not invent market facts, budgets, tech stacks, or proof.

Related Skills

Skill	When
marketing-service	Service file is missing or incomplete
marketing-content-ideas	Next step after ICP + personas
sales-prospecting-sequence	Outbound after service + ICP + persona exist